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Music vocabulary · Recording and Production

Mix

Meaning in music, with examples

/mɪks/verbCore term

In music, mix means: To balance and combine all the recorded tracks of a song into a final stereo version, adjusting volume, panning, EQ, effects and dynamics.

In Turkish: miks yapmak, mikslemek

How it is used

Engineers mix a song, an album or a live show. The noun is also common: 'the mix', 'a rough mix', 'the final mix', 'mix notes'. Artists send feedback such as 'the vocal is buried in the mix'.

Example sentences

  1. We finished recording on Friday, and she starts mixing the album next week.

  2. The guitars are a bit loud in the mix; can we bring them down 2 dB?

Common collocations

  • mix a song
  • rough mix
  • final mix
  • in the mix
  • mix engineer
  • masteringThe final stage of audio production, in which finished mixes are polished, made consistent in loudness and tone, and prepared for streaming, CD or vinyl.
  • EQShort for equalisation or equaliser: adjusting the balance of low, mid and high frequencies in a sound, or the tool that does this.
  • reverbThe many quick reflections of sound in a space that make it sound roomy, or an effect that copies this, such as a hall, room or plate reverb.
  • trackA single song on an album or release. In a studio or DAW, it also means one separate recorded part, such as the drum track or the vocal track.
  • producerThe person who guides a recording project creatively and practically, shaping the sound, the arrangement and the performances, and often programming or engineering too.

More terms: Recording and Production

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