Mixing in Stereo: Adding Width and Depth to Your Recordings | Universal Audio

When it comes to discussing the fine art of mixing music, I tend to approach the subject with some trepidation. After all, compared to many of the topics I’ve written about, this one is rife with subjectivity — one person’s idea of a great sounding mix may be another’s sonic nightmare. And what works for one genre of music will be decidedly wrong for another.But all those variables aside, there are at least a few general theories, tips, and tricks that apply to most mix projects. So while the idea here is not to give a step-by-step tutorial on two-track mixing, hopefully we can cover at least a few concepts that are useful for everyone.

Daniel Keller’s mixing techniques. The images showing mic placement have decent starting points. The loudness contour frequency chart is especially useful.

Consider this panning of instruments as a preset…