Mixing Bangers - The 3db Rule
Your track is done. The composition is on point, arrangement is great and you’re convinced that you have produced a banger. But something is off.
After listening to your track for the 677th time, you realize that the kick is not hitting where it should. Your pads are taking a bit too much space and your lead feels like it’s down in the mud with all the other elements of your track. You have already been EQing for hours so you don’t know what to do differently.
This is where the 3db rule comes in.
You are probably familiar with gain staging. It’s the one most important thing in mixing. Even if everything is compressed right, the EQing is perfect and your song is great, if the levels aren’t right then it will sound bad.
A trick that I have noticed when you feel like something is off is that 3db is the magic number. Raising the volume on a channel that feels off by just 3 decibels will make it feel just right. If the kick isn’t hitting right, try raising it by 3db. If the pads are taking up too much space, lower them by 3db. If your lead is down in the mud with the other elements of your track, raise it by 3db. 3 decibels isn’t much of a difference in volume, but it is just enough to save your mix.
I could give you an explanation why this works so well but I know you are busy finishing your banger so keep working! I hope you enjoyed this quick tip.
Cheers! /Tobis
Edit* It looks like some people think I am talking about the master channel. I might have been vague but I am of course talking about individual channels.
Submitted November 20, 2017 at 12:50PM by tobis_the_one https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/7e9r4w/mixing_bangers_the_3db_rule/?utm_source=ifttt
Javier Rodriguez
Monday, November 20, 2017