5 Quick Master Bus Mixing Tricks

1. Automate the output of your last plugin – If you want add more impact to different sections of your song use this simple trick.  Create an automation line for the output of the last plugin on your master bus. Then select that line for the whole song and drop the output level to -1.0 db.  On the very last chorus, add a pinpoint on the line and automate back up 1db.  Instantly you have a lift of the last section of the song.  

2. Use a compressor with a side chain HPF – Using a compressor with a built-in High pass filter will keep your mix from being squashed by loud bass level.  If you don’t use this the energy from the bass will trigger you compressor and keep you from gluing your mix together the way you want to.  Letting the bass pass through while you compress the rest of the mix and keep it from getting too pumpy.  

3. Blend Clean and Parallel Busses – create 2 busses before your master fader. The first is a clean bus with no processing on it.  The second is a parallel bus that you can compress, add eq to, or even a little distortion.  Turn the parallel bus all the way down, and then slowly blend it back into the clean bus.  This is a great trick for adding character and mojo.  You can take this a step further by automating it just in certain sections of the song.  

4. Automate limiter threshold – This is a simple trick that you can use to create some openness in certain sections of the song.  In the video example I have around 2db of gain reduction happening on my limiter.  Let’s say i want my verse to sound like it has a little more openness to it.  Simple automate the limiter threshold to come up a bit on that verse section.  You will have a little gain reduction and some extra openness.  

5. Automate master buss EQ- This is very similar to trick 4 but instead of using the limiter threshold you can add use an EQ on your master bus.  Find a section that you want to stand out or or separate from the rest of the song.  This can be subtle or you can go crazy with it.  Make the eq change and then simple automate the bypass on the eq plugin to turn on and then back off.