Music tips

There’s also no dedicated page for Up Next queue. From the Now Playing screen swipe up till you see the the Up Next section. To remove a song, swipe left and tap on Remove. To rearrange a song, tap on the handle bar and move your finger up and down.

iOS 10 changed the behavior for shuffle and repeat buttons. Now, when you’re in the Now Playing screen, swipe up to see these buttons.

To make music management easier, there’s an Optimize Downloads option in Settings -> Music. From here you can select how much storage you want the downloaded music to take. When it goes over the limit, the app automatically starts deleting older songs and songs you don’t listen to.

Don’t mix for more than a couple of hours at a time, tops. You’ll get used to your mix and lose objectivity, so take a break, get some air and get back to it a bit later when your ears have recalibrated.

These can be useful plugins for checking your mix’s frequencies against your reference track (see number 20). Don’t rely TOO much on this visual representation, but you’ll be able to see if you’re way off the mark.

When I first got the ability to apply compressors, I compressed EVERYTHING. It might make that one instrument sound phat on its own, but a whole mix of compressed sounds gives a dull, flat result that tires the ears. Dynamics are key - even in EDM - so don’t kill them before they’ve even had a chance to flourish SNIFF (wipes away tear).

Bouncing your tracks to separate audio stems has two distinct benefits: 1. It saves computer power as your effects are all bounced to audio, and 2. It allows you to “see” the audio track, and trim unwanted reverb and delay tails. The negative (and sometimes, positive) side of this technique is that you then can’t go back in and tweak the sounds (over and above your mixing effects), so make sure you’re happy with the sound design and arrangement before bouncing.

After you’re happy with the composition and arrangement leave it a day or two before mixing. You’re ears will have had a rest, and you’ll be able to be more objective when mixing. Also, if you ARE going to do your own mastering, leave it a day or two after mixing for the same reason.

This is an extension of number 8. Play your mix on as many speakers as you can access, and play it to friends, family, fellow-producers and mentors, then ask for feedback.

This is über important. Your ears trick you. They get used to a mix and tell you it’s great, even if it’s not. Pick a professionally released track you like (of the same genre you’re mixing), and use it as a reference to compare yours to. The reference track WILL sound louder than yours (as it’s been mastered), so make sure to bring its volume down to a similar level as your mix.