In this video tutorial I'll show you how to use the spectrum analyzer for mixing to improve your sound. Subscribe to this channel for more mixing tips videos. Using a spectrum analyzer can greatly improve the way you mis your music because of the graphic representations of the instruments' frequencies of your song.
All amigos today we're going to talk about the spectrum analyzer and how to use it during the mixing process for achieving more balanced mixes. Now you probably have seen somewhere that you should trust your ears when mixing and well part of that is of course true but why wouldn't you use the tools to help you see what's happening.
Sonically in your son it's like being a pilot and turning all the instruments off because you should trust your eyes. Well that doesn't make sense does it we audio engineers have the spectrum analyzer and by using it we can see graphically the frequencies of a sound so if we use it correctly during the mixing process it'll help us to get the tonal balance in place. Let's jump right into a session to show you what I mean there are many users for the spectrum analyzer but what we're gonna do now is loaded as the last plug-in on the master buss this'll let us see what's happening in our mix if you're not familiar with this it is a representation of audible frequencies starting at 20 Hertz with the bass frequencies on the left side all the way through 20 K or 20 kilohertz which are the high frequencies on the right side so when a sound goes through it a graphic representation is displayed letting you know the frequency content of a certain sound to be sure we are getting an accurate representation make sure the tilt is set up to 4.5 dB.
If you're using the fabfilter EQ of course what this does is to present the curve the way we humans actually perceive loudness now how can we use the analyzer to create a balanced mix so when it makes its balanced we are going to see kind of a straight line here and that means that we're gonna have a similar frequency content across the whole spectrum all right let's have a quick listen to the song now this song is already mixed and this is how the curve should be when the truck is ready if for example let's say I would turn up the guitars I'm going to see these Peaks on the graph and this tell us that the Sun is out of balance keep in mind that we want to keep the line as straight as possible to maintain the tonal balances remember this is not an exact science and there are tons of things that influence our perception so sure trust your ears but use the tools to double-check if you're making the right decisions having this guide will be useful to check your balance when you have some doubts I normally leave it always on and check continuously if I'm doing good alright that's it for today thanks for watching this video and please don't forget to like it and click the subscribe button if you enjoyed it your support really makes a difference let me know in the comments if you have any thoughts or question or if you're already using this technique when mixing alright see you next time
