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Workflow

Record a Mix

How do I capture a set that sounds like it did in the room?

Most bad mix recordings are a gain-staging problem, not a mastering problem. Fix it at capture.

intermediaterecordingloudnessgain staging

The path

  1. Mixer
  2. Interface
  3. WAV
  4. DAW
  5. Normalize
  6. Export

Step by step

How to run it

  1. Take a line feed, never a room mic

    Booth or master out into an interface or handheld recorder.

  2. Set levels with headroom

    Peak around -6 dBFS. You cannot undo clipping later.

  3. Record to WAV

    Never record straight to a lossy format.

  4. Top and tail in an editor

    Trim silence, fade in and out.

  5. Normalise to a loudness target

    Around -14 LUFS integrated suits most streaming platforms.

  6. Export two files

    A WAV archive copy and a 320 kbps MP3 for upload.

Toolkit

Everything this workflow uses

Workhorse USB audio interface for capturing a mixer's master out.

Paidaudio interfaceusb

Handheld recorders that take a line feed from the booth to a WAV card.

Paidhardwarefield recorder

Free editor for trimming, normalising and exporting a recorded mix.

FreeeditornormalizeFeatured

Cheap, fast, scriptable DAW — a common choice for mix post-production.

Paiddawcheap

LUFS metering so your mix hits platform loudness targets without clipping.

Freemiumlufsloudness

Free, open-source DJ software with DVS, four decks and broadcasting built in.

Freeopen sourcefreeFeatured

Keep going

Where this leads