Mix analysis guides

Learn to read your mix the way an analyzer does. These guides cover every dimension Unveil measures — frequency spectrum, dynamic range, stereo field, harmonic content, transients, and spatial depth — in plain language, then let you run the free analyzer to see them on your own track.

Why learn to read a mix with measurements

Mixing is a listening skill, but listening is influenced by fatigue, room acoustics, volume, and expectation. Measurements give you a fixed point of reference. A loudness meter does not care that you have heard the chorus forty times. A spectrum analyzer shows the same bass level on hour one and hour six. Used well, measurement teaches your ears what to listen for and confirms what you hear.

This guide is a roadmap. Each topic here has its own deeper guide: loudness, true peak, frequency balance, dynamic range, stereo field, harmonics, transients, and spatial depth. Reading them in a sensible order and applying a routine is more effective than looking at all the meters at once.

A suggested order for learning

Loudness and true peak. These are the clearest, most standardised numbers, and they define whether a file is technically deliverable. Start here to learn what the units mean.
Frequency balance. Once level is understood, learn to read tonal balance, since it affects almost every other decision.
Dynamic range. Learn how compression and limiting change crest factor, PLR and LRA, and what over-compression looks like.
Transients. Zoom in on how the attack and sustain of individual elements contribute to punch.
Stereo field. Learn width, correlation and mono compatibility, which require the earlier skills to interpret.
Harmonics. Study how saturation and key relationships shape fullness and conflict.
Spatial depth. This is the most subjective, so leave it until the technical foundation is in place.

What to measure first

Begin with the problems that make a file unusable or unfair to compare. Check the format: sample rate, bit depth and channel count. Then check true peak, because overs cause audible distortion after encoding. Next read integrated loudness so you know where you stand against a target, and loudness range and PLR to see what dynamics remain.

Only after these basics should you look at the spectrum, stereo, and harmonics. The reason is practical: tonal decisions made while the level is unmatched are often wrong, and widening decisions made while a limiter is hiding peaks can mislead you.

A repeatable mix-review routine

Bounce the full song at the final settings and keep a copy as version one.
Level-match your file against one or two reference tracks in the same genre so you compare tone, not volume.
Read the technical gate: format, true peak, integrated LUFS, and clipping.
Read dynamics: PLR, LRA and the short-term loudness curve across the sections.
Read the long-term spectrum and compare with the reference by band.
Read the stereo picture: correlation, mono sum, and low-end width.
Listen to the song start to finish on at least two systems, noting anything the numbers did not predict.
Write down no more than three changes, make them, re-bounce, and re-measure.

How measurement relates to listening

Numbers describe the signal; they do not decide whether it sounds good. A mix with a spectrum that differs from the reference by 5 dB in the bass can still be excellent, if it fits the song. A mix with perfect numbers can still be boring. Use measurements to find candidates for investigation, and use ears to decide.

Three rules help. First, always compare at matched loudness, since louder is heard as better. Second, treat reference ranges as typical, not mandatory; genres and artists break them. Third, when a measurement and your ears disagree, check whether the meter is looking at what you think it is, then trust the ears if the meter is working correctly.

The most useful result of learning the numbers is calibration. After measuring many mixes you will begin to recognise by ear what 3 dB of excess low-mid or 5 dB of PLR sounds like, and the meters become a confirmation tool.

Glossary of key terms

LUFS: loudness units relative to full scale, measured per ITU-R BS.1770-4 with K-weighting and gating.
LU: loudness unit, a relative step equal to 1 dB.
Integrated loudness: gated average loudness over the whole programme.
Momentary and short-term loudness: loudness over 400 ms and 3 s windows.
LRA: loudness range per EBU Tech 3342, the spread of short-term loudness.
dBTP: decibels true peak, the highest level of the reconstructed waveform.
Inter-sample peak: a peak between samples, not visible on a sample peak meter.
Crest factor: peak minus RMS level, in dB.
PLR: peak-to-loudness ratio, true peak minus integrated loudness.
RTA: real-time analyzer showing the instantaneous spectrum.
Masking: a louder sound hiding a quieter one in the same frequency region.
Mid/side: representing stereo as the sum (mid) and difference (side) of the channels.
Phase correlation: a -1 to +1 reading of how similar left and right are.
Goniometer: a plot of left against right showing the stereo image.
Transient: the short, high-energy onset of a sound.
Harmonic: a frequency at a whole-number multiple of a fundamental.
Pre-delay: the time between a dry sound and its reverb.

Worked example and checklist

A track is bounced and measured: -0.3 dBTP, -8.8 LUFS, PLR 8.5 dB, LRA 3.1 LU, correlation +0.4, with the low-mid 4 dB above the reference. Following the routine: true peak is too high, so the ceiling goes to -1.0 dBTP. Loudness is within the genre norm. The low-mid is the main spectral issue, so a 3 dB cut at 350 Hz on the guitar bus is made. Correlation is healthy. After re-bouncing, the file reads -1.0 dBTP, -9.1 LUFS, and the low-mid is 1 dB above the reference. Three changes were enough, and each was traceable to a number and then confirmed by listening.

File format correct and true peak at or below about -1 dBTP.
Loudness and PLR appropriate to the genre and destination.
Spectrum within a few dB of a reference at matched loudness.
Mono sum holds up and the low end is centred.
Drums retain their attack.
Reviewed on more than one playback system.
Re-measured after each change.

What you get

Frequency spectrum — the six bands and how they should balance.
Dynamic range — DR, crest factor, and LRA, per genre.
Stereo field — width, phase, and mono compatibility.
Harmonic, transient, and spatial analysis — key, punch, and depth.

Questions

Where should I start?

Frequency spectrum and dynamic range give the biggest wins for most mixes. Read those two, then run the free analyzer to see where your track actually stands.

Is the analyzer free?

Yes — analysis is free with a quick sign-up. Every guide links straight to it so you can apply what you just read to your own mix.