Mixing & Mixdown Hacks w/ Rob Etherson
Course Lessons
Course Preview
Introduction
Tuning Your Ears Before You Start a Mixing Session
Finding and Solving Problems in the Mix
Getting your Kick and Bass Sounding Good
Mixing a Track
Channel and Buss Processing
Mixing Vocals
Theory Recap
Using Gain Staging on Your Kick and Bass
Using EQ
Making Drumcode Style Techno
Live Q&A Sessions
Live Q&A Part 1
Live Q&A Part 2
Make Label-Ready Music
Learn Music Production Skills From The World's Best Artists.
About This Course
Mixing and mastering engineer Rob Etherson shares some of the mixing & mixdown hacks in Ableton Live, that he uses when working on tracks from some of the biggest names and labels in the industry.
Rob is a mixing mastermind, full of industry insights, tips and hacks to help you get ahead of the game and create music of the highest calibre. In this masterclass he teaches you about the perceptual side of mixing and how to listen, instead of an endless list of plugins that you can’t afford and then shows you how he approaches mixing a professional track.
You will learn how to:
- Tune your ears to listen to the right things.
- The difference between parallel and linear processing.
- Solve problems in your mix such as resonances and phasing.
- Make your track appear louder.
- Get your kick and bass sounding good together.
- Synthesize a kick drum using Ableton Live’s Operator.
- Organise your project.
- Use a reference track.
- How to set the volume up on your pre-master.
- Master Buss processing.
- How to set the volume up on your pre-master.
- Master Buss processing.
- Use small changes to get big results overall in your mix with gain staging, EQ and resolving phase issues.
- Create big, wide and present Trance leads.
- Make rolling style basslines like Nick Curly.
- Make Drumcode style Techno.
Lessons:
1. Introduction
Rob introduces himself and his extensive experience in the industry. This tutorial looks at the big picture of mixing, how to listen properly and tune your ears before moving onto Rob’s mixdown of a professional track. Rob uses a lot of Ableton Live’s stock plugins and instruments so that you can focus on learning the techniques and not plugins.
2. Tuning Your Ears Before You Start a Mixing Session :
Similar to an athlete stretching before a run, it’s important to get your ears warmed up and listen to the right things before a mixing session. Rob shows how to do this with some basic elements from the 909 core kit in Ableton Live.
3. Finding and Solving Problems in the Mix :
Rob builds on the skills learnt in lesson 2, expanding on how to find and solve problems whilst mixing down, including how to use reverb to uncover issues and how to avoid phasing.
4. Getting your Kick and Bass Sounding Good :
The most important element of nearly all dance music, Rob shows you how to get the most out of your kick and bass and get them working together to make your track pump.
5. Mixing a Track :
Rob goes through one of his client’s tracks, another chapter full of mixing and mixdown hacks . Showing you how to organise your project, how to use reference tracks, an awesome way to get your music louder than everyone else’s on streaming platforms and more.
6. Channel and Buss Processing :
Rob breaks down the processing he uses on channels and busses for key track elements such as kick and bass, the sends and returns he uses and even the chain on his master channel.
7. Mixing Vocals :
How to process vocals. Using a cool mixing and mixdown hack of slowing down the timing of a vocal as a starting point, Rob shows how to find problems in your vocals and how to fix them.
8. Theory Recap
Rob recaps the theory behind his mixing and mixdown hacks, including how he gets his records sounding that extra 10% better than the rest, and how to get your ear ready for a mixing session.
9. Using Gain Staging on Your Kick and Bass :
Rob shows you some of his top tips for getting big results in your tunes. The first he looks at is using gain staging to increase your headroom and perceived loudness.
10. Using EQ :
How to use EQ on your master buss to find problems in your mix and fix them with dynamic Eqing, to give your mix a better sound overall.
11. Making Drumcode Style Techno :
How to make Techno with a Drumcode vibe, including how to process your kick to give it an oldschool sound, getting rumble and how to add techno flavour to percussion.
12. Live Q&A Part 1 :
- Should the mid signal be higher than the side?
- Am I using the EQ wrong if I remove resonances and the mix still falls flat?
- What is the difference between setting up a mid / side chain to EQ separately as opposed to using mid / side mode on ProQ 3?
- Why do my hats sound good before I run them into my mastering chain but bad after?
- How Do I get Big, Wide and Present trance leads that sit nicely in the mix?
13. Live Q&A Part 2 :
- How Do You Make Rolling Basslines Like Nick Curly and other Deep House and Tech Artists?
- What is the maximum RMS that a record can have after a master?
- Are you processing your vocals individually or on the group buss?
- Can you work with Ableton stock plugins and get similar results to yours?

Meet Your Teacher
Rob Etherson
Rob Etherson is a music production maestro. He has had success as an artist in his own right with Mia Dora and more recently as part of Brain Dancing, with releases on Glasgow Underground, Optimo, and Boysnoize Records.
Nowadays most of his time is spent working with big names in the game including: Sam Divine, Kevin Mckay, Monki, Jackmaster, Illyus & Barrientos and more. He has also worked with label titans such as Defected, Hot Creations, Ultra music and Nervous Records . And he finds time to run his own labels Posterboy Records and Lyceum Social Club!
Discussions
Dream of finally finishing that draft or launching that side-hustle? Make your next creative project your best yet, with simple steps from creative superstar Emma Gannon!
Discussions
Dream of finally finishing that draft or launching that side-hustle? Make your next creative project your best yet, with simple steps from creative superstar Emma Gannon!
About This Class
Dream of finally finishing that draft or launching that side-hustle? Make your next creative project your best yet, with simple steps from creative superstar Emma Gannon!
In this new class, Emma shares the framework that allowed her to overcome self-doubt and carve her own path as an author, broadcaster, and podcast host. The secret to her success? Fed up with feeling afraid—of failure, of not being good enough, even of success—Emma dug into the science behind self-sabotage and learned exactly how to get out of her own way.
Now, Emma is sharing what she’s learned so that you can do the same: unlock your creative potential while feeling energized and empowered!
Together with Emma, you will:
- Identify the patterns in your life, and let go of habits that don’t serve you
- Cut out comparison to figure out what you really want and need
- Silence your inner critic by talking back to negative beliefs and behaviors
- Own your success and vulnerability—both go hand-in-hand with creativity
Packed with insights and examples from Emma’s personal journey, this class is designed for every creative who needs a pep-talk or extra push to get started—and includes five exclusive downloadable worksheets to support you along the way.
Whether you’re looking to break through block, remove self-imposed pressure, or simply approach each new project with intention, this 45-minute class will unlock your confidence as a creative. Get started and celebrate taking the first step!
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All you need to follow along is a pen and paper. Download the worksheets to follow along with Emma’s exercises, or jot your thoughts in a notebook.
Resources
- Introduction
- Week one
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