This book tells you in more specific detail how to do that well and how to use listening in mono as a check for phasing problems. Sound On Sound magazine’s mix specialist Mike Senior shows you how to achieve release-quality mixes even in the smallest studios, by applying power-user techniques from the world’s most successful producers. Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio is a down-to-earth primer for small-studio enthusiasts who want chart-ready sonics in a hurry. Jim Williams has spent much of his 56 years working with some of the biggest names in the music business, including Frank Zappa, John McLaughlin and Stevie Wonder. There is a lot of good info in this book, but was completely taken aback by the overwhelmingly high reviews it got.

After reading Mixing Secrets, books and articles on more advanced topics become easier to grasp, even if they are written poorly. Rather, he shows various methods, explaining that not every method would work for every mix and even provides links to find out more about the different schools of thought. His book is packed with surprising insights and techniques which are - frankly - so simple that I while reading this, my forehead was beet red because I kept slapping it. The title is something of a misnomer because the advice and guidance contained are relevant to everyone involved in music engineering and production, at all levels and regardless of the size of the studio or its facilities.I've heard it's also good for experienced mixers who are seeking to develop their skills, but I can't talk for that as I am not one of them!

Mike shares many of his own mixing tips, supplemented by tips and advice from some of the industry's top engineers that range from Chris and Tom Lord Alge to Andy Wallace. Where an advanced technique is not included the fundamental knowledge to understand it has nonetheless been provided. It's too overwhelming and the amount of information is beyond comprehension for someone who doesn't know what they're doing. User-friendly explanations introduce technical concepts on a strictly need-to-know basis, while chapter summaries, assignments, and extensive on-line resources are perfect for school and college use. Many good examples of current and popular CDs are given through this book to 'reference' each step in the mixing process.then turns around and says you can always add a second reverb with more pre-delay to further distance the sound from the listener? I've made quite a few changes to my "studio" where the book recommends them strongly to great effect. I FOUND AN EXCELLENT "MUST HAVE" for anyone pursuing music recording and mixing as a career and life-long hobby.

Discover how to achieve release-quality mixes even in the smallest studios by applying power-user techniques from the world's most successful producers. It has detailed frequency information on individual instruments, for things like “fullness” “attack” “presence” etc. Each month, he does a "makeover" mix of a reader-submitted song, explaining his decisions and techniques in detail.

Secondly, although he states the book is a “step by step primer” some information is so conspicuously absent, I was shocked. The reader is expected to have a basic level of underpinning knowledge about the fundamentals of sound, audio equipment, signal levels, production workflows and so on, although there are excellent additional resources on the dedicated web site (see below) to help if some of these aspects are unfamiliar. Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio is a 'must have' for me that I wil re-read from time to time and I cannot recommend it more. Part 1 of Mixing Secrets begins with a detailed discussion across four chapters on how to choose and use nearfield monitoring, including understanding and working around the limitations of budget equipment, optimising the listening environment, and 'self calibration' using commercial music reference material.