It's 5 plug-ins week here at Audio Issues as I'm reopening the Mixing With 5 Plug-ins course so I thought I'd give you a quick refresher on some ways to create depth and space in your mixes.

Just like we put instruments from left to right with panning, we need to position elements from front to back. By using effects, like reverb, delay and chorus we create depth in a mix. You can't distinguish any space in your mix if all the elements are dry and in your face.

You won't enjoy listening to a two dimensional sound picture as much as a three dimensional mix filled with interesting effects creating depth and diversity in your mix.

Just like some elements deserve to be in the middle of the stereo spectrum, and aren't panned, there are also some elements that deserve to be dry and up front.

Which elements and what kind of space to use? That's mainly up to you and your taste. Sometimes it's also genre specific. For instance, you wouldn't put massive reverbs on a fast thrash metal song and you probably wouldn't skimp on the space for a big and slow power ballad.

Reverb and Delay

The two most common effects processors are reverb and delay (thank you Captain Obvious).

Using reverb can get pretty challenging.

Not too much and it'll sound dry and unpolished.

Too much and it'll be a cluttered mess.

You can use reverb for contrast between verse and chorus as well as how you can use reverb to create two completely different mixes for the same song.

Reverb Creates the Stage

Reverb creates the stage in which you set your mix. Think of it this way: If you want your song to take place in a big cathedral, then use the big cathedral reverb. If you want a tight studio space, then use the space that sounds like a small studio space. Just make sure you find a good space for your song.

But by all means, don't use nothing.

Skipping the reverb will result in a two-dimensional and difficult mix unless you've carefully recorded everything with a specific room sound. But not many bedroom recordists do that so you need to pick your reverb modes wisely.

Group Your Elements

You can make it easy on your DAW by using groups of similar instruments. If you've already mixed your guitars then you can group them together and send them to the same reverb. The same thing can be done with any number of similar sounding elements, such as drums, vocals or synths.

I commonly group together my vocals, my drum and percussion tracks as well as my guitars into three separate groups. By using three short, but different reverbs on each of these groups they all fell into place in their own space while still working together as a whole.

Just like that can you transform your mix from a cluttered two-dimensional shouting match to a nicely separated 3D image.

Reverb Holds Everything Together

Just like compression tends to glue tracks together in the dynamics department, so does reverb in the space department.

So reverb is the answer, most of the time. But if you're scared of using too much of it, you might want to resort to delay instead.

When Delay is Better

Maybe you want to let go of the reverb for one day, and use a delay instead. Delays are easier to handle, and some are much less confusing than the average reverb.

Sometimes you just need a little depth, without adding reverb, and delay can easily do the job.

So when would you substitute your reverb for a little bit of delay?

For Guitar Solos

Sure, guitar solos can sound awesome with a hefty amount of reverb. But they can sound equally cool with a nice delay.

Use a short to medium stereo delay with one repeat. It'll add width and depth to your signal immediately. The stereo delay will make the solo sound wider, and the delay will add the depth. And if you have the original signal in the middle, summing to mono won't ruin the sound.

For Rhythm Guitar

Both reverb and delay can quickly ruin a tight rhythm guitar take. If you use too much of either one, you'll end up with a cluttered guitar track. However, using a short slap echo or 8^th note delay can also add interest. Send your guitar track to a delay via a send, and mix the delayed track underneath just to add a little space. It doesn't have to clutter the track if you use it sparsely.

For Lead Vocals

For an in-your-face lead vocal, scrap the reverb entirely and use delay to add depth. Delay adds space without pushing the vocal back, something that happens all too often when you use too much reverb. Depending on the BPM of the song, style and genre, use either short, medium or long delays.

If it's a ballad with long, drawn out words then a long delay creates a big sound without overpowering the actual vocal. A fast rock song benefits from a short, subtle delay and groovy pop songs use medium delays to a great effect.

For Percussion?

Similar problems arise from using too much delay on percussion as it does on rhythm guitar. A short delay timed to the BPM of the song gives percussion punchiness without giving it too much room in the mix.

For Organs

Medium to long delays with a fair amount of feedback can beef up an organ or pad sound. If you have an organ playing long, sustained chords then a long delay can give that foundation a thicker sound.

Now go try these mixing tips out!

Between these five things to think about and a little extra creativity on your part, I'm positive your next mix will be a solid blend of well balanced and panned tracks, correctly carved EQ and steady compression.

Sprinkled with a subtle blend of interesting effects, you might just have created your greatest mix yet.

The best part about following the 80/20 rule is that it shouldn't really take you long to get a great mix going. Following simple guidelines and a clear plan of action will make you a faster and better mixer.

That's why I advocate learning to use only 5 plug-ins to get a great mix. I don't mean that you can't use other plug-ins in your arsenal but a solid understanding of how these five fundamental plug-ins work will make you a much better mixing engineer.

I promise you that which is why I offer a no questions asked, 100% money-back guarantee on my Mixing With 5 Plug-ins course.

If you're not happy, I'm not happy and I don't want to keep your money.

Mixing With 5 Plug-ins Closes TOMORROW

So come join us inside the Mixing With 5 Plug-ins community and get started with your journey.

We'll pick up tricks such as:

• Keeping the mid-range in check so you don't get boxy kick drums, honky guitars, muddy bass or nasally vocals.
• Rebalancing your EQ after compression to keep everything going smoothly.
• The incredibly important aspect of how and why to EQ your reverbs for a cleaner mix
• How to saturate your kick drum to give your low-end more thickness and weight

But hurry, the course closes to new members on tomorrow and the price will go up up as well. So grab your membership at the discounted price and get all my extra bonuses for free!

• New Multi-tracks - A brand new multi-track to mix with drums, bass, acoustic and electric guitars, and multiple layers of vocals.
• Brand New 5 Plug-ins Video - An all-in-one video where I go through all five plug-ins in one video, using the new multi-track as an example. This is great if you're stressed for time and want easy and practical tips right away while taking the time to go through the rest of the course at your own leisure.
• Final Mix Feedback For Every Member - I used to reserve weekly feedback for my premium members but now I'll give everybody who submits their final mixes after the course is over some in-depth feedback on how to improve.

Join here:

www.mixingwith5plugins.com