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Mixing, in plain words

Ovrtone's Learn pages answer the mixing questions that stop home recordings sounding finished, with numbers: how hot a vocal should go into its plugins, why a mix sounds muddy, how to compare two versions fairly, and why Normalize can leave a vocal too quiet. Each ends with how Ovrtone's engineer handles it.

• Gain staging vocals: peak at −10 to −6 dBFSHow loud your vocal should be going into the first plugin, why, and how to set it.
• Why does my mix sound muddy?What mud is, where it comes from, and the cuts that clear it.
• Why louder sounds better, and how to A/B fairlyWhy every comparison has to be loudness-matched, and how to do it.
• Why Normalize left your vocal too quietPeak normalizing and the one loud spike that ruins it.