What Is Mixing?

Mixing is the process of balancing and blending all the recorded elements of a piece of audio, adjusting levels, panning, equalisation and effects, into a single coherent whole. A good mix ensures every element, from lead vocal to the quietest texture, sits in its right place and translates across playback systems.

Mixing in Practice

Every professional studio ritual around mixing comes down to one question: will it translate? The Yamaha NS-10, an unflattering little monitor that became a fixture in studios worldwide through the 1980s and beyond, earned its place precisely because a mix that survived it would survive ordinary speakers. Today’s equivalent is the phone-speaker check, since that is where most people first meet a brand’s sound. For sonic branding the stakes are specific: a brand track or audio ident must keep its identity on a laptop, in a lift, on a phone held at arm’s length. A mix that only works on studio monitors has failed the brief.