Introduction

Welcome to the audio course. If you know nothing about mixing, that’s fine — we’ll take you step by step from zero to confidently building a great mix. And the principles here work no matter what console you mix on and wherever you’re mixing: front of house, in-ears, or broadcast. The fundamentals don’t change.

How to get the most out of this

• Take notes — pen and paper or typing, either works. Writing things down locks the information in. We’re going to get a little technical and geeky, so you’ll want it to stick.
• Grab the cheat sheet. It’s attached below — solid starting points for EQ, compression, delay, and reverb. Keep it next to your console to get close, fast. But always dial in the final settings with your own ears: every instrument, room, and source is different.
• Get your hands dirty. The single best way to learn audio is to do it. We provide the exact same audio files we use on camera — load them into your computer or run them through your console and play. Once you hear what compression and EQ actually do to a sound, the concepts click instantly.

Application

• Print or download the cheat sheet and put it where you mix.
• Decide now whether you’ll work along on your computer (a DAW) or on your physical console, and load up the practice files before the next lesson.