Blog
Mix and master your own songs.
Plain-language guides for artists recording vocals over beats at home. No engineer needed, no jargon you have to learn first.
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How to mix vocals over a beat in Logic Pro
A step-by-step vocal chain for Logic Pro: gain staging, EQ, compression, de-essing, reverb and delay, so your vocal sits in the beat, not on top.
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How loud should my master be for Spotify?
What LUFS and true peak mean, the loudness Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube play at, and how to master so your song isn't turned down or distorted.
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Why your vocals sound buried in the beat, and 7 fixes
Vocal getting lost under the beat? Why it happens, from frequency clashes to loud mastered beats, and seven practical fixes for home recordings.
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How to mix vocals in GarageBand on a Mac
GarageBand can make a vocal sound finished. A step-by-step guide to EQ, compression, tuning, reverb and mastering with GarageBand's own plug-ins.
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Vocal EQ cheat sheet: the frequencies that matter
A plain-language vocal EQ chart: where rumble, mud, boxiness, presence, harshness and air live, how much to cut or boost, and how to hear it.
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How to tune vocals in Logic Pro, naturally or hard
How to use Logic's Pitch Correction and Flex Pitch: find the key, get natural tuning that isn't robotic, or dial in hard autotune on purpose.
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How to record better vocals at home
Simple ways to get a cleaner vocal recording in a bedroom: room setup, mic distance, input levels, pop filters and how many takes to record.
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How to make a home recording sound professional
The full path from bedroom recording to release-ready song, for any genre: recording, editing, tuning, mixing, mastering and final checks.
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How much does mixing and mastering a song cost?
What independent artists typically pay to get a song mixed and mastered, what changes the price, and cheaper options if you're on a budget.