What Is My Goal When Mixing A Track? And How Should I Approach My First Mix?

[t__lll]

I have this multitrack from Cambridge, and it's an EDM track. So I should get a reference track from the same genre and just try to copy the balance right? And I get this balance through stuff like saturation and EQ, etc.

[jamcat]

Lots of tracks from the same genre are going to have very different balances. It’s really going to depend on the musical content of the track. So the track you try to copy probably isn’t going to fit the track you’re working on.

There is no one-size-fits-all colour-by-numbers approach to mixing. You have to tailor what you are doing to what you are working with, and the only way to do that is to slog it out.

My advice would be: don’t try to be a hero. Just shoot for competent and make it pleasant to listen to. That’s what all the best engineers do.

[Big DAW Audio]

Every track will have its own tonal balance. So find a reference that has similar sounds, especially the low end. The balance comes mostly through setting proper volumes for each channel, with EQ and saturation being secondary to gain (and sound selection from the get go).

As a starting point, try and put the kick at -11dB and mix everything around that, with nothing louder than -14dB.