Udemy Mixing and Mastering Electronic Dance Music

A guide to mixing and mastering electronic dance music using the popular online course provider, Udemy.

Introduction

In this course, you will learn the mixing and mastering techniques used by today’s top EDM producers. By the end of this course, you will have the knowledge and skills to take your productions to the next level.

This course is divided into four sections:

1. Mixing essentials
2. EQ and compression
3. Reverb and delay
4. Mastering

The Tools You’ll Need

Although you can technically get away with just a laptop and some free software, I strongly recommend investing in some higher quality tools if you’re serious about making professional sounding music. Here’s a list of the bare minimum equipment and software you’ll need:

-A computer with enough processing power to run your music software and plugins (I recommend at least an i5 processor and 8GB of RAM)
-A digital audio interface to connect your instruments and microphones to your computer (most interfaces will come with basic recording software)
-A MIDI controller to play virtual instruments and trigger samples (you can also use your computer keyboard, but a MIDI controller is much more expressive)
-Headphones or monitoring speakers to hear what you’re working on
-Music production software (also called a DAW, or Digital Audio Workstation) to record, edit, and mix your music. Some popular choices are Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro, and Propellerhead Reason.

The Basic Principles of Mixing

Any good mix engineer will tell you that there are only a handful of basic principles that need to be understood in order to produce a great sounding mix. In this article, we’ll briefly touch on each of these key principles so that you have a better foundation the next time you approach your mix.

1. Every element in the mix should have its own space
2. The kick and Bass should be the foundation of the mix
3. All other elements should support the kick and bass
4. Simplicity is key
5. The right tools for the job

The Basic Principles of Mastering

There are several different mastering processes that can be used to make a track sound polished and professional. However, there are some basic principles that all mastering engineers follow, regardless of their specific process. This article will give you a brief overview of the three most important principles of mastering.

1. The first principle is “balancing.” This means ensuring that all of the different frequencies in the track are at an appropriate level relative to each other. This step is important because it ensures that the track will sound good on a variety of different speakers and devices, including car stereos, home stereo systems, and headphones.

2. The second principle is “maximizing.” This means making sure that the overall level of the track is as high as possible without causing distortion. This step is important because it allows the track to be loud without sounding bad, and it also leaves headroom for the other processing steps in mastering (such as EQ and compression).

3. The third principle is “EQ.” This stands for equalization, which is the process of adjusting the levels of different frequencies in the track. This step is important because it allows the mastering engineer to fine-tune the sound of the track, making sure that it has the right “color” and tonal balance.

Putting It All Together

Now that you understand the basics of mixing and mastering, it’s time to put it all together. In this section, we’ll go over a few tips to help you get started.

First, remember that mixing and mastering are two separate processes. While they both involve working with audio, they have different goals. Mixing is about getting all of the tracks in your song to sound good together, while mastering is about making your song sound its best overall.

Second, don’t be afraid to experiment. There are no rules when it comes to mixing and mastering, so feel free to try different things and see what sounds best to you.

Lastly, EQ is your friend. When in doubt, reach for an EQ and see if you can improve the sound of your track by boosting or cutting certain frequencies.

With these tips in mind, you’re ready to start mixing and mastering your own songs!

Conclusion

In conclusion, this course has taught you the basics of mixing and mastering electronic dance music. You now know how to set up your studio, how to mix tracks using EQ, compression, and effects, and how to master your tracks for distribution.