I have heard from a lot of recording and mixing engineers about the difficulty of getting their projects to sound “professional.”  Many wonder if they need more audio plugins or switch up their effects chain or maybe selecting the correct microphone.  All of those things can certainly make a difference.  Certain plugins do certain things and each “color” the sound in different ways.  How you chain together your effects can change the sound as well, and there certainly is a difference in how different microphones sound.  With that said, here are a few tips to get your songs sounding closer to that professional sound.

First, listen to music.  In order to get your songs sounding better you have to actually listen to what “better” is.  Listen to how songs are mixed.  How are the instruments panned?  How are they EQ'd?  How much compression can you hear?  How and when is reverb and delay used? How loud is the song?  Make notes of all of these things and also listen to songs from different genres!

Second, after listening to all this music pick a song or two as a reference for the song you are working on.  Make sure it is in the same genre as the song you're working on too.  Use that as a baseline for your song and reference that song as you go through your mixing process to see if you can get it sounding similar.

Third, know how your plugins work.  In order to get your song sounding like your reference, you have to know how to use your tools.  Know what a compressor does and how to use it so you can dial it in without over or under doing it.  Know how to EQ correctly to create space for each instrument.  Know how to use your reverbs and delays so you don't muddy up your song.  When you know how to use your tools you will be able to fine tune it even more to get the sounds you want.  There are plenty of online resources for this. A simple Google or YouTube search will bring up all kinds of tutorials.

Finally, KEEP WORKING IT!  It takes time to learn how to get that “professional” sound.  Don't give up!  Keep working and massaging your song until you get it sounding the way you want it to sound.  I have even had times where I went back and started over from scratch mixing because I wasn't getting what I wanted.  Yes, it took longer.  Yes, it was annoying, but the end result was worth it.  It will get easier and quicker the more you do it.  Just don't give up!

You can get “professional” sounds with one mic, stock plugins, and a good understanding of what you're doing.  Simply keep practicing and don't give up.  If you do that, your songs will start sounding better than most and you will feel more comfortable and confident with your skills and final product.

We feel comfortable and confident with the songs we mix at MAGIC ROOM MUSIC.  If you would like that “professional” sound for your next project, CONTACT US TODAY!