8 Reasons Your Mixes Sound Thin and Muddy (and How to Fix Them)

Clarity and separation is what we're all after in the mix, so we need to know what's giving us a muddy mix - and how to fix it.

Whether you are mixing drums, mixing vocals or mixing synths, there are 8 key reasons why you still can't get a clean mix.

In this mixing tutorial I share with you those 8 key reasons, and the solutions you can use if your mix is still sounding muddy.

In this video, we go deep into:
00:00 - Intro
00:45 - What a muddy mix sounds like
01:28 - 1. Sound Selection
02:47 - 2. Composition
04:23 - 3. Phase Cancellation
06:46 - 4. Frequency Masking
09:41 - 5. Mono switch
11:17 - 6. Low End Roll-Off
12:21 - 7. Auxiliary Channels
14:10 - 8. Top-Down Mixing


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Will

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[EDMTips]

Let me know what you think of this video in the comments below. If you liked this video don't forget to smash that subscribe button so you don't miss out on any of my upcoming tutorials! 🔥

[flyoverfredusa]

on the phase cancellation - far easier way to do it - remove the fundamental on your "wide bass" (edit wavetable, process, remove funadamental) then just add the sub in the same serum with direct out - steady as a rock

[filigrif]

this is GOLD!!! So many videos about "how to get rid of the mud in your mixes" but so few giving real, EFFICIENT tips... can't wait to applying those in my productions, thank you so much!

[Jobobaboss]

Producing can be very frustrating and can be making me insecure about my abilities. But you’ve just breathed some new fresh confidence into me, and suddenly i can’t wait to continue my music hobby. So thanks a lot man. Great video, for real. It’s very appreciated what you did here. ❤️💪🏻

[gregbrookman]

Can't say I'm a fan of this type of EDM, but your videos are really well explained and I can apply the learnings to the music I produce. I love as well the way you provide examples. Top notch stuff.

[prod_by_gabe]

love that you took an actual example and fixed it, very helpful

[Break]

Mixing in mono not only helps identify masking but most club PA systems are in mono - so it is very important.

[Iceferno]

Muddy mixes are something I struggled with, and I've gradually realized some of these tips over the years, but thanks for highlighting the rest. I think my only other obstacle is exporting. When my tracks get played on internet radio, which broadcasts at 128kbps, there is often some unwanted limiting or even audio tearing in high frequencies.

[jamesharrison]

Some more tips:
1) Muddiness goes all the way up to around 400hz.
2) As well as low end roll off don't forget you can roll off the top end too. Cut out as much frequency band as you can get away with on every sound - this should form your initial mix.
3) You can create 'false' weight by using a resonant filter to cut your low end. Add a bit of resonance to regain some weight back
4) Using an EQ turn up the gain and freq to max and to the thinnest bandwidth. Then listen to your main section of track by slowly scrolling from the high end to the low end. The frequency should mainly be musical, but if anything suddenly jumps out or sounds out of tune cut it by 3-5db. Obviously your monitors have their own characters so check on 2 different listening sources. Keep repeating the EQ sweep until you've done the whole track. You may easily end up with 6 or more cuts in the mix.
5) Sum everything below 200hz to mono
6) Cut your mix below 40hz with at least a 48db filter. Do 4, 5, and 6 before entering any mastering compression. You want to even out peaks before you get there and cause unnecessary compression artifacts.

[shinchokai]

I've been producing music since 1997 and this has been such an eye-opener for me, thanks very much!

[pan_panmusic]

This video brought me to the next level. I thought by changing sound selection was letting the mixing process “beat “ my art 😂but once I acc changed a baseline and pads on a certain song it made the mix have much more clarity ! It took me YEARS. Thanks ! #knowledge

[shaunsprogress]

Three of your videos taught me about 500% more than 2 years at ACM doing music production. Thanks!

[anastasiya]

Will I cannot thank you enough for your work. I released my first track last month and I am working now on my first EP. Your videos help a lot, I am very impressed by the excellence of the content.

[richiestarks]

The fact that you gave a before and after audio of muddiness and clarity is gold. I cant ever explain it in words. I can always show this video for an example.

[Keroser]

This is amazing Will. Thank you very much. Please bring more like this. We sometimes underestimate how important the basic or simple things.

[themattschulz]

Apart from composition and sound selection: proper volumes and eq are the main players for a good sounding mix. And always cut your reverb tails below 150 or higher even ... i mean always when you are using it as a spacial fx. There are some sounddesign techniques involving reverb in bass and subbass ranges, but thats another topic. For mixing purposes: cut your reverbs, or even better: put the eq in front of the reverb (on the same send/return channel), this way you get a much more natural and clear sounding results

[Dofakind]

Showing before and after examples really elevated what you were talking about. You're an awesome teacher!

[fracnis]

Another cool tip I always use: drop an EQ in the Reverb feedback/tank to tame errant frequencies overwhelming the mix with resonance

[scottroberts]

I’ve been producing for 20 years and never thought of sticking a roll off on my reverb aux channel. It’s so obvious now I think about it. 🤦‍♂️ Top tip Will. 👍

[___-qjlx]

i like how the muddy mix example sounds clearer than my track which i spent almost a whole week on mixing to