Mixing in Mono Tutorial:

What is Mixing in Mono?

Mixing in mono is the art of combining all audio tracks into a single mono channel (monophonic), compared to stereo (with left and right channels). This means you’re listening to the mix without any panning or stereo width.

Can You Make It Sound Great in Mono?

Think your mix sounds good? Try making it work in mono first.

Step-by-Step: Mixing Mono Tutorial

Step 1 – Tonal Balance

Start by building a strong tonal foundation:

• Balance your kick, snare, and cymbals to set the top and bottom

• Add your bass, making space for the kick and snare

• Fill in midrange instruments and vocals for a full, if messy, mix
  Tip: Always start with the loudest part of the song and gain-stage properly.

Step 2 – Front and Back

Now define what matters most:

• Mute parts that don’t support the emotion of the song

• Turn down support layers until they sit behind your leads

• Use EQ to remove low/high frequencies from background parts to push them back

Your mix should now have a clear sense of depth - leads in front, support in back.

Step 3 – Low End

Get your low end working cleanly:

• Cut anything clogging the subs

• Choose whether the kick or bass takes priority

• Make sure your kick, snare, and bass all hit with clarity and punch

Step 4 – Midrange

This is where clarity often dies. Be ruthless:

• Focus on no more than 3 main midrange instruments (e.g. vocal, lead, support)

• Assign frequency zones to each (example below)

Example layout:

• Bass: 700–1kHz

• Lead guitar: 1.5kHz

• Vocals: 2–3kHz

• Rhythm guitar: 4kHz

Tip: Every song is different - experiment and trust your ears.

Step 5 – Top End

Get surgical with the highs:

• What’s eating up the sparkle?

• Do all your instruments need 8k+ info?

• Filter support tracks to create space for your lead sounds

Step 6 – Compression

Use your usual compression methods or experiment:

• Faster attack times = push things back in the mix

• Slower release times = keep sounds more stable

• Adjust to create punch, cohesion, and controlled dynamics

Step 7 – Freemix

Now mix freely, focusing only on balance:

• Make smaller adjustments until it feels just right

• Aim to create a release-ready mono mix

Tip: This is a real ear-training challenge - stick with it!

Step 8 – Stereo That Thing!

Once your mono mix is solid:

• Save a new version and begin panning out instruments

• Let the stereo image reveal how much clarity you built

• If things feel sparse, try shared reverb or light stereo bus glue

Tip: If it still feels off, start finishing it like you normally would - but now you’re working from a far stronger foundation.

What You’ve Learnt

This challenge teaches you how to:

• Spot arrangement issues fast

• Make confident mix decisions

• Prioritise what matters in a song

• Build clarity and depth from the ground up