Note that if your backing track is a commercial track, or else from BIAB or iReal Pro, there is a good chance that there is little to gain from adding EQ or compression, so we will mainly concentrate on your saxophone track at this stage, Again, it is actually easier in other more advanced software. We are doing it this way partly to show you another way of working, partly due to the limitations of Audacity, and partly because it makes more sense if you do choose to use EQ or compression along with reverb, to add the reverb after the EQ/compression, see below: Combining Effects). This time we still duplicate the track but apply the effect to the duplicate and use that in the mix (we mute the original and keep it as a safety). With the reverb tutorial we made a duplicate track that was 100% wet, and created a new track mixing the original dry track with the wet track to get the desired level of effect. In part 1 we mentioned two methods by which we can apply effects.

If in doubt, don't use EQ or compression. Add some EQ and/or compression, then listen to the results on as many different systems as you can to see if it still improves your music in the way you originally heard. Learn the idiosyncrasies of your system and room. To get round this problem, the best you can do is experiment by trial and error. This is not just soundproofing but also to make the room a better mixing environment. Recording studios spend thousands on acoustic treatment. It may not just be the speakers that are an issue, it could be that the actual room you are mixing in is accentuating certain frequencies. If not, then you may well be enhancing what you hear while you mix, but actually making it worse on other systems. Before you get into these slightly more advanced aspects of mixing, you must be confident that your speakers are giving you a reasonably accurate picture of the sound of your mix.

The download is currently the same tutorial file as part 1.Ĭaveat: We have already discussed the difference between computer or home stereo speakers and studio monitors. In part 2 we get a little more adventurous.

Eq audacity