Short answer: recording is where a record's ceiling is set. Mixing and mastering can shape what arrives; they cannot add what was never captured. Room, source, placement and performance decide almost everything — which is why an hour spent improving a take returns more than a day spent repairing it.
For this stage, all sound, recording synthesizers, selecting samples, recording sounds from libraries, recording vocals, etc., that is not only recording from a microphone, but also selecting all the sounds of music.
After good arrangement and thoughtful pairing, the most important thing is to select quality and nice sounds.
In real life, a person will choose a sound and then will use it in an arrangement.
This stage is similar to audio mixing. So, in fact, you begin to form the timbre, the nature of the song, on the record, which is actually mixing.
As in the other stages, the mistakes made here cannot be fixed in the next stage.
You will see that you can equalize all that, with the noise suppressor!
No, you can’t. The sound should be of maximum quality. If something doesn’t work out, you don’t just have to leave it to fate. You should rewrite it and change it.
Do not sacrifice your product. This is your main investment.
First, on the selection of samples – kick, snare, etc.
There are a lot of awesome libraries in Splice. You can find sounds of your favourite artists and a lot of other quality sounds.
Don’t get the no name sounds. Standard sounds from DAWs are usually not high quality, even though they are all at your fingertips, and you still need to be authentic.
The next step is – synthesize. I recommend choosing one nice synthesizer and upload all presets there. For example, Omnisphere or Spire.
Each of them will cover most of your needs. Here you can also make high-quality bass, good pads, and leads.
While choosing the sounds, just keep at hand references and compare the sound quality with it.
When choosing, be sure that the sound itself must be very high quality. I don’t recommend making a large layering if you are not a professional. If you want to change it a bit, then you’d better use the synthesizer itself instead of the equalizer on the channel. Equalization causes certain phase distortions to be handled.
In the matter of recording and selecting sounds, be uncompromising. If the sound does not fit, or it interferes, just change it.
I also recommend reading about the vocal recordings and work with the mic (I’ve already mentioned that).
Also, usually, in commercial songs, there is no need to make a lot of tracks.
The average session has up to 60 tracks, everything above is most likely superfluous.
Don’t make a lot of instruments, as I’ve already said. In each range, there can only be played one instrument at the same time.
Accordingly, there is no sense in making many tracks. Each tool can have a maximum of 3 layers. I mean the situation when you take 2 different tones for one instrument and part, for example 2 different kicks, one for a dense bottom, the other for the top and so on. If you did everything qualitatively and your track already sounds very good, then it’s time to go to the editorial office.
| What recording decides | Can mixing change it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The room in the take | Barely | Reflections are printed into the file and cannot be separated out. |
| The performance | No | No processing adds conviction that was not played. |
| Mic placement | Partly | EQ approximates a different position; it does not recreate one. |
| Noise floor | Partly, at a cost | Noise reduction removes detail along with noise. |
| Clipping | No | The information is gone. |
| Balance between elements | Yes — that is the mix | Separate tracks means separate control. |
| Tone and space | Yes, within limits | Shaping what exists is different from creating it. |
When the track is ready for the final stage, our engineers handle mixing and mastering from $133 per song, 2–3 days per song, 6 revision rounds included. Prices for every service are on the pricing page.
Why recording comes first — FAQ
Can a good mix fix a bad recording?
It can improve one, within limits. Room reflections, distortion, noise and a weak performance are all in the file. An engineer works with what arrived, and cannot subtract the room from a take.
What matters most when recording?
The room, then the performance, then mic placement. Equipment comes after all three, and the gap between them is much larger than most people expect.
Should I re-record or fix in the mix?
Re-record, almost always. One more take usually costs less time than an hour of repair, and the result is better rather than merely acceptable.
How do I improve recordings without buying gear?
Treat the space, move the microphone, and do more takes. Those three cost nothing and change more than any purchase at the same stage.
Does the microphone matter less than people think?
At home, yes — because the room is usually the limiting factor. Once the space is controlled, the microphone starts to matter, which is why treatment comes first.
What should I send for mixing?
The cleanest possible captures: 24-bit WAV, no clipping, master bus bypassed, clearly named. Our export guides cover the spec per DAW.
Send us a song you are working on
A rough demo is fine — it does not need to be mixed. A named engineer listens on studio monitors and writes back exactly what is holding the track back, and what to do about it.
- Usually within two working days
- No card, no obligation
- 11,000+ projects behind the answer
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