Some basics to help you with Mixing, Mastering and EQ techniques.

Here is a breakdown on mixing and mastering that should help you get started; the
end of this document has common EQ settings and how to use them.

First I will say that I firmly believe that Mastering should be done by a mastering
engineer whenever possible. These are trained professionals with a developed ear
and the necessary equipment to properly master a song. You can achieve adequate
results with software mastering.

To begin the mastering process you MUST have a song that has been mixed well.
You will need several days at the EQ to get this right. Each track must sound good
on it's own but more importantly it must sound good in the mix. If two tracks are too
close in frequency then they will sound "muddy" or cancel each other out; this is
called masking. I also recommend adding depth to your music by panning certain
instruments left and right in the stereo space and placing some in the "back" of the
mix with reverb. For example: pan a guitar track a bit left, a string or bass track a
bit right and give the drum track depth by sending it to the back with some good
reverb. ALWAYS have your vocals straight up the middle. This will give your music a
full range professional sound. You should also overdub your vocal tracks when
recording.

This process will take some time and should be done in stages. First, listen to a
reference CD from a group you like. Then mix your song accordingly - don't imitate
but use it as a reference point for levels and EQ. Always give your ears a break too -
leave the song for a day and come back fresh. It will sound different the next day.
Once you have a good mix, then you can master.

To master a song you should have it mixed down to a single stereo track. Turn the
monitor volume down low - this is crucial and EVERY professional mastering engineer
will work the music low! Listen for any sounds that are too prominent in the mix -
the drums stand out too much or the vocals are too bassy. Now using a compressor
and a parametric EQ balance your song out. Compress it down a bit and bring the
gain/volume up. Resist the urge to over compress for added gain. Over compressing
will loose nuances in your music. Fine tune your EQ settings and add your fade ins
and outs here.
Listen to the song on as many devices as possible - your home stereo, in the car and
through headphones. Make sure it sounds good on every device. If you don't have
good monitors then you might not know that your song has too much bass. By
listening to it on multiple devices your can get a feel for how your song will sound as
a finished product.

Once you have the desired results. Exports the song in the format desired and share
it with the Magix Community. You can also use burning software like Nero to create a
Redbook standard CD.

Common EQ settings and how to use them.

Following is a list of Equalizer frequencies and a description of how to adjust them for
you mix. These are just a guideline and vary depending on the recording ,
environment and etc.
50Hz
1. Increase to add more fullness to lowest frequency instruments like foot, toms, and
the bass.
2. Reduce to decrease the "boom" of the bass and will increase overtones and the
recognition of bass line in the mix. This is most often used on loud bass lines like
rock.

100Hz
1. Increase to add a harder bass sound to lowest frequency instruments.
2. Increase to add fullness to guitars, snare.
3. Increase to add warmth to piano and horns.
4. Reduce to remove boom on guitars & increase clarity.

200Hz
1. Increase to add fullness to vocals.
2. Increase to add fullness to snare and guitar ( harder sound ).
3. Reduce to decrease muddiness of vocals or mid-range instruments.
4. Reduce to decrease gong sound of cymbals.

400Hz
1. Increase to add clarity to bass lines especially when speakers are at low volume.
2. Reduce to decrease "cardboard" sound of lower drums (foot and toms).
3. Reduce to decrease ambiance on cymbals.

800Hz
1. Increase for clarity and "punch" of bass.
2. Reduce to remove "cheap" sound of guitars.

1.5KHz
1. Increase for "clarity" and "pluck" of bass.
2. Reduce to remove dullness of guitars.

3KHz
1. Increase for more "pluck" of bass.
2. Increase for more attack of electric / acoustic guitar.
3. Increase for more attack on low piano parts.
4. Increase for more clarity / hardness on voice.
5. Reduce to increase breathy, soft sound on background vocals.
6. Reduce to disguise out-of-tune vocals / guitars.

5KHz
1. Increase for vocal presence.
2. Increase low frequency drum attack ( foot / toms).
3. Increase for more "finger sound" on bass.
4. Increase attack of piano, acoustic guitar and brightness on guitars (especially rock
guitars).
5. Reduce to make background parts more distant.
6. Reduce to soften "thin" guitar.

7KHz
1. Increase to add attack on low frequency drums ( more metallic sound ).
2. Increase to add attack to percussion instruments.
3. Increase on dull singer.
4. Increase for more "finger sound" on acoustic bass.
5. Reduce to decrease "s" sound on singers.
6. Increase to add sharpness to synthesizers, rock guitars, acoustic guitar and piano.

10KHz
1. Increase to brighten vocals.
2. Increase for "light brightness" in acoustic guitar and piano.
3. Increase for hardness on cymbals.
4. Reduce to decrease "s" sound on singers.

15KHz
1. Increase to brighten vocals (breath sound).
2. Increase to brighten cymbals, string instruments and flutes.
3. Increase to make sampled synthesizer sound more real.