Recording, Mixing and Mastering Guides

Practical, no fluff guides built from the same validated chain data that powers the free tool.

The Vocal Plugin Chain, in the Right Order
A professional vocal plugin chain explained step by step: high pass filter, subtractive EQ, compression, de-essing, tone EQ, saturation, and time-based sends.

The Acoustic Guitar Chain That Actually Translates
How to record and process acoustic guitar: mic placement at the 12th fret, high pass filtering, taming mud, gentle compression, and adding sparkle without harshness.

The Electric Guitar Chain, From DI to a Mix That Fits
Processing electric guitar in the box: amp sim gain staging, high pass filtering so guitars stop fighting the bass, presence without harshness, and width done right.

The Bass Chain: Solid Low End on Every Speaker
Processing bass guitar: subsonic filtering, finding attack around 700 to 800 Hz, steady compression, and the saturation trick that makes bass audible on small speakers.

The Drum Chain: From Raw Tracks to a Glued Kit
Drum processing explained: kick in and out roles, why you flip polarity on snare bottom, tom gating, New York parallel compression on rooms, and bus glue.

Muddy, Harsh, Lifeless: Fixing the 7 Most Common Mix Problems
Practical fixes for the classic mix complaints: muddy low mids, harsh highs, no glue, narrow image, no punch, too dry, and uneven levels.

LUFS Targets for Every Platform (and Why You Should Not Slam Your Master)
Current loudness normalization targets: Spotify -14 LUFS, Apple Music -16, YouTube -14, Tidal -14, with -1 dBTP true peak, plus broadcast standards for film and TV.

Plugin Order Is Signal Flow: The Logic Behind Every Pro Chain
Why plugin order matters, the standard chain template (filter, subtractive EQ, compression, additive EQ, saturation, time effects), and when to break the rules.