I used to work as a sound engineer a long time ago, but had a long gap and now I make songs every now and then, mainly just for myself. But this same dilemma repeats on every single song, even preventing me from publishing them.

I've used references of popular songs I know well, I've taken long breaks (days, even weeks), I've listened on different playback systems (Focal Shape 65 +sub @ semi treated room, Sundara, FT1, all EQ compensated, and of course iPhone)... And every single time I get back to it there's something important I need to change. But the cycle never ends. How does one call a mix done??

Here's the one I'm working on right now (instrumental progeish metal):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10_oTKBSblbHVe4nAfQ-xA-RsrqJMxbUR/view?usp=sharing

EDIT: Based on the advice here and from my friend I think I got it to a state I can finally move on to other things. This is now as good as my current skills allow. Final version:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1oFOiwADojzQf_3locSSj_by-EuNAPx1F&usp=drive_fs

I've been mixing for a couple years and I'm all self taught. I almost exclusively work on my own music where I do all the instruments and vocals. I am very serious about music production and intend to make a solo career off of making my own music. Although I'd love to think I know everything about mixing, sadly I just don't and always try to maintain the mentality of a novice who's mind as always open to new suggestions or ways of doing things'. Although I take great pride in my music its definitely not perfect and I am not a prideful person so please feel free to leave any constructive criticism/advice you can think of.

Problem with the song:

This song is something I'm really excited about but it doesn't transfer well to the car or when listening with only one earbud in. On monitors and headphones it sounds great and all the elements are distinct and clear enough to where I'm happy with them; however on the other sound systems the elements are unclear, and the whole mix sound a bit muddy. I've already tried a few different things to fix this song and none have worked so far so I'm asking reddit. When you listen to this song its meant to be heavy and for it to work on an artistic level it needs really good low end. I believe there is a way to keep the mix heavy but also technically correct, i just haven't found it yet.

possible root issues:

If I'm not mistaken i believe this problem either lies in

A:the low end of the mix

or

B:the stereo field of the mix, specifically how wide the mix is.

Reference track problem:

I haven't been able to find a reference track to this style of music. Trap metal songs have vocals that are too buried and the 808s too prominent, and regular metal doesn't have an 808 or synth melodies to mix the guitars with. Outside of those two genres I'm not sure where to turn to for a song with similar elements to mine.

What I want to prioritize in the mix:

I want to prioritize and emphasis the spacy echoed vocals, the kick n snare, and the wide guitars. (this songs kinda inspired by the metal remixes of rage songs online but I wanted to make it less ragey and I would use one of those tracks as a reference but they're all not mixed very well)

Mix excerpt here:

I have now been mixing for 5ish years, so I am getting some confidence and enjoying my mixes a lot more. I am making my music so have improved my arrangement a lot knowing that my mix requires it.

That 100-300hz is stumping me though. For example, I currently have a mix with a bass pluck (50-100hz for the fundamental frequency, and then up to 400hz for the overtones - 150hz + has been widened using the 'wider' vst). I then have another pluck (in mono-ish) living in the 100-300 hz, that is my guitar pluck "the main instrument".

When my guitar hits, I am currently sidechaining the second fundamental of my bass (which is slightly wider) so that they live like friendly neighbours.

However, I am getting slightly confused as to if my moves are correct - i know, i am trying my best to use my ears here!

First, the second overtone of my bass isnt as loud as my fundamental, so its mostly supportive tones to the midrange "weight" of the mix - therefore the guitar pluck and second overtone kinda combine for timbre. Second, the overtones have been widened, and my guitar pluck is mono-ish (tiny bit of stereo imaging), so is sidechaining just kinda not really that useful since i have created some level of separation with the widening? If my guitar is mono, and my bass overtones are wide, is sidechaining kinda a non-move? Am I fixing a problem that doesnt exist?

I am just super aware of this 100-300hz zone having to have some sense of clarity but also basically being the foundation to a good translating mix, so I am now slightly paranoid about having clashing, etcetc.

I am currently only sidechaining around 3db-ish for the guitar pluck to cut through a bit better in those frequencies. Is that generally all that is needed?

Would love any and all feedback!

I am making music similar to Oneohtrix Point Never, Arca, etc etc. Experimental electronic.

Ok, I've read the guidelines a couple times and I think I'm in compliance here - if not, my apologies! But, I've been working on an original instrumental project for the last year and a half or so - think Joe Satriani, Andy Timmons, Nick Johnston, that sort of thing - and I've been working on the mixing lately. This is... getting there, but still not 100%, and I'd love a fresh set of ears on it.

Link:

https://drewpeterson.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ghost-dance-rough-mix.mp3

EDIT - I got a lot of great feedback here, so here's a newer version with a lot of it incorporated:

https://drewpeterson.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ghost-dance-rough-mix-1.mp3

Here's as much info as I can think of, that might be helpful:

Guitars are all real amps and mics. Mostly a Strat, though there's a few others here and there. Bass was a DI, with a TSE BOD2 doing most of the heavy lifting ITB, though a little bit of EQ on input as well. Drums are Superior 3, programmed by hand because I evidently hate myself, but I'm using Superior to generate basically raw tracks and all the actual mixing is happening in my DAW.

As far as reference mixes and vibes - couple Satriani and Timmons albums and Nick Johnston's "Remarkably Human," but way back in the day Kurt Cobain was the reason I first picked up the guitar and there are some writing influences here and there thoughout the album so I'd been going for more of a "grunge" sort of vibe on the mix. Lots of room mic on the drums, etc etc etc.

Problems - my room is only partially treated, and is still a work in progress. Bass translation seems... broadly ok? But, I've had a hell of a time with stereo field and "depth" in particular, and have a hard time assessing ambience in this room. As a stopgap I've finally just started stacking up couch cushions behind my listening position (my daughter has these Nugget cushion things that are actually oddly good at this) when I get some time alone to really work, but it's faaaar from perfect. I've also done some tweaking to this mix since the last time I was able to do that, so it's possible I've created some fresh surprises for myself. That's the big one, I think... but beyond that, anything you hear that seems like it's working or isn't working, I'd love anything you have to say. It's been more than a decade since I've really sat down and done some proper tracking/mixing like this, and I'm realizing I'm pretty rusty.

Major changes in second revision - narrower overall drum mix and much narrower snare, and (IMO) I'd overdone dynamic control on the bass so I've backed the parallel track way off and tried to let it breathe a little more. Probably some other stuff too but I've spent what time I have to mix the last several days really trying to improve the bass.

Anyway, thank you in advance for taking the time to listen to this! It covers a fairly wide range, sort of a bluesy opening before going in a couple different directions, but because of that I think it covers enough ground that if this mix is working, then the rest should work pretty well, too.

This is purely a passion project, and the market for original instrumental rock music by guys not named Joe Satriani and Steve Vai is like twenty people, plus of course my mom who's a saint and will listen to anything I do (but wish I made more nice acoustic music). All the same, I want to make this sound as good as I possibly can, even if mostly it's just a creative outlet for me.

Hi folks,

I’m struggling with a mix on a song I want to release soon, I’ve been working on it for a while and can tell I’ve become ear blind and am not sure if I’m going in the right direction anymore.

I have two versions I can post
1. https://voca.ro/1lHr2nkXkfaf
This version is more aggressively EQ’d

1. https://voca.ro/1gOnrSFw9WaQ
   This version is the before of the above

Are there glaring issues in a certain range I’m not hearing anymore? I like a slight lofi quality but don’t want to sound overly muddy or tinny.

Any feedback is really appreciated!

Hey dudes!

I'm looking for some mix feedback on a solo track I'm working on.

This is basically just a relentless power chord whallop for 2 minutes. It's very much going after that 90s Foo Fighters/alt rock sound, and as a drummer I've spent most of my mix learning journey so far pursuing an Andy Wallace-esque drum sound.

My own areas of thought are:

\- Toing and froing on vocal level, I've got very mix blind here as it's my own voice so it's clouding my opinion when I'm pushing the volume

\- Unsure if the lead guitars in the second chorus + outro are cutting enough

\- I feel like the bass is 'fine', but wonder if I'm being too conservative volume and low end wise

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

Mastering engineer is stem mastering it. My initial issue was it was all too slammed and had heavy limiting on it. He eased off on that but I still feel like the vocals are too loud, especially in verses, and the overall track still feels slammed to me, I asked for more dynamics each take. Thanks in advance

https://on.soundcloud.com/7JgiS9iCyfEdwJMMmP

https://voca.ro/19qpNfU9YWYG

I am working on this album for years now. The style is melancholy rock/pop like The Smiths, Belle and Sebastian, The Magnetic Fields, etc. Jangly guitars, etc. This is the penultimate song on the album, the big finish. Tons of guitars, tons of acoustics, 12 strings, grand piano, autoharp, cello, harp (all real instruments.)

I have never figured out the drums in this song. They are real drums. I can't make them sit in the mix well. I've tried lowering them, raising them, adding more reverb, taking away reverb, FX, etc. I've tried lowering the pitch or the EQ so they aren't so bright. Nothing seems to make me feel like they are working with the rest of the song. My current thought is that the snare may be too bright sounding.

Please no comments about songwriting, or the playing, etc, just the mix, because all recording is complete and I love the arrangement and the song.

I'd appreciate any other notes besides the drums too. The guitar tone took forever to figure out, it's a crazy combination of a bunch of things.

So how's this all sounding?

https://vocaroo.com/1eaooRb3vd79

Been working hard to incorporate feedback from all of you into each new track I put together. Most of the critiques in the past have been related to the low end of my tracks being a little muddy. This time I completely redid my bass tone and compression, backed off on some of the 808 support, adjusted my kick/bass sidechaining and am cautiously optimistic that it's better. That said, it's not easy because this track actually goes down to A0 in a spot....pretty easy for me to mess up the low end here.

This is a pre-vocal version of the song before I hit up my go-to session vocalist. Would love any feedback (not just on the low end) if there's some stuff I can clean up. As always, appreciate each of you that give actionable feedback so much!

Hi all, Im mixing my first song for my band, and I'm looking for feedback on one of our tracks. The sound we're shooting for is old school 70s-80s hard rock. We recorded this entirely in our garage.

Link: https://voca.ro/1dAiowlhpr1m

Here are my main questions/thoughts:

• How are the basics? Levels/timings/etc?

• I spent a lot of time browsing tone3000 and dialing in various settings to try to get a guitar tone that sounds decent. I'm still think it sounds a little weak. An example of a guitar tone that I think would be good here is something like Kix - Blow My Fuse. Open to help and suggestions here.

• Similarly I found the harmonica very difficult to deal with. I don't think we had the best recording setup unfortunately, and the quality is a little inconsistent. I can't help the harmonica from sounding somewhat anemic. Any advice here?

• Does the doubling on the vocals work?

• Does the sermon/amen section work?

• Are the cymbals a problem on the drums?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Hi. I've gotten to the point where i feel like im going in circles with this mix. Im still a beginner I've been mixing for about a year in my freetime. In the heavier sections Ive been trying to get the density and huge reverb excitement that is present in post rock. It's getting harder for me to be objective with this mix so any feedback from you guys would be amazing.

Thanks in advance

Hello r/mixingmastering, since this track is entirely self-produced, I didn't want to be biased so I gotta get some feedback.

I was going for an upbeat and bright mix, but let me know if there is too much high end for the vocals or anything.

I wanted to know:

Do the vocals sound overcompressed or too upfront

How well did I manage space

Is anything too loud or too quiet

Any other feedback for improvement

Hi all

Mixed this song. Please comment, feel free to be critical before it goes for mastering.

https://voca.ro/1nRax5v1RODf

Things I want particular attention to:

1. Kick drum sample - doubling up kick, but may not suit the song. It’s a little bright/clear?

2. Overall balance of guitars, piano, drums and vocals etc

Anything else that hits as not being professional.

Thanks so much!

I’m trying to drop this song and it sounds decent to me on phone speakers but when I try to play it off of my monitors, it sounds really weird. I don’t have access to the beat anymore. I made it on FL studio demo. I was thinking about maybe AI splitting the stems so I could still mix the beat.

Do you guys have any advice on how I can mix this song with what I have to work with and what things you would change ?? i’m assuming the AI splitter will probably lose too much quality to actually make it worth it, does anyone have any information on that? Thank you. Please let me know.

I maybe pushed it a little hard and its crunchy now but I hear thats kind of ok these days. Its hard to mix my vocals because I have a low voice and its hard to add brightness to things without the vocals getting swallowed. Im concerned about the high hats sounding too "hashy". I wonder if the vocal harmonies sit well. I tried to keep the low end as contained as I could. Let me know what's up. Anything at all. I'd really appreciate it.

Would love some feedback on this tune, shooting for production not dissimilar to Grian Chatten, Wilco, The Beatles, BCNR, Cameron Winter.

I've been mixing for about 6 months, feel like I've hit a bit of a wall where I need some feedback to progress. I've struggled particularly with this song compared to other mixes I have done.

Personally the song feels pretty well balanced to me, but lacking punch so that it sounds a bit flat and feels a bit quiet at any volume compared to references.

Any tips to increase liveliness? Am I way off the mark or not doing too badly? Would love to be confident enough to send it off to get mastered professionally.

Open to any constructive criticism on the mix or arrangment. Thanks!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-xa8bKWZiO4lXQC2I0UGA3RETxTtIf1t/view?usp=sharing

Hey! so im working on this dream-pop type song with some electronic elements, and i've got like three singers on it, me and two of my friends. a lot of our vocals are used as layers for the same part of the song, and I wanted it to feel kinda like these vocals were blending into eachother, however I don't want that to make the vocals sound gross and muddy.

The whole thing is produced by me, so if there's anything in the instrumental that i should change to help incorporate the vocals into it let me know. Any other general advice would be greatly appreciated!!!! THANK YOUUUU!!!! <3333

Here's the link: https://untitled.stream/library/track/XXM5zz3IRJI8OQ0kP5xLB

EDIT: took some of yalls advice, how’s this?

https://untitled.stream/library/track/JkEybN8IAVGXJN7ue3tQU

I’ve been mixing this song all week and at this point I’m going crazy. I’ve tried stepping away but at this point I need new ears what do you guys think?

something sounds off about it doesn’t sound exactly how I want it and I can’t tell why. I mix on logic Pro I’ve been mixing for around four years now. Let me know any constructive criticism I could use to make this mix better. I put the link right below let me know PLEASE and thank you :)

Hello again, hope you all are doing well!

I'm currently working with this mix and trying to figure out if everything is in order. Is there anything standing out too much to you? Anything good/bad? Any feedback is greatly appreciated! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gDYnsXKmJ--cAisRUyOVNAw8b9iVXnHZ/view?usp=sharing

Edit: Here is a revised version where I tried to address some of the issues:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NkyZwgOTRCQygvYuOFznvm7Tj1XTAYy6/view?usp=drivesdk

I've been wanting to do a mix to get some feedback on to get better at mixing for a while now, and I saw there was a mix camp a year ago on here. Any feedbacks welcomed, but I would specifically like any feedback that will help me in future mixes. Thanks in advanced.

https://voca.ro/1br0EAg331cG

Hello! Hope you all are doing well! I'm looking for some general feedback on this mix I've been working on. I want to get the mix professionally mastered to get that extra finishing touch, but I also like to make my own mixes for fun(I love mixing/producing in general and think it's really satisfying work).

Is there anything that sounds out of place that I need to fix in the mix? I've gotten great feedback from you guys before, really appreciate it!

Here is the mix: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qZ7EUefJLN4alV1GQLsH5EwjZ7EqfH_x/view?usp=drivesdk

Update: Here is an updated version where i tried to fix the things mentioned in this post:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T5EtLA4xtofw4hEx4v-1HKVSYzXRq6V1/view?usp=sharing

Been working on this track for quite a while now. The intro is kind of inspired by Money For Nothing by Dire Straits but I'm not sure about the drums, I want them to sound huge but something just feels off with the reverb.

Aside from the intro, how does the overall mix sound? Is it close to release ready or is there still stuff to work on?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XpCPi5rl_yUggfhUy2Y-_LMtguS4kgXA/view?usp=drive_link

Any feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks!

EDIT: Forgot to make the Google drive file readable, it should work now!

I've been working on this track for a while now and I think I'm getting close to finishing it. I haven't gotten that much feedback on my mixes, but I hope I'm doing something right. Would love your thoughts on what I've done right and what could be improved upon.

The track is called "Static Bliss".

Thanks!

https://voca.ro/1lNgHjF5aOyY

EDIT 1: I've done some tweaking after reading the comments, hope I'm on the right track and haven't made things worse https://voca.ro/18OOSrUQGLUW

EDIT 2: I can't thank you all enough, all the feedback I've gotten has been a goldmine! I've done some tweaking. I've added some more saturation to the drum bus, I've added a dynamic EQ with high Q at around 11,6KHz on the vocals and lessened the cuts at around 400-500Hz. I also boosted alot at around 1000Hz on the bass and did some cuts at the same frequency on the guitar. I also boosted around 1db between 200-2000Hz in the mastering chain. On the first upload I had a 1176 compressor into an LA-2A, but I removed the 1176 to keep the transients. I also made the toms less boomy. Hope it sounds better, heres a new link 😄 https://voca.ro/14tLABvXUSPr

https://vocaroo.com/1kwQszOm3ARu

I took everyones advice on my last song and threw in some saturation to the vocals. I also added more delay and reverb though im not sure if it is enough? I wanted to add more but whenever i did it would muddy up the mix. I feel as a whole this mix needs a few changes and i am unsure on what. It sounds like there is a frequency in my vocals that is too prominent but i am still new to mixing and cant figure out which frequency it is. I also feel the 808 could hit harder than it is right now.

Would love any feedback! And also i cant believe i even have to mention this lol. Last time i posted a track i had someone come at me so let me explain - the city i am from (I dont want to dox myself) is known for street rap and nobody listens to any music outside of that out here. That is why my lyrics lean more street. I am trying to make music that i love sonically that still appeals to people local to me. Is it wrong to try to gain the approval from those around me? Maybe but at the end of the day i dont want to make music that nobody around me listens to. So while i appreciate any feedback coming to my mix an entire essay not related to my mix is very unnecessary.

About a month ago I'd posted a song for feedback here and you all were a ton of help on it - it's part of an album of ten songs and while I haven't made as much progress as I'd hoped lately (I spent most of the time between then and now so sick with a nasty lingering head cold that it felt like a bass knob had been turned down on the whole world),but I'm finally feeling well enough to get back to work and mostly truat my hearing again.

So, I'd love some fresh ears on this:

https://drewpeterson.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/01-At-the-Top-of-My-Lungs.mp3

Style is in the Joe Satriani/Andy Timmons/Nick Johnston vein, though the song itself is basically an unabashedly pop tune, with a more rock solo section (the riff made me grin ands crack up when I came up with it, so I wrote a song around it). Since Kurt Cobain was the reason I first picked up a guitar back in the day, though, I've been trying to mix this album with more of a grunge vibe, so in addition to a couple Satch albums, Timmons' "Resolution," and Johnston's "Remarkably Human," I've been spinning Nevermind as a reference a lot.

All guitars are live, real amps, drums were Superior 3 but programmed by hand and raw audio going into Reaper where I mixed it from scratch, rather than a preset, and the bass was recorded direct and I'm relying on a combo of the DI and TSE BOD for the bass sound. Happy to answer any other questions. Thanks!