I've been loving these "__ Things to avoid when..." videos, always so useful, helpful and easy to understand. Might go on a little binge of all of them next. Keep em coming! Thanks, Glenn!

Glenn - these are seriously awesome tips. And I love how with most of them, you admitted "I am STILL doing this!" rather than a "You're a bunch of idiots if you do this!" - it shows that even professionals with decades of experience are still learning and improving. Kudos sir!

One thing ive liked doing is using the drum set as the "anchor" of the mix. A lot of guitar players write the guitar riffs first so that ends up being the anchor, and usually you can tell in the final product. Even if you write the riffs first. Start with fleshing out the drums then work your way outwards, this will help the track have a less guitar-centric feel to it. And as much as we guitar players would hate to admit it, the true core of rock music is the drums.

Speaking of the line 6 POD. It's amazing how much the tone really does come from the speaker. For funzies, I dusted off my old POD and turned off the cab and replaced it with an IR in reaper. You can actually get great tone out of a POD..... if you take out the biggest part of the tone and replace it with something good.

"Highpass EVERYTHING" was like the second thing I was told about when I first tackeld mixing (only a couple years into it) and it literally blew my mind how much this helped. Opens up more than some frequency space and kind of cleans up a performance (kick drum flams, bass rumble) and I feel like I progressed light years once I started doing this. As for the headphone/monitor section I personally like to adjust individual EQ's and find tones on drums and DI guitars/Amp sims before switching to monitors to mix it all together, works for me at least. Just one of many processes someone could take! All in all, your videos and community have certainly helped keep me motivated Glen and has made the learning curve fun also gave me confidence to track my first band last week and can't help but laugh harder at all the "no one practices" or "learn their own songs" comments you make as I got my first taste of that haha. Thanks for everything!

This is one of the best videos you've ever made dude. So much stellar information and the practical examples included make this a video I'll definitely be referring to for some time. Here's a video request. Do the same thing for recording/mixing vocals. Take us through the vocal process from start to finish. Recording/layering/editing/mixing. Cheers from Birmingham, the home of METAL🤘

Great video! Hope all is well!

These are the killer videos that made me sign up and follow you Glenn! Great stuff! Will also be adding some of these plugins to my near future purchase. Thanks man!

Hey Glenn, I’ve been struggling with this for years. A very very BIG THANK YOU VERY MUCH for this elaborate video. This is going to make my mixing so much easier AND better!! 🤘🏻

Not super over the top, shows the genuine desire to help people, all with the signature charm of Glenn Fricker himself. This is probably the best executed video you've ever made, and you have quite a few gems. Well done sir

This was a great video Glenn! I know you’ve regurgitated all of this for years. But the updated software demos along with the explanations are killer!

Just discovered this channel. Love the content and delivery, no fluff, lots of killer advice and experience that many people charge for. Keep up the good work my man from the UK.

This is really cool since tech prices are making it more available for regular people to record their ideas. And if done right, comes out as music. Not a wall of ooze. Until, like most metal bands today, hire "Cookie Monster" to sing or whatever he does, then the "ooze" returns. A muddled mess with inexplicable and understandable vocals. Listen to Glenn, he knows what he is doing! Thanks Glenn. Great channel, and hope you get to record your "opus" soon. More Glenn in the world would be a good thing! :)

This is one of my favorite videos from you Glenn. I learned so much and next time I record a track I'll make sure I'm not making any of these mistakes. The highpass and compressor thing was an eye opener. Hoping I can make better mixes now

Thanks for mentioning the automation on the rhythm guitars. It's an extremely useful tool that helps other instruments shine when its their turn and I feel like it's an overlooked technique in the amateur world.

Very informative, constructive and positive. One of your best videos to date Glen, you really nailed this one. I'm currrently recording my first album, and there's loads of great tips here.

I really like how when you were talking about the high pass filter you referred to the space as "audio real estate." It really helped me to see how each frequency wants space and if they start overlapping it causes trouble. Good anaolgy Glenn!

One of the best episodes in a long time, a perfect balance of detail and getting to the point. Really enjoyed this one, even though I knew all these points before, mostly from watching your videos for years!

I'm always happy to see that despite all the bass player jokes, Glenn recognizes the absolute NEED for a great sounding mix, the bass has to be AUDIBLE. Absolutely fabulous video, Glenn! Keep up the good work!

I've been watching and learning from you for years now, thanks for doing what you do. My 16 year old son is getting into recording metal, so I'm actually here to link him to this video and share my love of recording metal music with him. So another thank you goes out to you for making my job as a metal dad a little easier.

Glenn, great stuff as always. I learned about double & quad tracking waaay back in the day, reading old Guitar World & other Guitar magazines from the 90s. All the interviews and articles, Artists would talk about stacking guitar tracks. From Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins to Alice & Chain's etcetera. It is definitely part of the "Secret Sauce". I'm using the Townhouse Buss compressor from Plug-in Alliance on certain Buss groups. It and a few others live on my Master Buss. Working with a touch of top down mixing. I also have distraction issues. I'll get up early, before the Wife is up on some weekend mornings & will sit in the Studio & have my cup of coffee while watching your & a few other channels before I get going. Get some of that out of the way lol. I really started using & learning how to implement HP & LP filters a fee years ago and man oh man! It really really does bring clarity to the mix. Especially whith proper panning, getting things to "Sit" in the mix. Also blending Amp sims with some live amp/mic'ng. So much to mearn & implement. And yup! I have room treatment & some Adam Audio TV7's and I'm always double checking my mix in My Wife & My Car. #ForeverAStudent. Thank you for all your hard work & information! I always pick up something new from your vids! 🤘🎶🎶

Wow… easily the most helpful home recording video I’ve ever seen. I’ve been working on an album’s worth of mixes on and off since November of 2021 and I’m never happy with them. My goal is to try out a few of these techniques and submit a track to a Monday Mix Review to get some feedback. Thank you, Glen!!!

What I like about this, is most of these tactics apply not only to recording metal, but electronic production as well. The automation tip to drop gain and allow space for other parts is crucial (well for those of us that actually compose music instead of just playing riff salad). My songs sound so much more dynamic now, AND I don’t get wild fluctuations in volume!

Thanks for making this video and these were very helpful tips on recording guitar. I too struggle with distractions when mixing.

I busted out my phone just to listen closely, on a galaxy s23 I can actually really hear the difference on the guitars. Even translates through phone speakers. This should really show how important this is to getting a huge guitar sound

Your videos have helped me immensely with my home recordings. More solid advice from GLENNNNNN!

Hey Glen, i really like this format. Very useful information and explained in simple terms even a bassist can understand.

10:22 is exactly what I needed to know. Getting all those frequencies for each instrument, listed by one guy I trust! Dude I can’t thank you enough. Most of this has been learn by doing. However, hard fast rules like this help so much.

Thank you so much for putting this video out when you did! My bandmate is coming to track guitars this weekend and this video is already saving us headache!! Cheers from Texas!

great vid again. I love the idea of that plugin that doesnt define what the chain is made of. On the other hand, most guitarists have no clue how their amp/cab would sound like if it was recorded in a studio, hence the connection between reality and recording falls apart. I still use the Line6 VST plugins just because of that. The tone is good but not great as there is too much going on in the lower and higher regions imho and Hi or Lo cuts don't seem to solve that. That said, I will never constrain myself to "this amp" or "that cab" but it just helps deciding how you make your ensemble faster. I once used a vox AC30 amp preset for a centre recording because it had the right colouring for that project. Or a Bassman for wide grainy overdrive instead of the obvious Engl whatever. I'm kind of afraid I'd be jumping from sound to sound on this plugin and also forget how each preset sound like. I'm trying to say that I would be working faster with a recognisable description instead of having "IR01" as a description, given that you shouldn't restrict yourself to the sounds you're used to. But I back up the idea that it avoids obvious choices. Question about the headphone vs monitors. I fully support your idea about using monitors instead of headphones. But what do you do when you're situation doesn't support using monitors that much? I'm living in a loft kind of environment where I can't "form" my acoustic coccoon that well. I have a few decent headphones lying around and tend to alternate between them so I get a mix that sounds good on all of them. I kept away from buying monitors, also because family members walk around in that area too. Do you think it's still worth buying monitors and plan a dedicated time slot when you're alone at home for instance? I always learned that you can only use monitors in an acoustically decent environment.

I absolutely love this video. You explained a lot that probably wouldnt have other wise known or been able to utilize. THANK YOU GLEN!!

Definitely my favourite video of yours. When i first discovered compression years ago it changed everything. Thank you

This video is a gold mine!!! Thank you Glenn for making these videos. I've been following you since "The fans deserve better" video and it' crazy how much I've learnt from you. Thank you so so much

Love these videos! Thanks as always for the clear and pointed advise on where to spend our time and money!

Glen you are a fountain of knowledge, and I am dehydrated. I'm backwards and have done the 3-track thing but the 2 panned left/right were at lower gain than the center guitar track. What you said makes sense imma do that next time. Mush love.

Honestly glenn thank God for your videos, I got accepted into 2 audio produ tonight schools OIART being one but never ended up going due to cost. That being said, as a guitar player, I had no concept of how to build a track and you've helped alot with that

Well made video good way of making the mix info simple. We need more stuff like this

Just started home recording after playing for 15 years. Mistakes a plenry but so much fun. Thanks Glen!

To whom it may concern (essaying incoming...): About double/quad tracking, the widening effect caused by the perceived difference in timing between the left and right panned guitars makes them sound bigger, and this is the sound and to get that sound you full pan the two takes left and right. However in terms of mixing decisions this is actually a pretty big move. By ultra widening a major part of the mix, in this case rhythm guitar, they sound bigger in terms of sound stage but will often lose a sense of immediacy and punch due to losing the mid channel information and pushing them to the side channel. Nerdy technical shit like phase correlation aside (which usually only starts to really matter when in the mastering stage, pro tip let someone else like a mastering engineer master your mix) I usually find that adding that center channel information back in gives the most full bodied and massive feeling result. Do this by either the aforementioned Master of Puppets thing where you add a third take and center pan it or better yet imo quad tracking and pan two of the takes somewhere between 80-20% left and right( i almost always reamp these center takes with a different amp sim to further fill out the spectrum) After that lower the volume relative to the wide guitars, EQ the two sets of guitars following the guideline that the side gets a high end sparkle emphasis and the mid gets a mid frequency emphasis (to taste and in context but usually starting above the fundamental frequency of the snare), and imho the crucial part omitted in this section of the vid, MIX it with the other most prominent features in the mid channel, usually Kick, Snare, Bass guitar and Vocals by sidechaining a filter or EQ band to duck resonant frequencies of the kick and snare transient peaks (where they get their punch from, say 61hz for the kick and 200hz for the snare for example), high passing the area where the bass guitar lives and sidechaining a compressor to ride the guitars to the vocals like half a db of reduction in the loudest parts of the vocal. Remember: All this usually only needs to be done to this degree for the center panned guitars as to give priority to drums, bass and vocals that live most prominently in the middle. Variety tip: bus your center guitars together and process that to save time and compute. That'll be $20,000 in tuitions per person please D: I'm sure that'll help someone... no but seriously TLDR: 1. Quad track, it's just better. 2. Balance side and mid channel information across the 4 takes and ninja process with other prominent elements in mid/side channels of the mix. 3. ???? 4. Profit ps. If you only have two takes you can copy them and slightly change the timing of the copy (like dragging it slightly early or late relative to the other take) to avoid the accidentally mono effect and make it sound wide. pps. great vid bro, actually a really straightforward introduction to the basics of mixing guitar music and some good life advice there at the end for budding mixing engineers.

When I double track I use a different amp sims on the left channel then I did on the right channel.. I also reduce one side's volume slightly.. very slightly.. This gives a nice wide sound.. at least it works for me..keep doing what you're doing Glenn

I actually bought the SSL Bus Compressor 2 when it was on sale a while ago, $14.99 I think. Regular price $329. 😳. Hadn’t used it because I had been using the Focusrite FAST Compressor on my mixes, but that plug-in seems to introduce artifacts like static & pops. So I put the SSL on a mix instead with the settings you list in this vid, & damn! That sounds killer. Way better cohesion & overall response for the mix. Thanks Glenn! 🤘🏻

Awesome video mate. So much great information and demonstrations.

I learned from a great mixer to turn off the monitors to finish the mix, just like you showed in the car, it's really important to change perspective and check how the mix sounds on consumer devices. Now I always check the mix on my phone, my laptop, my car and a cheap bluetooth headphone. A great mix will sound good across all devices, with some limitations for sure, but a great mix sounds great on anything.

I own the VSX and one thing I will say about them is that if you're stuck in a terrible acoustic environment (which is me), they seems to produce far better results than monitors. I have a much easier time mixing on VSX than on my Kali LP 6s in a terrible room. That being said, I have no doubt if I improved the space, mixing on the LP 6s would be at least as good or better.

I don't think you realise how much of a help you've been to all of us. Thank you, keep up the awesome work. Love from Bulgaria :)

Thank you, thank you, thank you. One of the best, most informative videos of yours that I have seen, and that's saying a lot. Thanks so much, and keep up the great work!

Thx Glenn! Especially the volume control between Lead and Rhythm was a eye opener

Great video Glenn, so much great information here. Apart from using the SSL plugins.

Amen, Amen, and Amen again to the hi-pass everything. If there's one single thing that helped me to get rid of the mud and what I describe as the "veil over the speakers" effect, it is using hi-pass (and if necessary, even low pass) to get rid of unnecessary gack. Yes, not a question of "do I or don't I?" but a question of "how much can I get away with?" Re: double, triple, quad-tracking guitars..... I basically never do more than 4. I find that, after that, too many multiple layers of the same thing actually start to sound smaller. My go-to is double-tracking. With too many layers, you start to lose the "air between the parts" and it's like they all start suffocating each other.

The first 3:30 minutes of this video just changed everything. Thanks man, this is worth alot and explains what I did wrong so far. Ah yes, my phone mic as well as the speaker are done for too 😝

Interesting. I do the exact same thing with the triple tracking - a 3rd track down the middle 6dB lower than the other two. Had no idea they did that on MoP, I thought that was quad tracked. The mid track doesn't really beef up the sound THAT much - it just kind of gives the guitar more substance and helps it sit in the mix better. Without it, sometimes the other two tracks sort of disappear somewhere back in the periphery a little bit.

On the bass subject, can't sleep on side-chained compression. Create an audio track, route your full drum bus to it and output it to "sends only", then place a low-pass filter, only allowing anything below 80-150hz or so, then side-chain that into a compressor on the bass track to duck the lows on the bass when the kick drum and toms are are sounding out. I like Native Instruments' SuperCharger. It's free, it includes tube emulation, and makes bass guitar really sing in the mix. And I use a lot of bass guitar in my mixes.

I record live bands on the side. Whenever there is only one guitar player.... Well here s my workaround to make it sounds at least decent. Double the track - hard pan left n right. Then take one track for instance left and add a little bit of reverb. Like 5% or less. Depending on sound, tone and style I might add supper small amounts of chorus or delay. The trick is to use as little as possible just to create a little difference in in the soundwave. A very minimal stereoizer (yes thats a thing) to that hard panned track also helps. It keeps it mono but Bounces the volume a little up and down giving it a bit more 'real' feel... Hope this helps😊

GLENN!!!! As far as distractions go, have you considered putting time limits on your tasks? Set an amount of time to work, disconnect your distractions from the network (PC, Phone, etc.). When the alarm goes off, stop and do something else for a set amount of time (the time limit is extremely important!). When your break time is up, go back to your priority task. If you're getting distracted, it means you've exhausted your focus and need a recharge. People with ADHD have to do this religiously. Your brain can only focus on one thing for an hour or two (more like 20 minutes for those with ADHD). Splitting up the work to recharge your brain can help. As always, FUCK YOU GLENN!!! Your channel fucking rocks!

Hey Glenn, even with the examples you gave us about multitracking, i'd argue that the bigger/wider sounding one was the hardpanned 2 guitars one. 3 and 4 tracked feels a bit more claustrophobic (which can be heavier depending on the context), but the less sonic space in the middle makes it sound smaller imho. What do you think?

12:46 You know Glenn, I've really been stumped about the Buss Compressor in its use. Thanks for the tip!

Glenn this is fantastic! I'm going to be using this right away thank you!

High passing is like magic. I just make some electronic music as a hobby. Playing around with subbass, I would highpass the bass and kick tracks a bit higher which opens a lot of needed space for the subbass. Suddenly the bass is clear, kick is punchy, while the subbass is powerful but doesn't get muddy.

Thanks man, first full video I've watched even tho you pop up on my KZfaq feed regularly.... I don't need the info at the moment as I'm tech-phobic😉 but maybe one day I'll get over it. I'll continue to watch whatever KZfaq decides I need to learn from you, when I can👍

Master, I´m about to record my band, and your videos are just great advice for beginners, I wonder if I can get back to you later. Thanks.

Thanks, Glenn! It was very educational!

One thing that reaaaaaally improves stereo sound and brings life to guitar tracks is adding an EQ on your tracks (In case you're using DI tracks, EQ the DI signal) and random but subtlely cut or boost frequencies, this would add way more differences between the tracks and maaan, sounds amazing. Don't abuse with this technique, of course, and don't try to compensate the frequencies you're cutting or boosting in other track.

Thanks Glenn. That was VERY informative..... cheers mate.

These are some great tips, especially the part about taking breaks and considering your mental condition. I work full time and write music as a hobby. I often find myself 'cramming' working on music on my days off, often spending 12+ hours at a time working on things with little to no breaks. It isn't healthy and it doesn't help the music. I also loved the tip about listening in different environments and from a different perspective. I've had some of my biggest breakthroughs in writing when I listen back to works in progress during breaks at work or while in bed before sleep. The only problem is when an idea comes to you and you and you can't immediately write it down. There are more voice memos of me making all sorts of crazy noises on my phone than I care to admit. I do have a question if you end up reading this. I am in a sub-optimal mixing environment. It isn't BAD (carpeted, non-square room), but there is no proper acoustic treatment whatsoever and the folks I am living with probably wouldn't appreciate listening to the same 3-4 minutes of music for hours on end. Therefore, my headphones (DT 770 Pro 250ohm) are a better fit in my situation than my monitors (JBL MkII 5). Taking this into consideration, would you still recommend using monitors as a primary mixing reference, or to proceed with headphones as the primary w/ monitors to double check when I won't disturb others?

This is pure gold. If I were a home recording amateur, and not only that, I would save them all these videos and watch them again and again and again. Thanks, dude! We must support this man with our money, not just our thoughts and blessings and prayers (lol), 'couse what is he doing is f-ing great for the metal tribe.

Headphones for mixing is always second to Monitors, but some people cannot afford decent Monitors and have to rely on Headphones. The thing is you can work with those, but it is necessary to get an idea of the spectrum they deliver. For example my "Gaming-Headset" delivers a lot of low end, another pair is very treble oriented and I have some Sonys that seem to sit somewhere in between and are my go to device. It also helps to double check the recordings on cellphone, hifi-stereo system or in a car. It is way more difficult that way and takes more time, but it can get you there if monitors are not at hand.

With regards to the first tip, it might be prudent to dial the distortion back a bit with every stereo pair that has to be layered. Especially if going beyond 2 pairs

THIS is the video I’ve been searching for! Thanks, Glenn!! 🤘

Outstanding info! Thanks Glenn. Love the high pass info!

Glenn. I had the same delay in Reaper. Only way I found to reduce/get rid of it was to change the media buffer size in Anticipative FX processing setting.

So look, I have no idea about mixing, mastering, recording and have pretty much only been playing guitar for a couple years. I am in the learning phase. However, that being said, this video still was awesome, even though my brain is overloaded with jargon that I hope will settle in over time. Sub'd because heck, love your enthusiasm, energy and sarcasm. Well done!!

This was very useful information, thank you!

Actually this is good advice in regards to giving the audio special separation. I haven’t done this with music, but i was making a audio bed for my radio station and i had the girl that was doing the voice over work, do multiple takes. And what i did was separate the two, then pan one slightly left and one more right, it broke it up and gave it that full sound like you here on pro radio.. If that makes any sense.

Well, I’ve been watching this show (I think since the beginning) and I really am a fan. Every video helped me grow from guitar player to musician. But it’s the first time I drop a comment (like ever): Wow man, this time you nailed it ! This video is certainly the most useful video for someone willing to record something! And hell! It’s free! So thanks for everything ! Question: for quand tracking, I tend to change amp sim for the two « inner guitars » what do you think of that? Big shout out from France!

Great tips and content. As I've seen on comments I agree, what helps is the performance, tight 'n locked in. Cheers from Sweden

Wisconsin native here…My grandparents were farmers, and found time for a nap, even 20 minutes, almost every day. Work hard, nap hard is my motto. That track sounds KILLER, btw. Thanks/fuck you Glenn!

Fantastic video with some great knowledge being shared. Thanx grandma.

Glenn! Im going to be building a 12’ x20’ studio out of my garage and i intend to do full band tracking and my own mixing and everything. I would love a video on what stuff you do/dont need for a “bare bone” setup. Especially where i know im gonna run out of space.

Great content. Thanks for all the useful information.

I know there are thousands of posts on these things but this episode could potentially save someone years of trial and error. It is detailed and yet concise. The principles themselves are about music production and useful even beyond the scope of metal but for guitar and recording in general. I am definitely rewatching and taking notes.

I've used the center guitar trick for a long time... it definitely adds something to the overall sound wall :)

Was doing the car thing a lot, but since I have Amphion monitors (and also tbh a better acoustic in the studio), I can get rid of the car step ... Also for the mastering, I tend to use stems mastering which helps a lot to correct a bit things as a last step. Just my 2 cents :)

16:25 reminds me of the classic Mechassault OST. For the Grasslands theme, the guitars seem to be a little weak in the low end at first, but when the bass comes in, it all fits perfectly.

This is awesome Glenn! Saved for later viewing!

While I generally agree with the distractions thing, I've found out that when I put on my mix in the background while doing something else, that's when most stuff that's not quite right becomes apparent, even when it was sounding fine when I was actively listening while mixing. So I tend to do all the editing and precise stuff with laser focus but for balance and more general things laying down and scrolling through tik tok works better, for me at least

Hi Glenn! Love this series of videos! It really helped me improve my mixes, but I have a question: Is it possible to create amazing sounding mixes while using mixing headphones? Thank you for making these videos!

I like to automate low end to reduce on the kick eq when there is double sections then bring it back up to maintain sub when there is space.

Super helpful, quick and to the point! Thanks!! You rock!:)

Hi Glenn, Your mixes sound amazing, and thank You for all this mindful advices!

I have been following this channel for a bit. This is by far the best efffing vid they ever put out🖤

Great Heaviness!!!!! Excellent job, musicians! Superb video, Glenn!!!

Yo Glenn, did a stray bullet fly over from Detroit and hit your windshield?? Take cover, buddy!!! Also, this is a fantastic video!!! Such simple things we can all do to improve our mixes laid out in simple terms. Thanks for this and all the good work you do!!!!

Love your tutorials dude.. I've been doing this since I was about 8 years old.. and NEVER stop learning.. I mean back from doing overdubs with cassette tapes to modern tech. Your breakdown of how to do things still teraches even this old fart.. new tricks.. keep it up..

Thanks so much for this video, Glenn. Just a ton of great info and solid advice. 🤘

GLENNNN!!! Do you have a recommendation for a more budget friendly plugin similar to the SSL Bus Compressor? I appreciate all the info you put into your videos man, esspecially this format. Wouldn't be where I am without your channel my friend!🤘🏼💀

Here is something important that I've learned by listening to isolated tracks..... what sounds great when playing for fun or to a song usually sounds like shit when put in a mix.....what sounds like shit alone usually works awesome in a mix.... Took me a long ass time to figure this one out....Probably why a lot of us guitar players suck at recording/mixing because we dial in tone that we love but don't consider how it sounds in the mix

Man in feels like you read my mind, great timing of the video!!

I find ducking some of the highs/string noise/clacking that occurs when playing bass actually makes palm muted sections on guitar sound a lot punchier/tighter and more on rhythm. Dream theater did this a lot, albeit on some records the bass did sound inaudible while others sounded really nice, so it’s a fine line.

Oh man!!!This is awesome Glen.A great long video with very in depth knowledge of your years of mixing.Thank you so much.👍Where can I get that song to listen to? And "the eagle has landed"? Thanks man.

hi Glen, i would love to see you make an episode about recording spoken word (audio book, audio theatre, etc.). and btw good job on your weight loss. really impressive. ultra hard to do