Music Producers And Bands Basic Mixing Checklist

This mixing checklist is to use alongside the Pre-Recording Checklist. Naturally the checklist depends greatly on the type of music you are producing, but this one should fit most general types.

  • Kick drum should be in mono

  • Sub bass should also be in mono

  • Solo all layers of bass and check that they are working well together. If not, fix them now

  • In the bass - roll off any very low frequencies below 20-30Hz

  • Claps and snares - low cut anything below about 120Hz

  • For a good snare - get the ‘thunk’ around 200-400Hz; a good ‘crack’ around 2-3kHz and sparkle up to 7-8kHz

  • Audio clips - make sure to use fades to avoid any clicks and pops

  • Does any percussion need sidechaining to make it groove better?

  • Make sure to EQ your effects

  • To make some elements more interesting you can use Mid/Side EQ

  • For any specific band specific fixes think about dynamic EQ (for EQ fixes) and multiband compression to control power