Try These 3 Mixing Tricks (That Use Your Ears and Eyes)
If you've ever second-guessed your mix after playing it on a phone or Bluetooth speaker, you're not alone. Sometimes what sounds great in your DAW doesn’t translate.
That’s why today, I’m sharing 3 unconventional mixing tricks that go beyond your ears. These techniques will help you visualize and shape your mix with confidence, even in less-than-perfect environments.
Trick #1 – Analyze Stereo Width with Voxengo SPAN
This free plugin is a game-changer. While most people use SPAN for frequency analysis, there’s a lesser-known trick that lets you analyze the stereo width of your mix.
Using a preset from Dan Worrall, you can actually see when the “difference” (side) information in your mix becomes louder than the “sum” (mono) content, which can cause phase issues and make parts of your mix disappear on mono devices like phones. Use SPAN to compare against pop references and tweak your panning or stereo effects accordingly.
Trick #2 – Balance Your Mix with Pink Noise (Modernized)
The pink noise mixing trick is a classic, but we put a modern spin on it. Instead of using flat pink noise, we use tonal balance curves (like those from iZotope’s Tonal Balance Control) to generate more realistic reference curves based on genre and RMS levels.
By comparing your mix elements to this genre-specific pink noise reference, you can quickly balance kick, snare, vocals, and more without needing a perfect room or speakers.
The trick? Match your pink noise and mix to the same RMS level, like -20 dBFS (K-20), and adjust your faders until key elements just peek above the noise floor.
Trick #3 – Match Kick and Bass Visually Using RMS and Peaks
This one might make some engineers squirm, but it works.
Using a free visual meter plugin (like TDR Prism or SPAN), you can align your kick and bass by analyzing their peak and RMS levels side-by-side. When you visually match their dynamic footprints, your low-end foundation will instantly lock in tighter, especially when you're working in headphones or an untreated room.
And yes, you’re allowed to look while mixing. Just don’t rely on it forever. It’s a starting point, not the final word.
Final Thoughts
Mixing isn’t just about using fancy gear or expensive plugins. With free tools and a bit of visual insight, you can improve translation, fix stereo issues, and get a better balanced mix faster.
These three tricks are especially useful when you're working in less-than-ideal conditions or just starting out.
β Want to see these tricks in action?
In this video, I sit down with Tokyo Speirs (producer for Walk Off the Earth) and we walk through each of these methods step-by-step so you can apply them in your own sessions right away, even if you’re not using Cubase.
π₯ DOWNLOAD the FREE plugin presets and custom pink noise profiles featured in the video.