Before Mastering - Electronic Music Mixing Resource

As a bedroom producer, you likely struggle with understanding what a mix should sound like before mastering. The common mistake is using mastered tracks as reference material, leading you to chase loudness, compression, and final polish before achieving a well-balanced mix. BeforeMastering is a growing resource aimed at helping producers with this issue.

The Problem

What Should a Mix Sound Like?

Many producers mix while referencing mastered tracks, leading to poor balance, over-compression, and lack of dynamic control, and with the wrong 'goals' in mind for what their mix should sound like.

Use this collection of resources to learn what a mix should actually sound like before it goes to mastering. Get access to real pre-mastered mix references, expert guides, and pro checklists.

Our Mixing Checklist

Use this step-by-step guide to prepare your mixes correctly before sending them to mastering.

  • 🎛️ Gain Staging: Ensure optimal levels without clipping.
  • 🎚️ Balance: Adjust instrument levels for a cohesive mix.
  • 🎶 EQ: Carve out space for each instrument in the frequency spectrum.
  • 🔊 Compression: Control dynamics without over-compressing.
  • 🔄 Panning & Stereo Imaging: Place elements correctly for depth.
  • 📏 Headroom: Leave -6dB to -3dB peak level for mastering.

Reference Library

Compare your mix against real pre-masters from various genres. These resources offer free access to high-quality multitrack files.

Cambridge-MT’s Library

A collection of professionally recorded but unmastered songs across different genres for mixing practice.

Visit Cambridge-MT Library

Kenny Gioia’s Multitrack Collection

A set of raw, unprocessed multitrack recordings shared by the Reaper community.

Explore Kenny Gioia’s Collection

Coming Soon

Known producers show us their work, and the differences in mixes and masters from established music