So, where do we start trying to create a good balance in our mix?  Well, first, let’s actually consider what a good balance is. As mentioned in one of my previous articles, a good mix is like Amnesty International: each individual part has its own space to co-exist with its neighbours, having a fair share of the frequency spectrum and given the right to be heard fairly and accurately.

So, let’s discuss the first stumbling block of our auditory ideal – gain staging.

Getting the levels right during the recording process is vital.  Poor management of input signals and recording levels can lead to an array of difficulties when trying to balance a mix, so here are a few points to consider. To start with, in the recording stage, make sure you use the appropriate microphone for your sound source.  Condenser and ribbon mics are very sensitive to high-pressure levels, so not ideal choices for percussive sounds like a kick drum or high level sources such as the front of a guitar cab. 

The sensitivity of some condenser/preamp combinations also means they are not always the best choice for some vocalists. If you are finding that your vocals are clipping or distorting, you may try just turning the input gain down. However, if this just gives you a quieter source and a lot of background noise, try either applying a high pass filter on the preamp (to cut out some of the room noise and rumble), or use a dynamic mic which can be more capable of handling the dynamics of the vocalist and is also more directional. It should pick up more of the direct signal rather than unwanted noise.

The key is never to overload your inputs on your DAW and make sure you always leave yourself with plenty of headroom.  Your recording levels should not be at 0dB as some commonly presume, try maybe -6dB as a rough guide or even less.

If every source you have is already at a max it is much harder to balance these parts together without clipping the master track.  You are also leaving no room for subtle fader movements to have an audible effect. During mix down, having as much headroom as possible on individual sources is great for when you start creating stem mixes or summing down.

On analog equipment it is true that you can push the piece hard without causing huge problems. However in digital equipment, the signal should never clip as this produces a nasty sounding square wave cut off to your audio and once it has been distorted there is no way to undo it, so keep those levels controlled.

Pay attention to your gain staging, eq spread and find easier ways to balance the levels, such as stem mixing and you will soon find yourself feeling a lot more balanced and possibly ‘in tune’ with your audio.

Let us not forget that balance is actually one of the most natural phenomena of existence.

Sarah Yule is an experienced audio engineer and Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) graduate. She currently works for TL Audio where she is sales director and was responsible for the conceptual design of the Fat Track Tube Production Suit.