Cakewalk // Documentation // Music Creator 6 Touch // Volume and pan
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With the MixingTutorial project open, select Mix Song from the Screenset drop-down list in the Control Bar. Your screen should look like this:
Let's play the project to listen to the song and to become familiar with the different parts and tracks. This song has twelve audio tracks and one bus. If you listen to the project as it is, you'll probably notice that it sounds “muddy”. This usually happens because all of the instruments are fighting each other for space in the frequency spectrum and stereo field. They're also all trying to be heard at the same level in the same location.
list-image
Bass Guitar Begin by increasing the volume of the kick to the desired level. Continue with the snare, the rest of the drums and finally the bass guitar, moving on in order of importance. If there was a lead vocal in the song, that would come last, so that it sits on top of the instrumental foundation you have established.
The next thing we'll try is panning. As with mixing in general, there are no rules when it comes to panning. Be creative, trying different ideas to see how they sound. One important thing to consider is that when you pan two tracks that share the same frequency range away from each other they will become clearer. This especially applies to instruments that have been double-tracked. Try it with the two tracks labeled Cymbals Left and Cymbals Right. Notice how you can hear more definition and detail in the two tracks as you pan them away from each other. When panning double-tracked instruments, try to avoid panning them all the way to the left or right. Doing so may cause the tracks to sound too “separated”, which can take away from the fullness of the sound.

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