Mixing
•
By Henry Foster
Best Chorus Plugins (2026): Dimension & Width
Instant width. We review the best chorus effects (Dimension D, Jun-6) for adding 80s shimmer and stereo depth to synths and vocals.
Read Review →
Last Updated: January 2026
The Composer's Guide to Mixing Libraries (2025)
The final 10% makes 90% of the difference.
A great mix turns a demo into a release. We tested the Best Educational Guides and Mixing Tools to help you understand the why, not just the how. We focus on concepts that apply to any DAW.
Read Full Introduction
The Criteria
We value clarity and translation:
- Translation: Does the mix hold up on a phone, car, and club system?
- Balance: Is every element heard clearly without fighting for space?
- Impact: Does the drop hit hard, and the chorus lift the energy?
Our curated lists below cover the essentials.
The final 10% makes 90% of the difference.
A great mix turns a demo into a release. We tested the Best Educational Guides and Mixing Tools to help you understand the why, not just the how. We focus on concepts that apply to any DAW.
The Criteria
We value clarity and translation:
- Translation: Does the mix hold up on a phone, car, and club system?
- Balance: Is every element heard clearly without fighting for space?
- Impact: Does the drop hit hard, and the chorus lift the energy?
Our curated lists below cover the essentials.
Mixing
•
By Henry Foster
Best Bus Compressors (2026): The 'Glue'
Stick your mix together. We review the legendary SSL and API bus compressor emulations that give your track that finished 'record' sound.
Read Review →
Mixing
•
By Henry Foster
Best Bitcrusher Plugins (2026): Lo-Fi Drums
12-bit crunch. We review the best sample rate reducers (Decimort, RC-20) for getting that crunchy, old-school sampler sound.
Read Review →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the correct order for mixing plugins?
A common chain is Subtractive EQ -> Compression -> Additive EQ -> Saturation. However, there are no hard rules; the order depends on the desired outcome.
Mastering vs. Mixing?
Mixing is balancing individual tracks (kick, snare, vocal). Mastering is the final polish of the stereo mixdown, ensuring it translates well across all playback systems.
Loudness Standards?
For streaming (Spotify/Apple), aim for -14 LUFS integrated, but don't sacrifice impact for numbers. Most commercial pop tracks are pushed louder, to -9 or -8 LUFS.
Headroom?
Leave space for the mastering engineer. Peaking around -6dB or -3dB on your master bus ensures you aren't clipping before the final stage.
Reference tracks?
Always A/B your mix against a pro track in the same genre. It reveals if your low end is too loud or your vocals are buried.
Monitoring levels?
Mix at conversational levels. If it sounds punchy when quiet, it will scream when loud. Mixing loud fatigues your hearing and skews your perception.
Acoustic Treatment?
More important than your speakers. Bass traps and diffusers help you hear the *speakers*, not the *room* reflections, allowing for accurate decisions.