How To Clean Up A Muddy Mix - Mix Mud Removal Hack

Two of the most annoying frequency ranges in metal:

1) 20hz - 250hz
2) 250hz - 500hz

Both the subs and low-mids almost always need to be adjusted in order to keep a fat, hard-hitting production from sounding muddy.

Too much of these ranges and your mix sounds like murky-mud-cardboard. Too little and your mix starts to sound brittle and harsh.

It's common to see people attempting to combat this issue by utilizing overcomplicated techniques. I've been guilty of it myself, but it's not the best way to go in my opinion.

Mix mud removal can actually be dead simple. Since I started implementing this simple mix mud removal hack years ago, annoying mix mud is something I rarely have to think about anymore.

Give it a shot within your own mixes so you can move on to the important stuff.

[inversionofcontrol]

When comparing sound with or without effects (in this case EQs) could you turn it on and off while playing music (without stoping and talking in between) - for untrained ear like mine it would be much easier to hear the difference :)

[mattmedeiros]

This is your most technical video yet! Surgical precision in the application of simple techniques!

[darkflamesquirrel]

Getting It Dies Today vibes from this song! Love it!

[orenfisher]

Surgical, man. Like liposuction for metalheads.
The band sounds epic, by the way.
Oh and, the hat... it's a keeper.

[EliPorterMahn]

I have a feeling this channel is gonna blow up

[rocknrolla]

Nice technique! I think this will maybe also good work with Gliss EQ Voxengo, where you can see how separate stems correlate regarding each other
.

[prayforkings]

Shit dude. This actually transformed the way my mixes sound. My mixes were sounding heavy and slamming however the mid range was always so cloudy even after paying attention to EQ. I did this approach right after watching it and now I literally hear everything down the middle and the separation is there. Thanks for such an informative video

[jabooky]

I always have a problem with 100-250ish hz. I usually have my multiband comp on the master bus doing a lot of work there and eq on the sub mix. I never thought I’d that extra step you take, I’m def gonna try that. Also the guitars and kick sound awesome together in your mix

[tasior]

Great video m8, . Maybe u can make a video that let us to see spectrum of frequencies on each instrument or group of instruments?. Ex. you apply span on drums, guitars etc.

[tasior]

Unfortunantly i cant use this technique im Reaper. When i make stems from my instrument groups it doesnt render effect auxes but sending stems to.them.

[robloyst]

Was wondering do the sendfx for drums, do they kinda go right to master? I always put rooms verbs everything to do with drums on one bus then compress. Prob doing it wrong lol also, does parallel go right to master? Even my parallel goes to drum bus where it’s compressed. Prob just making a mess aren’t I lol

[Millweed]

Nice trick man and clean workflow. One question: Do your room tracks go to the drum bus or the cymbal bus?

[mattx]

Do you have or can you make a video explaining stems and sub mixes?

[spikessignal]

Your vid just saved my mix. Thanks alot bro!

[jonathanhammer]

I already have Stem tracks in my Mixing Template, but I tend to treat them as "sacred" and try to not do anything to them. I have no clue why -- this is a great tip and I'm gonna start doing it!

Oh, my poor, poor mixes before watching this video...

[tgstk]

AWesome loved watching the video (and got a bit better understanding of mixing again, like with all yoru vids!)

[williampimblott]

Hey bud. Do you find when you do a HP filter on your kicks, the waveform looks asymmetrical after processed? worry or no? Sounds fine. limited computing power, figured i'd pre process before the mixdown.... but it's lookin weird.

[jacobsimmons]

There's so much I'm missing because I don't know what certain terms mean. I've got no idea what a sub mix is. I still don't know how to create or organize a bus, I don't know what a stem is, I don't even know where to start a mix, I just find myself endlessly watching youtube videos, and reading articles, but feel like I'm not making much progress, and end up getting more confused. As much as I enjoy your content, I'm still perplexed by most of the terms you use. I'm an absolute beginner though.