Beginner's Starting Guide to DAWs, Mastering, and Music Making, all for free

[JonathanKonopka]

I’m not a professional, but I can share what I experienced. I do not know if someone already posted something like this.

I made this guide so a beginner can get started making music quickly whilst also knowing the basics of what they need.

1

Get a Free DAW

If you don’t have a PC or laptop:

Cubase LE for iPhone / iPad

https://www.steinberg.net/cubasis/le/

Steinberg free products:

https://www.steinberg.net/vst-instruments/free/

Mac:

GarageBand

https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/

Already fully equipped as a musical studio but only for Mac / iOS, GarageBand is popular for a reason, it works well for beginners and pros alike

PC / Mac / Linux:

Don’t get ProTools, it’s overpriced, overrated redundancy with a subscription cost, you can get free products that will rival ProTools!

Ableton Lite

https://www.ableton.com/en/products/live-lite/

Very popular free DAW, useful for everything

Waveform

https://www.tracktion.com/products/waveform-free

Waveform is the more complicated of free DAWs but very versatile and effective

Has free instruments in its downloader, too

Ardour

https://community.ardour.org/download

Another powerful free DAW; if you’re tech savvy you can even get its source code for maximum customisation

Remember: all DAWS have cross-platform functionality, and can open each other in themselves; you can literally open multiple DAWs in the same project, such as to take advantage of their stock instruments and plugins

2 

Get Free Software, VSTs and Plugins

Now get your free tools for making music!

Kontact 8

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/bundles/komplete-start/

Probably the biggest, bestest free composing setup out there, with a huge selection of sounds and VSTs, making most other free stuff obsolete, unless you deem otherwise

Also includes excellent free tools

Note that many freebies online are only compatible with the full version of Kontatc (eg. 8Dio has many awesome free stuff but they only work with the FULL version of Kontact)

If you plan on purchasing the full version, WAIT UNTIL IT’S AT LEAST 40% off! If you get Heaviocity’s free stuff you also get a discount for Kontact Full.

Big savings occur every few months which is the time for you to practise with what you already have! NEVER buy anything full price as a beginner! ALWAYS focus on what you already have and get good at it first!

If you want to make a big purchase, I recommend bundles from 8Dio when they are at least 80% off

Sam’s Free Orchestra

https://projectsam.com/libraries/the-free-orchestra

Lots of big sounds, from soaring brass to vampiric organs, good for cinematic and fantasy music

SINE Player

https://www.orchestraltools.com/get-sine?srsltid=AfmBOoqAp9SMlhr7eCzWs1BFYErQMv9q2mNAJExglVf76AtuaseXaGaa

A high quality free orchestra, perfect for composers who want a natural or classical sound

MNDALA2

https://www.mntra.io/mndala/?srsltid=AfmBOoodTdKgZwPwKTolbapLelCQbanaLr1lO79BjtVrpp-1YStUzQ46

One of the few free samplers not rendered obsolete by Kontact 8 Player, offering unique instruments and highly adjustable sounds

Arturia Analog Lab

https://www.arturia.com/support/analoglabplaydownloading?download=tru

Beautiful soundscapes, mostly for ambient and suspenseful music

Steinberg freebies

https://www.steinberg.net/vst-instruments/free/

Some high quality free instruments

DecentSampler

https://www.decentsamples.com/product/decent-sampler-plugin/

Comes with many stock instruments and unique synths

Also useful for 3rd party instruments you can get at https://www.pianobook.co.uk/ but most are obsolete amid Kontact 8 Player

When downloading 3rd party software, I recommend putting them all inside their own folder so you can easily uninstall what you don’t need anymore

UVI

https://www.uvi.net/en/instruments/uvi-workstation.html

Comes with one free but useful VST

Don’t forget Venus Theory’s Noctua plugin

More useful freebies not obsolete in 2025:

Heavyocity

https://heavyocity.com/product-category/foundations/

Gives you a discount if upgrading to full version of Kontact

Chiqui Audio

https://chiqui-audio.com/collections/free

Fluffy Audio

https://www.fluffyaudio.com/#

Scroll down until you see VSTs that cost zero

Baby Audio

https://babyaud.io/freebies?srsltid=AfmBOorYjfuS0PSNM4BM1rjz3O-xTxLSmbS_ze988Hdr3wIh0btDV01u

Useful tools

Fracture Sounds

https://fracturesounds.com/product-category/free/

Westwood Instruments

https://www.westwoodinstruments.com/roots/

Rast Sound

https://rastsound.com/products/free-stuff/

The Alpine Project

https://alpineproject.wixsite.com/main

Scroll down and sign up to get

Strezov Sampling

https://www.strezov-sampling.com/products/17/Freebies.html

Important Notes about Hardware

You do NOT need an audio mixer, DI box or audio interface to make great music. Modern technology is so good it’s better than the expensive stuff from last couple decades, that’s how much things have improved!

Don’t let anyone boss you into making purchases you don’t need!

Buying expensive stuff does NOT make you a better composer nor does it increase your chance of making sales! Knowing free stuff well is more useful than buying expensive products!

The only time you need hardware or analog devices is if you have a lower end, old PC that can’t handle extra latency, or if you’re already jumping into recording professional vocals, orchestras and choirs (which is very unlikely if you’re a beginner).

If you must buy one thing, studio monitors are all you need at a beginner level; these are special speakers that play all sounds at a flat frequency, allowing you to easily mix and master your tracks, but are nevertheless optional

The bestest cheapest studio monitors in my opinion are M-Audio BX3 at around a hundred bucks; a beginner doesn’t really need anymore than these

How to setup studio monitors:

https://crossfadr.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Monitors-Placement-3.jpg

If you want an audio interface, I recommend a brand new Steinberg UR22C but DON’T order from Amazon it’s overpriced like crazy there!

If you get a used version you will probably not have the activation code and subsequently won’t get the free software, so only buy this brand new or unopened!

[JonathanKonopka]

3 

Learn Basic Mastering

Mastering Plugins

Many free mastering tools are available, so powerful they are better than expensive EQs from a couple decades ago, so don’t worry about anything!

Generative AI is also inferior compared even to free plugins! Don’t let a seller make you believe you need a super product or AI, a seller is not an audio engineer, his job is just selling.

NEVER overlook mastering! This is where the real magic happens! Mastering allows you to make your music sound vast, powerful and rich even with inferior instruments and speakers.

Contrary to the title, mastering can be done within a few minutes and isn’t difficult; sometimes, default settings are good enough

Generally, perform mastering this way:

1st is Equaliser

2nd is Compression

3rd is Saturation

4th is Limiter

ECSL = ecsllent = excellent

HOWEVER you are free to experiment with different steps for personal practise

Remember: if something negatively effects the sound quality, REMOVE it! You are not forced to keep any plugin! If the song sounds better with less mastering, have less mastering, use your ears not your eyes!

Essential plugins:

Equalizer

https://blog.landr.com/free-eq-vst-plugins/

Pick a few you want and that should be good enough

Compressor

https://bedroomproducersblog.com/2020/02/21/free-compressor-vst/

Pick a few you like

Saturation

https://bedroomproducersblog.com/2021/01/20/free-saturation-vst-plugins/

Limiter

https://www.sageaudio.com/articles/top-7-free-mastering-limiter-plugins

Pick a few you like, you get the idea

Reverb

https://www.mntra.io/product/borealis-le/?srsltid=AfmBOop8onSOx3r0egTcJAQLmQDtpN5r7YG7zqEOvOE72RcVlJrMIQb

The best free reverb for beginners in my opinion, capable of making your music sound gigantic or ethereal with a few simple turns!

Optional Tools

I will have more info about these in the future

De-esser

https://www.musicguymixing.com/best-free-de-esser-plugins/

Multiband Compressor

https://bedroomproducersblog.com/2022/08/25/free-multiband-compressor/

Clipper

https://www.higherdimensionsounds.com/blogs/news/best-free-clipper-plugins-for-2024

Delay

https://blog.landr.com/free-delay-vst-plugins/

Filter

https://www.musicradar.com/news/best-filter-plugins

Notes

Each instrument in your DAW should have at least slightly different combos of mastering tools

Try panning a few instruments to the left or right to add dynamics

If instruments conflict with each other, change one’s EQ frequency

Layering

A technique where you copy-paste an entire track up to several times, giving each a different combo of EQ and other mastering settings to maximize the soundfield of your music

For example, one track can be quieter with extra reverb, another can have the EQ set to high, or what have you

Helps make solo instruments sound epic or huge

Note: Since I assume you are NOT working with live bands, I will not list specific details about real life instruments for now

4 

Getting Started

Now that you have the basics, you can start composing! There are no rules, do whatever you want, even if it's random, just get used to making noise then making adjustments.

There are many MIDIs for Nintendo 64 games, giving you extensive practise opportunities

The most popular are Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask

Although Nintendo hates my generation, it’s usually OK to reuse their MIDIs for non-commercial projects while you acknowledge you are not the original creator (not that you’d ever get away with it anyways)

You can also get MIDIs from almost any other old game out there

If gaming is not your thing, you can get MIDIs from Cymatics

https://cymatics.fm/blogs/production/free-midi-packs?srsltid=AfmBOorGuQwPNUjAvi-yUEyPKzow1SiNnVMi7cs_SREd7uAphxAp3EOB

I recommend keeping all Cymatics MIDIs in their own folder but deleting everything else

Cymatics MIDIs are mostly for electronic music but I have used them for orchestral arrangements as well

Although some composers don’t respect Cymatics MIDIs much, you gotta start somewhere!

You can also compose your own digital sheet music with the free Dorico SE for PC / Mac / Linux

https://www.steinberg.net/dorico/se/

You can also convert your notes into MIDI, or drag MIDI into Dorico, adjust digital notation and MIDI data, or mix them together, or alter them however you wish

For example, a MIDI of Saria’s Song could be dragged into Dorico so you can see the notes and then adjust them however you like

Try to avoid using samples, this can get you copyrighted

If you plan on uploading music to DistroKid you should avoid samples completely

If using samples, use many plugins to adjust their sounds significantly

You can usually comfortably use most samples for animations and videos

Be wary of websites stealing other companies’ products and selling them for cheap! Before making a purchase, ALWAYS look up the company name and read reviews to ensure you don’t buy pirated material!

Some smaller companies bootleg others’ material which is only made easier by generative AI so you must be extra careful to not buy such content

Generally, if you see an offer that’s 98% off or something absurdly discounted it’s usually a scam

Avoid using generative AI, audio companies are merciless! They are capable of ‘badging’ their copyrighted material in a way the human ear cannot perceive, and AI can’t fully hide it either. There are endless horror stories of artists’ careers totally ruined from even tiny infractions.

Amid our corporatist world plagued by political extremism and unrestrained AI, it is important for you to show your own personality, tastes and uniqueness. This is the only way to stand out amid seas of sludge. We must work towards an artistic renaissance to transform people, creating a new world for ourselves.

I hope this helps!

[more content coming for the near future]

[JonathanKonopka]

Safety

If you are mixing music, you are quite distracted, and may not notice danger on time. Be sure to keep your vehicle and home locked, and your phone nearby you. Sneaky people may overhear you are musically busy and take advantage. If you have family, their priorities come first.

If you have any candles, extinguish them. However, some artists like candles for scent or relaxation. If you are one such person, do you have a fire extinguisher in your room? If not, you better get one! 

The most important thing in your artistic journey is a fire extinguisher; you should also have one in your vehicle.

If you can’t afford one, keep a damp towel with you in case you must smother an unexpected fire (splashing water upon electrical equipment may not work). Then, shut down your electronics. If nothing works and the fire keeps spreading, abandon your project and call the fire department; if you have a vehicle, take the keys while evacuating. If your car is parked in a garbage or near your burning house, you may have to back out to save it. If you happen to have 

a garden hose outside, you might slow the fire down a bit until help arrives.

Now that that’s out of the way, we can refocus on music…

Beginner’s Steps to Mixing & Mastering

#1

Sliders

Each instrument / track  is associated with a slider in the control panel, usually found near the bottom. Sliding up pushes the associated sound or instrument closer to the speaker, sliding down pushes them farther back. If a track sounds too big, lower the slider. If a track is drowned out, push the slider up. Sliders are the easiest way to adjust your music.

You can also duplicate instruments in key moments while increasing the duplicate’s slider to add greater density for those special moments.

If you’re having difficulty with the sliders, set ALL of them to around -15 or less, then raise them one by one to desired volume. If you raise them all too high, they will conflict with each other and distort the song. As always, experiment with your ears, not your eyes.

Smile! The act of smiling allows you to listen to faint sounds better. In you keep your jaw clenched, you’re angry or impatient, or frowning, the muscles in your jaw and face will stifle your eardrums and Eustachian tubes.

This is why so many mixers notice mistakes AFTER they finish and export a song, because they got impatient and were incapable of hearing minute details!

So take a ten minute break every hour or so to avoid mistakes. By practising smiling and patience, you will actually save yourself time in the long-run.

Also, try to avoid large meals and even snacking at your computer. Digestion also interferes with your hearing.

Note that you may have to adjust sliders many times throughout the entirety of the song’s mixing and mastering, so be sure to frequently slide them a bit every few minutes.

If you pass your peak, your audio may start clipping or crackling. If this happens, lower the slider; if it’s MIDI, decrease the note velocity.

Sometimes, you will notice instruments becoming too loud or too quiet AFTER you export the finished song. If that happens, drag the exported song into your DAW and use it as a reference while reworking the sliders. It is possible that certain instruments / tracks end up different than how the DAW has it, so be ready to make multiple exports and adjustments.

#2

Mono, Stereo = Panorama, Soundfield

When Nintendo 64 came out, you had the option of setting the game’s audio to mono or stereo, and the game often had an image of one and two speakers. My generation as kids saw the in-game pictures and we chirped, ‘two speakers is better than one!’ which created a myth that stereo is superior to mono. Apologies!

Mono does not mean inferior quality, it’s just the sound coming from a single source.

To convert mono to stereo, duplicate a mono track, then pan one 100% to the left and the other 100% to the right. You’ve now created a mono track. You can export this mono track to reuse as stereo from now on.

Listening to mono helps you hear balance (e.g. to pan the hi-hat in an unused space), meaning how loud or soft an instrument or note plays. If an instrument is too strong, it can drown out others, and if too quiet, may not even be audible. Sometimes, you may instead ‘colour’ the song with an instrument that plays softly, but only to blend in with other instruments.

Mono is useful for bass and bassy sounds

Stereo is useful for drum overheads and toms, also guitar and vocals

Mixing mono + stereo is useful for multiple lead vocal tracks

Of course, you are free to use only stereo if you wish

Big Mono refers to a situation when all your tracks are in mono, all panned 100% left and to the right. This limits the soundfield and panorama, as it’ll seem all the sound just blasts out a pair of giant speakers placed by your face. It can be useful for dramatic or surprising moments; use Big Mono sparingly.

Panning

Since panning is related to using mono and stereo, I’ve merged these topics to ease learning. Mono is superior to stereo when you need accurate panning. Generally, it’s better to adjust each instrument with variables of your choice. e.g., put a flute 15% to the left, a piano 38% to the right, a violin 23% to the left, the drums 50% to the right, shakers 77% to the left, a whistle 85% to the right, or what have you.

This allows you to create a unique auditory adventure every time. Basically, each instrument is set into its own space, but you are free to combine a few instruments or duplicate them for both sides for that extra vigour here and there. Just don’t overdo it.

You can also cut up a song into parts, adjusting the sliders and panning differently in every part to maximise cinematic elements of the soundfield. Oppositely, you can instead pan many instruments closer to the centre to give off a powerful, direct impact to the listener.

Once panning is set to how you like it, convert back to stereo if it sounds better. If stereo plays only on one side, (e.g. due to MIDI automation or mismatched cables), duplicate it, switch duplicate to mono, and pan it to the opposite side.

If the instrument phases out seemingly for no reason, the pins 2 and 3 may be reversed in your XLR connectors, or your outputs are dusty or not properly connected, or there’s some static electricity trapped inside; wiggle your knobs rapidly until they reroute.

Once you are done with instruments, do you have vocals? If you have vocals of any kind, even quotes from a movie or game, they should be in the very center, at 0, being the focal point of the music so they are understood. Backing vocals or secondary vocals can be panned.

This is the same in movies, where dialogue of main characters is kept in the centre of the soundfield so the audience can clearly hear important info. Minor characters’ voices are often panned especially when speaking irrelevant content (e.g. jokes, comments, complaints, etc.)

[JonathanKonopka]

Phantom Imaging

If you are rich enough to afford a full, pro version of any expensive DAW, they often allow you to ‘phase invert’ which refers to reversing polarity of a stereo instrument. Whether done in your DAW or by multiple microphones with real life instruments, this causes ‘phantom imaging’ meaning the sound seemingly comes from beyond the speakers, as if you’re panning well beyond the slider, allowing you to induce even greater, vaster atmospheric panorama to maximise sonic qualities.

Dolby Surround Sound does this to a greater extent, allowing you to pan even behind yourself. Since it requires expensive software to perform, it isn't ideal for most beginners.

If you can’t afford a pro DAW but you still wanna try going beyond panning, you can get a free phase plugin below, and is your secret weapon to further exploration of your soundfield:

https://www.refusesoftware.com/flipper

Now you don’t need to spend several thousand dollars on stuff you don’t even need ^.^

Remember!

There is no single tool or plugin that works perfectly in everything at all times, not even the most expensive plugins can do that.

Don’t be fooled by advertisers claiming they have a super product or advanced AI software that does everything. There is no ‘singularity’ where one thing does everything, simply because mono and stereo, panning and panorama, tastes and experiences, goals and notalgia, are unique per person.

Since you can freely get foundational tools and do a pretty good job, don’t be fooled into buying stuff you don’t even need!

As a beginner, you may be tempted to load up random plugins, then fiddling around their settings on a whim. This is not recommended for songs, as you’ll probably just make a mess.

However, experimenting with a single instrument, vocals, growls, shouts, snarls, screams, or samples, excerpts, or what have you, may give you interesting and unique results. If you find something remarkable, be sure to save it or make notes in Google Docs or somewhere!

Also, if you see vast, empty spaces in your MIDIs, overdubs or tracks, delete them. They slightly use memory, serving no purpose. Anything random or blank serves no purpose.

#3

Clippers / Soft Clippers

Strengthens signal without adding gain; often used on drums but also useful across the whole mix. Although underused, the free clippers are more useful than even paid peak limiters, cleaning up your audio easily,

https://www.higherdimensionsounds.com/blogs/news/best-free-clipper-plugins-for-2024

#4

De-essing

Essing (aka sibilance) occurs when wind or vocalists go ‘sss’ or ‘flrlrlrlr’ in the microphone. You can eliminate this by using a pop filter (that fuzzy thing that wraps around the microphone) or pop shield (a stationary extension connected to the mic stand).

A condenser microphone also helps reduce this issue but a pop filter is all a beginner needs.

If you don’t have such a microphone or pop filter, then EQ and heavy compression helps reduce essing; with the EQ, lower the left part all the way down to remove most sibilance.

A free de-esser will usually work very well; simply run it and play around with the settings until you get the result you need

Analog de-essers often only have threshold and frequency; they are obsolete even against free digital de-essers so don’t bother buying analog de-essers

If you setup a compressor into the sidechain of an EQ plugin, you will create a de-esser

If you don’t manage sibilance, your vocals will have ear-piercing and skull-shattering force, which isn’t good in music but useful for banshee-like creature noises or horror music jumpscares

Some cymbals and other percussive instruments induce strong ‘sss’ noises where a de-esser may be needed to reduce such sharpness

#5

Limiting

Limiters are similar to compressors, but limiters have a ratio of 10:1 or greater, often with rapid attack timing. Compression is like water, whereas limiting is the dam; no matter how much water there is, only a certain amount will flow through. The limiter simply blocks anything to its set limit. Limiting helps protect speakers (and your ears).

Like with all plugins, unique experimenting per instrument per every song is a must.

When limiting bass guitar or anything else bassy, limit from 1dB to 5dB, with a ratio of 10:1 to the maximum of 20:1 (depending on the song, instrument, personal tastes, etc.).

#6

Compression

Dynamic range compression reduces audio source signals to prevent their loudests parts going too high. As with all plugins, you set it to each instrument. They often are set to a ratio of 4:1 to 8:1 but you are free to adjust anywhere you wish. If set 1:1 nothing happens.

Compression is an extremely important aspect of audio and it’s critical you do this correctly! So many times in my own music I setup compression, but forgot to adjust them properly out of eagerness to finish the track. Rushing makes mistakes, patience makes perfection. You're better off working slowly and correctly.

I won’t bother explaining gain ratio, threshold, compression ratio, or signal envelope. Who cares about technicalities? All you need to know is a compressor’s attack and release is how fast or slow it reacts to the signal. You want its attack to go through and the release to prolong the sound.

Vocals usually sound better with slower compression but adjust the setting until you find the balance; too slow can distort the signal.

Compression beyond 6dB is good for controlling dynamics rather than the soundfield

Compression 1 to 2 dB is good for adjusting sonic blends

Electric guitars, vocals, microphones and drums can be given up to 20dB, based on taste and genre

Types of Compressors

Digital Compressor

Most compressors used nowadays are digital. Even the free ones are vastly more powerful than their analog forefathers, but are often limited in function. This is why it’s best to have at least three free compressor plugins just in case one doesn’t work well for whatever instrument or song you’re working on.

One advantage analog compressors have is they do not increase latency in PCs, though modern PCs usually won’t have latency issues anyways. They also look cool to have lying around your bedroom XD

Optical

A tiny lightbulb and photocell in the compression circuit that slows attack and release; useful for soft, warm, atmospheric, or emotional music and LoFi; can also be used for key moments in a song where warmth is needed; usually not good for kicks or snares

FET (Field Effect Transistor)

Fast, aggressive compression useful for music that is dramatic, dynamic or adventurous

VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier)

Fast, aggressive compression useful for drums, percussion and bassy sounds; can lack weight so often requires additional heaviness elsewhere (e.g. reverb or EQ set low left)

Vari-Gain

A compression that reacts slowly and heavily, but lacks dynamics; good for bass and bassy instruments

Multiband Compression

Splits signal into two to six frequencies, each with a different compression, allowing easy balancing and clarity, but becoming obsolete from dynamic EQs.

An alternate to multiband compression is a dynamic EQ plugin, such as the free ZL EQ, https://www.kvraudio.com/product/zl-equalizer-by-zl-audio 

Whether you stick with the easier multiband compression, or the more complex dynamic EQ for greater possibilities, is up to you!

[JonathanKonopka]

Parallel Compression

Contrary to its name, this isn’t complicated. A parallel compressor sends its signal to another channel via auxiliary, buss or mult, or some other patchpoint, then adds compression only to the second channel. This uses both the natural sound and the compression, offering a balance of punch and control.

Useful for kicks and snares

Useful for any instrument where the mixer feels a balance of punch and control is needed, or is their preference

Free parallel compressors:

https://www.sageaudio.com/articles/top-10-free-compressor-plugins

Hypercompression

When too much compression is used; the audio becomes permanently flatline, soulless and boring; since this can’t be undone later, use compression sparingly!

Bus Compressor

A stereo compressor across the buss mix, to address complaints of why songs sounded different after the studio. Only use after you finish all other audio issues. Easy to overdo so be sure to use sparingly; often you won’t need any more than one or two dB.

Buss compression is unique in that you can add it at the very end of the mix to reduce its impact, or if you prefer to experiment with different ones without having to rework the entire mix.

Ratios

If you want more punch and aggressiion, set ratio low

If you want control and emotions, set ratio high

Drum kick & snare: ~1.5:1 to ~2:1

Other drum parts: ~4:1 to ~8:1

Low ratio for punch (rock music, heavy metal, action), high ratio for control (jazz, orchestral drums, emotions)

Like everything, tastes and preferences are unique per person; you are free to experiment with different ratios and combos at will

Note: Digitally produced drumwork is much easier to mix than real drums, but lacks the true depth and power of real drums

Compressors with Numbers

If your compressor uses numbers instead of knobs:

Type Ratio Attack Release

Kick 2:1 1/64th 1/16th

Snare 2:1 1/64th 1/16th

Subgroup 2:1 1/64th 1/16th

Bass 12:1 1/32nd 1/16th

Mix buss 2:1 1/16th 1/16th

Vocals 4:1 1/6th 1/4th

Keyboard By taste By taste By taste

Guitar By taste By taste By taste

Others By taste By taste By taste

Higher ratio, shorter attack, and longer release adds aggression

If you still don’t get the sound you like, adjust ratios further

Manually Get Attack & Release

Set attack slow, set release fast, until high frequencies go dull then go back until balanced to your tastes

Then increase release time until its sound diminishes, then increase so it flows smoothly with drumbeat

Adjust gain until same as bypassed signal; readjust gain until smooth with the song’s pulse or rhythm or on desired outcome

Sidechain (aka Key Input)

A separate input that connects other plugins into the compressor; e.g. an EQ set into the compressor’s sidechain becomes a de-esser, allowing you to clear up vocals and increase rhythmic elements if you so wish.

You can also ‘duck a track’ in this manner. Airport speakers duck musical tracks during announcements. This is also done during radios and advertisements. Since you probably aren’t doing any of that, we won’t worry about ducking tracks.

#7

Transient Shapers / Transient Designer / Shaper

The opposite of a noise gate and compression; has a ratio usually of 1:2, making loud parts stronger. Often used for drum overheads and snare drums, and orchestral drums. Overall a rather underused plugin that has its place to make your drums sound epic!

A good free shaper (plus other optional plugins),

https://www.wavesfactory.com/free-vst-plugins/

#8

Modulation

A list of mods that are optional; use them all, or one, or none, up to you

Phase shift

Cancels frequencies by shifting their phrases to desired effects, while frequency notches are evenly spaced out

Flanging

0.1 to 5 millisecond delay; deep frequency cancellation; frequency notches harmonically spread across the response

Can help drown out vocal mistakes

Phaser

Weaker flanging

Chorus

Flanger with 5 to 25 millisecond delay; thickens sound into stereo image; frequency notches harmonically spaced out the response

Can be panned fully left and right to thicken entire song

Can help drown out vocal mistakes

Can be panned behind dry vocals to hide vocal mistakes

Tremolo

Cyclic volume changes; useful for electric keyboards

Vibrato

Cyclic pitch changes; not recommended for guitar as it will sound out of tune

#9

Filters

Like an EQ but cuts off frequency below desired level

Useful for removing high or low end frequencies that don’t do anything or reduce audio quality (e.g. wind or traffic)

Set to 6dB per octave for soft adjustment

Set to 12dB per octave for moderate adjustment (is also most common)

24dB per octave is steepest setting; anything more totally cuts all frequencies below selected range and risks degrading audio quality

High-Pass Filter / Low-Cut FIlter

Allows higher sound to pass and blocks lows

If you cut off low frequencies at ~100 Hz or higher on all instruments except kick and bass and other bassy sounds, the entire song will clear up quite well 

Cutting off bass and drums 40 to 60 Hz sometimes helps add punch without affecting low end

Low-Pass Filter / High-Cut Filter

Allows low sounds to pass while blocking highs

Notch Filter

Cuts a band of frequencies while allowing the frequencies on the sides to pass

Is obsolete by modern-day free plugins and digital instruments

Bandpass Filter

Allows a specific band of frequencies to pass while blocking the others

It’s obsolete by modern-day free multipass compressors

#10

Gating

A noise gate (downward expander) is a bit like a limiter, but blocks low sounds until reaching a certain threshold, then the low sounds are released.

If your music has unwanted sounds like coughs, lip smack, buzzes, burping, amplifier hums, or what have you, this will remove them. Some 3rd party VSTs have deep amplifier hums so a noise gate can remove that, too.

As a beginner, you are unlikely to come across these issues, but this is nevertheless worth knowing! Can also be used on samples, excerpts from movies or games, or what have you.

Noise gates are useful for real drums and live performances to avoid unwanted sounds

Free gates below,

https://create.routenote.com/blog/the-5-best-free-noise-gate-plugins/

 

#11

Decay and Reverb

Decay is how quickly sound fades; often found in reverb plugins as its own knob or setting

Setup decay before reverb to ease workflow, unless otherwise intended for artistic explorations

Drums and percussion useful with short decay and non-linear reverb

Decay should ‘breathe’ within snares; if decay overlaps adjust until it seems to be panting

Pre-delay usually set from 20 to 40 milliseconds

Try mixing various reverbs together to create unique echoes and patterns

Adjust reverb and decay while song plays for real-time determination

Longer reverb better suited for longer notes by symphonic strings, ambient pads, organ, and other instruments that play long and strongly

Decay Tips

Drums: Decay set to ~1.5 seconds, pre-decay ~20 milliseconds

General decay for anything not drums: ~1.7 - 2 seconds of decay with ~110 to 130 milliseconds of pre-decay; varies widely so be sure to experiment with slight adjustments; remember to listen with your ears not your eyes!

Vocals: ~220 milliseconds of decay with two repeats

If decay gives bad results, or doesn’t fit the music, reset to default setting or change plugin entirely

Use reverb to emphasize the most important instrument or part of the song, such as a solo violin or guitar or piano or voice; the effects should gradually build towards a climax or dynamical contrast?

Note: it’s also a good idea to keep a dry version of the song, meaning instrumentals without effects, just in case you must restart or compare

[JonathanKonopka]

Free reverb plugins,

https://blog.landr.com/free-reverb-vst-plugins/

Set reverb to your tastes or as desired in the music; experiment with slight to generous tweaks until you find something you like

Types of Reverb

Plate Reverb

Simply a style of reverb when a large metal plate was used for morphing the audio into a lush, spacious, shimmering sensation

The plate was usually a hanging 4x6 foot metal sheet, allowing a small studio to create vast reverb

Set decay from one to four seconds, with pre-decay set from as tiny as just a few milliseconds to around 150 milliseconds, depending on your taste and what fits the music. Since this varies drastically, experiment generously until you find something you like!

Spring Reverb

An analog reverb that had in-built springs delaying the audio signal and creating physical reverberation

Some were built in Fender guitar amps

Digital spring reverb plugins also exist, vastly more powerful than their analog forefathers

Non-linear

Digital reverb capable of creating decay that’s impossible naturally (such as reversing the reverb tail)

Useful for drums since the 80s

Convolution Reverb

Reverb using quick bursts of energy (impulses) 

Reverb Diffusion / Reverb Density

When reverb uses very many tiny echoes connected to each other

Higher diffusion useful for drums and percussion

Low diffusion useful for strings, synths, vocals and horns

A free plate reverb,

https://bedroomproducersblog.com/2024/05/26/ocean-plate-reverb/

Smoothen Reverb

Too much low reverb distorts sound, whilst too much high reverb throws everything outwards

To balance out reverb: experiment from ~200 to ~10k Hz for each instrument; lower midrange by ~1k to ~2k Hz; adjust these settings while song plays for real-time control

Layering Reverb

Set various reverbs at various frequencies; one with long delay, another with short delay; moderately pan each reverb to its own side; set reverbs into mono

#12

Delay

This plugin is similar to reverb, adding depth and rhythm to your music. You usually use this anywhere from around forty to four-hundred milliseconds, unless you wanna get a little crazy!

Simply experiment from 40 to 400 milliseconds per instrument until you find what sounds good

If it doesn’t sound good, change plugin or simply don’t use any delay

Types of Delay

Haas Effect

A delay set at forty milliseconds so it’s not perceived as a repeat, inducing spaciousness especially when stereo or panned opposite of the source

Short

50 to 150 milliseconds, inducing a double-tracked effect (aka slap back echo)

Medium

151 to 400 milliseconds, heard as a repeat

Long

401 milliseconds to one whole second, clearly heard as a long repeat

Ping-pong

Delay that bounces side to side

Tape

References a delay caused by magnetic tape of analog players, creating a fluttery sensation

Dynamic Delay

When delay begins after source sound fades away then stops once the next phrase begins

Free delay plugins,

https://blog.landr.com/free-delay-vst-plugins/

(Since analog delay techniques are complicated and I’ve never been able to afford one, I won’t elaborate on them, but may have future content about mixing live instruments at a later time)

#13

Saturation

Essentially is dense, subtle distortion; simply adjust controls until all instruments are audible

Helps add depth without increasing much distortion

#14

EQ

Equalisers are placed AFTER compression, limiter, de-esser, gate, expander, etc. If you place EQ at the beginning, every time you adjust EQ, you impact the settings and frequencies of everything else, which can make quite a mess!

e.g., a de-esser, placed after EQ instead of in its side-chain, will become ineffective when you adjust EQ midrange and highrange.

For best results, you must use a unique EQ setup for each instrument you have. Don’t be lazy! If you instead export the track and do EQ last, you will often get a muddy result.

Equalizers are not as complicated as they seem. Most EQ plugins resemble a box with a line going across the middle. Click and hold in the box; moving around adjusts equalization.

The lower left side is the lower end, the upper right is the higher end, while the middle in the mid-range. Going too much into any extreme often distorts the song so isn’t recommended.

Generally, a decent EQ setting to experiment from will have a line looking something like:

L-v^v^-M—^—*H

v: a slight upside down triangle shape in the line

^ a slight upwards triangle shape in the line

- means the line is left alone in a short section

* a moderately raised curved

— means you leave a longer section alone and it may rise or lower on their own, and if so, let them

L: low range, lower to remove noise, raise to increase sonic strength

M: midrange, raise to increase softness, lower to reduce strength

H: highrange, lower to reduce sharpness, raise to increase clarity

Experiment and explore to suit your tastes

You can also click and hold then wiggle the cursor around while the song plays, allowing real-time adjustments best suited to the music

Don’t forget to try other EQ plugins to see which one you like best! Some are numeric only, others use curves, some are even automatic. Whichever you like, use. As always, use your ears, not your eyes!

If two or more instruments conflict with each other, adjust their individual EQ settings. You may have to pan them further left or right until they find a cozy spot, or adjust their EQ or sliders more

General EQ Tips

If you want something to stand out, cut the bottom out; if you want it to blend in, cut off the top

The fewer instruments, the bigger they should be to fill the soundfield

The more instruments there are, the smaller they should sound so they fit

Usually better increasing two small frequencies than increasing one largely

The more a solo instrument is fine-tuned, the harder it becomes heard amid other instruments

Hertz = description

16 - 60 = Subbass; sound is felt rather than heard, creating heaviness

60 - 250 = Bass; the basic notes for rhythm and boomy beats

250 - 2k = Low Mids; low notes and harmonics; boosting further can cause instruments to sound brassy or metallic, which causes audio fatigue

2k - 4k = High Mids; speech for words starting with m, b, or v; too much boost causes lisping; can use this range for background instruments; can then peak vocals by 3k Hz

4k - 6k = Presence; for clarity and closeness to speakers; beyond 5k will sound distant

6k - 15k = Brilliance; induces a sense of wide-open vastness but induces strong sibilance for vocals

Types of EQ

Useful to have a few different EQs but you are not required to. Only use what you want or would like to try out.

Static Equaliser

Adjusts frequencies for the entire song after mixing is finished

Shelving EQ

Frequencies above or below parameters are boosted or cut by same amount; does not affect midrange

100Hz and 10k Hz are popular points but you can adjust to your tastes

Tilt EQ

Exactly as name implies, tilts frequency of signal by boosting treble and cutting bass (or vice-versa); useful for musical warmth, emotions, love songs, LoFi, etc.

The tilt is often already part of an EQ plugin controls so just look for its knob

Some paid plugins are specifically designed for tilt, such as MixlandTilt or ToneluxTilt, but overall optional

Peaking EQ / Bell EQ

Similar to shelving EQ but has midrange control that’s boosting or cutting central frequencies

Depending on the plugin, controls can be in fixed increments, continuous variables, or proportional (meaning bandwidth narrows with more EQ)

[JonathanKonopka]

Graphic EQ

A series of connected peaks based on industry-standard selections of Hertz

Rarely used by beginners

A five-band Graphic EQ is not worth getting as the selections are too wide

If you want to use Graphic EQ, only get a ten-band one or one-third octave graphic EQ

Parametric EQ

A peaking equaliser with a Q or bandwidth control to the boost/cut frequency controls

Q stands for quality (narrows bandwidth)

Setting Q around 1 useful for boosting sonic qualities

Setting Q around 10 useful for focusing on narrowed frequencies for specific adjustments

Use narrow Q when cutting frequencies, wide Q for boosting them

True Parametric EQ

A Parametric EQ where all bands operate as they are set

Some Parametric EQs only operate in the midrange

Dynamic Equaliser

An equaliser and multiband compressor put together

The dynamic EQ replaces the crossover filters of multiband compression with EQ filters, enabling precise focus on a band of frequencies, allowing you to adjust a specific frequency, gain, and bandwidth, while also adding more compression controls like threshold, attack and release, increasing dynamics and sonic qualities to a greater degree than most other EQs

Other Uses for Dynamic Equalizer

Has a multiband de-esser, which are more powerful than regular de-essers, allowing you to regulate sharp ‘sss’ from multiple frequencies

Fixes vocals sung too loudly by dipping those parts 2k to 3k

Fixes leakage from toms; dip leaking sections 300Hz to 400Hz

Enhances drumstick strikes by 5k Hz to make toms vast

Fixes overpowered cymbal strikes when the drummer got carried away; dip 5k to 10k Hz during these moments

Bass and kick may drown each other when played  at the same time; assign kick to sidechain and set to 80 to 100 Hz

When increasing finished mixes to around 10k Hz, you may make cymbals harsh; fix by dipping whenever the cymbals play

By experimenting with Dynamic EQ, you will uncover more and more powerful uses to thrust your music to the next level!

AI EQ

An equaliser powered by artificial intelligence, programmed to identify visual issues in the frequencies

Very useful for beginners but does not actually explain why a sonic problem exists

Does not necessarily follow the aural goals of the mixer’s personal tastes

Other Features EQ Plugins May Have

EQ Match

A feature that pulls tonal qualities of overdubs or fix pass sounds together

May require multiple attempts for the program to succeed

Masking Metre

A display of frequency response from two DAW channels at once, highling overlaps

Tonal Balance

A display showing a song’s distributions of frequencies; mostly a reference

Self-Adjusting Frequency Bands

A program that automatically adjusts frequencies based on input

Split EQ

A Parametric EQ and transient designer put together (allows you to apply EQ to transients)

This makes key moments in the mix stand out even more

Useful for fixing sound issues when all other methods failed

Magic Frequencies

A term referring to an instrument’s optimized frequency

Modern

Bass guitar: girth: 50 to 80 Hz. Bottom: 120 to 2240 Hz. Attack: ~700 Hz. String noise: 2.5k Hz

Electric Guitar: Fullness: 240 to 500 Hz. Presence: 1.5 to 2.5k Hz. Air/sizzle: 8k Hz. If using 4x12 cabinet: accentuate 1k Hz

Drumset

Kick: Bottom: 80 - 100 Hz. Hollowness: ~400 Hz. Point/beater: 3k to 5k Hz

Snare: Fatness: 120 to 200 Hz. Point: 900Hz. Crispness: ~5k Hz. Snap: ~10k Hz

Toms: Bottom: 240 to 500 Hz. Attack: 5k to 7k Hz

Floor toms: Fullness: 80Hz. Attack ~5k Hz

Hi-hat: 100 to 200Hz. Clang: ~1k Hz. Definition: ~4k Hz. Sizzle: ~8k Hz

Cymbals: Clang: ~200 Hz. Sparkle: 8k to 10k Hz

Traditional

Acoustic guitar / Organ: Fullness: ~80 Hz. Body: ~240 Hz. Presence: 2k to 5k Hz

Piano: Fullness: ~80 Hz. Presence: 3k to 5k Hz. Honky tonk: ~2.5 Hz.

Horns: Fullness: ~120 Hz. Piercing: ~5k Hz

Strings: Fullness: ~240 Hz. Shrill: 3k Hz. Scratchy: 7k to 10k Hz

Conga: Ring: ~200 Hz. Slaps: 5k Hz.

Vocals: Fullness: ~120 Hz. Boomy: ~240 Hz. Presence: ~5k Hz. Sibilance: 4k to 7k Hz. Air: 10k to 15k Hz

Trouble Frequencies

Six frequencies most likely to cause you trouble; if you hear degraded audio from them, go back and have less instruments playing in said frequency

200 Hz = Muddy

300 to 500 Hz = Boxy, ‘beach ball toms / kicks’ (reduce kicks+toms be a few dB to fix)

800 Hz = ‘Walmart sound’ (audio akin to a cheap stereo), move away from here

1k to 1.5k = Nasal range, making singers sound like they're singing through a giant nose

4k to 6k Hz = Presence dulled; don’t be afraid to move into these very high ranges!

10k Hz+ = Air, another underused frequency range; don’t be afraid to go into extremes! Many vintage mics sounded great because they were adjusted to this Hertz level!

Balancing Bass and Drums

If you notice conflict with bass or drums, or one drowns out the other, there are some possible fixes:

Ensure both have plenty of room

EQ kick 60 to 120 Hz; or add 1k to 4k Hz; or centre to around 80 Hz

Reverse Hz of kick and bass

Set bass 80 to 250 Hz (or vice-versa with kick); or increase filtering; or set kick below 30 Hz and bass to 50 Hz

Boost compression of snares: +1k Hz attack, +120 to 240 Hz for fullness, +10k Hz for snap, then reduce 1k Hz for cymbals and everything else in drumset; if toms are too strong lower their Hz below 60 Hz

If your bass and kicks still seem light, boost their level, not their EQ

To find the snare point, set snare at 2k Hz and boost upper midrange by ~6 dB; open up Q (if your plugin has it) and increase until the snare pulses out, then gradually tighten bandwidth until you hear the snare balances out; fine-tune this signal until it has the minimally needed boost to retain crispness

#15

Leveler

Automatically adjusts volume across the entire mix, making volume adjustment easy

After EQing, check volume across the entire track to ensure nothing sounds too loud or too quiet

Go back to sliders if necessary

Once you have finished those fifteen steps, congratulations! You have begun our journey into mastering your music! Now it’s a matter of repeating these steps with variations and experimentation, each step a unique adventure in itself, and finding out what shenanigans you can get yourself into.

Good luck!

Industry-Standard Mastering

Unfortunately, to truly master your own music at an industry standard, you require powerful tools that are not available for free. To send your tracks to a professional audio engineer costs anywhere from a few hundred dollars per track, to a few thousand to several thousands dollars per album.

Although chances are you won’t be able to afford any of that (I sure don’t), below are some of the most powerful plugins the best pros use:

Mastering plugins such as Lin Dither, bx_masterdesk, iZotope Ozone, Howie Weinberg Mastering Console, or Lurssen Mastering Console

Advanced audio editing like Melodyne Studio, RipX Pro or SpectraLayers

Mastering compression such as Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, TDR Kotelnikov, or PSPMastercomp but any powerful compressor also works

Mastering reverb such as Altiverb, Seventh Heaven, Cinematic Rooms, or Hofa IQ Series, however any powerful reverb also works

Perhaps you will get such plugins someday? if so, have a good one! If not, then appreciate and stick to the free stuff!

Looking forward to your participation in the artistic reconnaissance!

[Thetageist]

Thanks for putting this together. I have some friends who want to get started with music and I think this could help them.

[JonathanKonopka]

I just realized you CAN'T edit posts in Newgrounds after fifteen minutes >.< I thought the edit feature was permanent, so I now gotta repost the thread to improve syntax and make things succinct

Apologies.

[bl00dy-seraphim617]

thank you!!!

[AngelLOL123]

Thanks :DD

[JonathanKonopka]

you're welcome! I made updates to this guide but since I can't edit my posts, and mods have not yet deleted this, not sure how to get the updated version out.

[JonathanKonopka]

Updated guide at Wattpad

[JonathanKonopka]

Made another updated guide at Substack, where links actually work!

third guide on Substack, has working links now

[shadowfals]

Unsolicited Tip:

On this site we each have a News section that's editable. Some people use for blogging while others use it for tutorials. Links work in the posts.

[JonathanKonopka]

ah OK, thanks for the heads up, I had no idea