I thought this topic would make a good, and short read — as I have been asked these questions so many times:

The questions: When I mix as I produce, should I bounce out the dry stems or keep my channelstrip settings and FX? Should I keep my “production reverb”?

Should I bounce my mix stems with or without side-chaining? What about the mix buss inserts? Or should I just do simple raw production and then do a proper mix?

The answers of course to these questions can be very personal and contextual, but I want to share with you what I think works the best for both the production and mixing cycles.

I think the best practice when producing is to do only very basic channel stripping of individual elements, i.e. basic saturation, reductive EQ, and compression with the idea that you can and will do more later during the mix session.

While I think it’s fine to keep what I call “production reverb” (reverb is part of the sound design of a synth patch...

Watch as Daniel Wyatt (Mixing and mastering mentor) does a walkthrough of the Distressor emulation from Slate Digital, the FG Distressor.

While Soundtoys most popular delay plugin is Echoboy, Soundtoys bundle contains two amazing delay plugins: Chrystallizer and Primal Tap that are underestimated by many producers. In this 1-hour long video from our recent webinar Daniel Wyatt explains who you can use those plugins in your projects showing inspiring examples of unusual effects you can’t get from your regular delay plugin.

Delay and modulation effects are part of the curriculum of Ultimate Mixing and Mastering Program and Next Level Mixing Online Course.