Mixing With Track Groups in Ableton Live

TRACK GROUPS MAKE MIXING EASIER

Welcome to Lesson Three of "Make Space For Bass", the hands-on series where you learn to make your mixes thump.

In Lesson One we did Gain Staging and cleanup with every sound in the mix.

In Lesson Two we built a simple bottom-up mix where all the tracks went directly to the Main L/R mix bus.

Now in Lesson Three we'll use Track Groups to make stereo submixes with our Instruments and Drums, to get a tight, solid low end mix in place fast.

HOW DO YOU MIX A BIG PROJECT?

When you have more tracks in your project, mixing can get more complicated.

How do you keep everything organized so you can find the sound you want?

How do you compare similar sounds without clicking all the Solo switches on and off a million times?

ANSWER: TRACK GROUPS

Track Groups let you break down large mixes into easy pieces so you can get the best of every sound, without taking forever.

They give you a simple process for mixing sounds that go together, like all your drums, instruments or vocals.

Track Groups also give you an added layer of processing to glue your sounds together.

And now you can learn it inside this revolutionary guided Ableton Project.

LEARN BY DOING IT INSIDE LIVE

Learn how to work with stereo submixes and Track Groups in this hands-on Ableton Project where YOU do the activities.

This is a completely new kind of Ableton tutorial.

It comes with a built-in lesson that you do in Session View.

All you do is open the Project and press play.

You follow along to hear audio Instructions, see automated Examples, and do hands-on Activities.

It's the best way to learn because you learn by DOING IT.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

This lesson is packed full of interesting Examples, engaging Activities and useful Pro Tips.

Here are a few take-aways from the Project:

• What is a Submix?
• Rules For Submixes
• How Gain Staging applies within Track Groups
• FX processing for Stereo Submixes
• Creative Mixing vs. Technical Mixing
• Which Sounds Go In The Center?
• Which Sounds Should Get Panned?
• How To Mix Reverb Returns
• Checking The Mix In Mono
• How To Avoid Phase Problems
• Gain Staging At The Master Channel

HOW THIS HELPS

By the end of this lesson, you'll have a simple strategy for mixing large Projects when there are dozens of Tracks inside.

You'll know how to make stereo submixes and KNOW they're done.

You'll have a much better understanding of how to approach EQ and Compression with groups of sounds (like drums vs. synths).

You'll also directly see how Gain Staging applies straight through to the Main L/R mix, to help you make your tracks come out loud and clear -- with that heavy low end thump we want.

This lesson will give you the skills to mix a project of any size!

PLENTY OF REVIEW

After each Activity, you get a Review section to help lock in what you learned.

This means you never have to study, memorize, or write anything down.

You learn by doing it, and the repetition turns it into a workflow habit you can use right away to make bass-heavy mixes you feel proud of.

And for a little extra help, you get this Stereo Export Checklist to help make sure your track is ready to send for mastering.

START LESSON THREE NOW

If you haven't done the Gain Staging and MultiTrack Mix Projects yet, start with those first.

Then do this one to learn how Track Groups allow you to mix bigger Projects without getting overwhelmed by the track count.

Best plan: get all four lessons in "Make Space For Bass".

Learn how to make tight, solid low end mixes that drop heavy bass every time!

Please check the System Requirements in the "What's Included" section, and I'll see you in Session View.

Steve Knots