Definition
The static balance is the first phase of the mix: you adjust only faders and pan (plus any corrective HPs and fixes for obvious problems), with no automation or creative effects, until the track already sounds good that way. Many engineers consider it 70–80% of the result: no plugin saves a bad balance.
Preparation
- Gain staging: bring every track to a consistent working level (peaks around −18/−10 dBFS) with gain or clip gain, so the faders work near 0 dB where they are most precise.
- Organize the session (buses, colors, names).
- Clean master: no limiter, only an analyzer and a LUFS meter.
- Moderate, fixed listening volume.
- A reference ready at equal loudness.
Methods
- From the main element: set first the element that drives the genre (the vocal in pop, kick and bass in electronic music, the drums in rock), then add the others one at a time in order of importance. Each new element must be heard without covering those already balanced.
- All faders down: raise one element at a time until it “can be heard”, then back off a hair.
- Pink noise (quick method): set a pink noise at a reference level and raise each track in solo until it's barely audible above the noise; then listen to everything together and refine. It gives a surprisingly balanced starting point for electronic music.
- In mono: balancing in mono highlights masking; then open up the pan.
Typical order (electronic and modern pop)
- Kick (peaks around −10/−6 dBFS on the drum bus, leaving headroom on the master).
- Bass/808 relative to the kick.
- Snare/clap.
- Lead vocal.
- Hi-hats and percussion.
- Harmonic elements (pads, piano, guitars).
- Lead and secondary melodies.
- Backing vocals, FX, ambiences.
Panning in the static balance
- Center: kick, bass, snare, vocal, lead (often).
- Pairs: doubled guitars L/R (often ±100%), wide backing vocals, stereo keyboards.
- Secondary single elements off-center (±20–60%) for balance: hi-hat on one side, shaker on the other; piano on the left, guitar on the right.
- The balance rule: the weight on the left and right should be similar in every section.
How to tell whether the balance is right
- At low volume all the important elements are audible and the vocal is intelligible.
- In mono no element disappears.
- The master meter shows a stable level and 6 dB of margin on the peaks.
- Comparison with the reference (at equal loudness) shows no big differences in vocal, low end, and brightness.
- You can close your eyes and point to where each element is.
Example in A minor
Trap track at 140 BPM. Order: 808 (A1–F1–C2–G1) at −10 dBFS peak on its bus; short kick over the 808 only at the attack; clap on beat 3 a couple of dB below the kick; rap vocal dominating; hi-hat −8/−10 dB relative to the clap, pan +15%; sampled piano melody at left −20%, pad behind and wide; ad-libs ±50%. After 20 minutes of faders and pan alone, the beat is already “releasable” as a demo: that's the sign the balance is good.
Common mistakes
- Starting with EQs and compressors on every track before balancing.
- Balancing in solo.
- Constantly raising everything (you end up clipping): lower what's covering instead.
- Listening too loud.
Exercise
Balance a track using only faders and pan for 30 minutes, export the “static mix”, then do the full mix and export. Compare at equal loudness: how much did the rest add? Repeat the exercise on several tracks: your static mix will improve quickly.
Links
“Gain Staging”, “Organizing the Session in FL Studio”, “Reference Tracks”, “Frequency Masking”, “Mix Automation”.