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The Mixing Engineer's Handbook
Thanks to the revolution in affordable recording and mixing technology, more music is being written, produced, and mixed today than ever before. The mixer's art is now a unique blend of time-tested principles and skillful technique using the latest high-tech tools. If you're ready to learn today's art of mixing, this is the book for you. THE MIXING ENGINEER'S HANDBOOK, 3RD EDITION, is the latest update of the most popular book on audio mixing ever written. Popular producer/engineer, author, and teacher Bobby Owsinski covers all the fundamentals, breaking the mixing process down into easily understandable elements. He covers the things you need to know most, including the variety of mixing styles, the six elements of a mix, the rules for arrangement, and how to build a mix. You'll also learn the secrets of equalization and "magic frequencies," along with easy-to-grasp methods for adding effects, EQ'ing reverbs, sonic layering, calculating delay time, and much more. In addition to the solid instruction in today's mixing principles, you'll also find great advice in Bobby's interviews with top mixing engineers and producers. Getting a great mix is no accident; it requires a thorough knowledge of the fundamentals of the art. Read THE MIXING ENGINEER'S HANDBOOK to learn how it's done.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1999
467 people are currently reading
1323 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
April 15, 2010
Such a genius idea: interview a group of professionals and then edit together a book of their responses grouped by subject. Then devote an entire chapter to each person and you have a bit of essential reading for anyone with their eyes on the industry.
March 9, 2023
I've been mixing my own music as a(n exceptionally passionate hobbyist) for about the last 15 years; learning from my own haphazard yet empirical stumblings, fellow enthusiasts, and more recently, YouTube. Every bit of learning is good, but some methods are much faster. This book will not mix for you, and it won't tell you what to do, but with its charts, definitions, and simplified explanations of the vast array of tools offered in the mixing realm, it works exactly as labeled: a handbook. Reading it was enjoyable; I found myself annotating it and folding page corners to revisit at later (see, mixing session) times. If you've never mixed before or you've been mixing for years, this offers something for you. For example, the definitions and explanations of jargon will be invaluable for newcomers. Experienced mixers will find the interviews in the end--if nothing else--intriguing to compare their own techniques to. Personally, I love the charts that directly note the frequencies and their impact for various instruments, as well as suggestions for delay times in various musical situations, and compressor settings for a variety of sound profiles. Overall, a great resource to keep in your studio.
August 24, 2017
Okumam çok çok uzun zaman aldı çünkü öğrendiğim her şeyi not alarak, bir kısmını deneyerek ilerledim. Öğrendiğim çok şey oldu. Kitabın yarısından çoğunun röportajlardan oluşması da bana sürpriz oldu açıkçası çünkü e-kitap okuyucudan okuduğum için içerisini karıştırma imkanım yoktu ve neyle karşılaşacağımı bilmiyordum.
Ayrıca, kesinlikle bir başlangıç kitabı değil. Ama konu hakkında bir takım bilgileri ve fikirleri olan fakat benim gibi ne yapacağını tam olarak kestirememiş kişileri en az 1-2 sene ileri götüreceği kesin.
Ayrıca, kesinlikle bir başlangıç kitabı değil. Ama konu hakkında bir takım bilgileri ve fikirleri olan fakat benim gibi ne yapacağını tam olarak kestirememiş kişileri en az 1-2 sene ileri götüreceği kesin.
January 29, 2025
A must-read for anyone interested in audio engineering
This book is a treasure of knowledge, and it has definitely shaped my craft and helped me build so much confidence in my mixing skills. Now I’m looking forward to get a physical copy of the fifth edition! I really need this gem among my shelves.
This book is a treasure of knowledge, and it has definitely shaped my craft and helped me build so much confidence in my mixing skills. Now I’m looking forward to get a physical copy of the fifth edition! I really need this gem among my shelves.
October 24, 2023
mystic audio mixing knowledge from whom i imagine to be bearded white men like rick rubin
Read
October 18, 2024The Mixing Engineer's Handbook is a book created by Bobby Owsinski for the purpose of teaching up-and-coming mixing engineers who are curious about mixing vocal, and instrumental tracks.
A mixing engineer is a job where you take several pieces of music created by an artist. They arrange it and make it sound more complete for the final version to be released. A mixing engineer is also called a mixer and mix engineer (I use the terms “mixer” and “mixing engineer” interchangeably throughout the essay.
The 5th Edition of this handbook, which is the most updated version is divided into three parts, ‘Mixing in Stereo’, ‘Mixing in Surround’, and the last part ‘Interviews’
Mixing in Stereo is the main part of this book in my opinion specifically because it’s the longest, but also if you’re learning to be a mixing engineer this section is what you would want to read to get a core idea for what you’re doing. A good way to think about it is to picture yourself at a burger shop.
You’re pretty hungry and you’re trying to see what you want to order. Well the most logical thing is getting the combo, it has your side of fries, a drink of your choice, and your main thing which is the burger. I say this because that's how these ‘Parts’ feel. ‘Mixing in Surround’ is the shortest part out of all of them, and that’s because there isn’t much to it. It’s simply an extension of your main course, like the burger and fries.
The third part ‘Interviews’ which is the final part is a really easy read because it’s purely just the author interviewing other experienced mixing engineers, which he was already doing in the first and second part, just that it isn’t to the full extent as it is here. Every 10 or so pages it’s a new interviewer with their own opinions on mixing and how they do things differently. See why this would be the ‘drink’ of our book?
While the handbook is very informative and teaches you how to become a mixing engineer, or how to be an even better one, it still is a bit entertaining by having its personality brought out by the tidbits of opinions by other mixers.
I believe this book has helped me understand music better, from a technical standpoint. One thing I enjoyed learning a lot about was all the main effect terms and how to use them properly. For example, one effect is called “Chorus” which I originally thought only made things a lot “bigger” in sound, and made things a bit electronic. To be fair it does do those things, but now I have a much clearer idea of what to do exactly from reading and using what I learn in practice. Another thing would be the history of “Flanger” which had a very confusing and complex method to make the effect sound back in the day, using several tapes, and overall the whole idea is to make a “weird sound”
One quote that stuck with me is on page 40 where the interviewee (Allen Sides) recalls a time when a former mixing engineer told him “If it sounds good, it is good” I think the main point of this book is that even though there are actual rules and history to mixing and mastering. At the end of the day, all of this matters if only it sounds good, even if you play by the book, sometimes that isn’t enough. All of the most popular mixers always had a story where they came across a problem where they needed to go out of the box.
On page 31 out of 233 on my pdf, there are 5 examples of separate conversations from the mixers, talking about how to fix instrument fighting. This term is the idea of several instruments playing at the same time, but if they play at the same or similar frequencies it can sound and feel crowded and, it would be hard to listen. This relates to my thesis because it’s not just feeling so automated with the information created by the author. There are several examples in the book like this where it gives more personality, which keeps the book interesting.
You might ponder while you’re reading this handbook if any of this will actually be useful to you. If you’re reading it to be a better mixing engineer to learn to be one, of course you will and it won’t be such a bore too.
I don’t think people would find this book entertaining aside from the interviews which I think are a bit entertaining. Besides that, it’s very insightful and if you are learning how to mix your own music tracks, or want to work as a Mixing Engineer, then I would recommend this book to you.
A mixing engineer is a job where you take several pieces of music created by an artist. They arrange it and make it sound more complete for the final version to be released. A mixing engineer is also called a mixer and mix engineer (I use the terms “mixer” and “mixing engineer” interchangeably throughout the essay.
The 5th Edition of this handbook, which is the most updated version is divided into three parts, ‘Mixing in Stereo’, ‘Mixing in Surround’, and the last part ‘Interviews’
Mixing in Stereo is the main part of this book in my opinion specifically because it’s the longest, but also if you’re learning to be a mixing engineer this section is what you would want to read to get a core idea for what you’re doing. A good way to think about it is to picture yourself at a burger shop.
You’re pretty hungry and you’re trying to see what you want to order. Well the most logical thing is getting the combo, it has your side of fries, a drink of your choice, and your main thing which is the burger. I say this because that's how these ‘Parts’ feel. ‘Mixing in Surround’ is the shortest part out of all of them, and that’s because there isn’t much to it. It’s simply an extension of your main course, like the burger and fries.
The third part ‘Interviews’ which is the final part is a really easy read because it’s purely just the author interviewing other experienced mixing engineers, which he was already doing in the first and second part, just that it isn’t to the full extent as it is here. Every 10 or so pages it’s a new interviewer with their own opinions on mixing and how they do things differently. See why this would be the ‘drink’ of our book?
While the handbook is very informative and teaches you how to become a mixing engineer, or how to be an even better one, it still is a bit entertaining by having its personality brought out by the tidbits of opinions by other mixers.
I believe this book has helped me understand music better, from a technical standpoint. One thing I enjoyed learning a lot about was all the main effect terms and how to use them properly. For example, one effect is called “Chorus” which I originally thought only made things a lot “bigger” in sound, and made things a bit electronic. To be fair it does do those things, but now I have a much clearer idea of what to do exactly from reading and using what I learn in practice. Another thing would be the history of “Flanger” which had a very confusing and complex method to make the effect sound back in the day, using several tapes, and overall the whole idea is to make a “weird sound”
One quote that stuck with me is on page 40 where the interviewee (Allen Sides) recalls a time when a former mixing engineer told him “If it sounds good, it is good” I think the main point of this book is that even though there are actual rules and history to mixing and mastering. At the end of the day, all of this matters if only it sounds good, even if you play by the book, sometimes that isn’t enough. All of the most popular mixers always had a story where they came across a problem where they needed to go out of the box.
On page 31 out of 233 on my pdf, there are 5 examples of separate conversations from the mixers, talking about how to fix instrument fighting. This term is the idea of several instruments playing at the same time, but if they play at the same or similar frequencies it can sound and feel crowded and, it would be hard to listen. This relates to my thesis because it’s not just feeling so automated with the information created by the author. There are several examples in the book like this where it gives more personality, which keeps the book interesting.
You might ponder while you’re reading this handbook if any of this will actually be useful to you. If you’re reading it to be a better mixing engineer to learn to be one, of course you will and it won’t be such a bore too.
I don’t think people would find this book entertaining aside from the interviews which I think are a bit entertaining. Besides that, it’s very insightful and if you are learning how to mix your own music tracks, or want to work as a Mixing Engineer, then I would recommend this book to you.
April 4, 2009
Thanks to this book, my indie rock band, an isotope, was able to independently and successfully produce a six track EP a few months ago.
If you know nothing to very little about mixing sound in a recording studio environment, then this is the book for you. It explains things specifically like, how the mics should be set up on the amps, to figuring out what frequencies to boost in order to add more "punch" to the kick drum, to tweaking the reverb to make a single guitar sound fuller.
If you know nothing to very little about mixing sound in a recording studio environment, then this is the book for you. It explains things specifically like, how the mics should be set up on the amps, to figuring out what frequencies to boost in order to add more "punch" to the kick drum, to tweaking the reverb to make a single guitar sound fuller.
March 30, 2009
i know it's not fiction, but this book is thoroughly useful, and the interviews with various mixing technicians couldn't be more helpful. It's amazing--you can read about how a famous engineer mixed the strings on a whitney houston album (as in, how he panned the strings, the amount of delay added to make it stereo, the model of reverb tank used, the specific compressor added to the mix buss), and then you can listen to the song and actually hear what he's talking about!!! It's a wonderful first step for anybody interested in this stuff.
June 19, 2023
An educational find
I really appreciated how much this book has furthered my depth and approach to how I mix my music. I’ve revamped my workflow for the better with my eq and compression. I already sent it to my brother who produces EDM
I really appreciated how much this book has furthered my depth and approach to how I mix my music. I’ve revamped my workflow for the better with my eq and compression. I already sent it to my brother who produces EDM
July 30, 2025
A good guide for beginners
I think overall it’s a good guide for beginners and others may pick up a few tips here and there from the interview section.
As a detail oriented person, I’d like to edit the book, as there are numerous typographical errors throughout.
I think overall it’s a good guide for beginners and others may pick up a few tips here and there from the interview section.
As a detail oriented person, I’d like to edit the book, as there are numerous typographical errors throughout.
April 4, 2007
a good starting point, but not a crutch by any stretch. it's far too general to ever use as a reference manual.
June 2, 2015
This is the best book I've ever read.
February 15, 2026
"bildiklerimi elbette paylaşırım, zaten benim gibi yapamazsınız," kaçıncı seviye bir reizlik?
mikslemeye girişten bir parça ileride, ileri düzeyden (?) geride görünen bir kitapmış bu da.
giriş için okunabileceğini zannetsem de okunabilecek daha iyi giriş kitapları (bkz: Gibson) olduğunu gördüm. bunun için girişle orta arası düzeyde desek yeterli olur. pekâlâ EQ'sunu eleyip konsolunu asmış mikserler de buradan bir şeyler alabilir; özellikle, kitabın şaşırtıcı derecede somut bilgilerle yüklü ikinci kısmı ileri düzeye daha çok şey vadediyor; sonuçta, yazarın röportaj yapmak için seçtiği mikserler (Beyonce'nin, Santana'nın, Herbie Hancock'un, Metallica'nın, Aguilera'nın, Sting'in, White Stripes'ın, U2'nun, Elton John'un, Dream Theater'ın, BTS'nin, Chainsmokers'ın ve adını ilk kez duyduğum onlarca sanatçının şarkılarını mikslemişler) hiçbiri dünkü çocuk değil ve seçtiği nokta atışı sorularla yazar, işe henüz başlamış, sektöre dair hiçbir somut bilgisi olmayan heveslileri doyuracak bilgileri kazıp çıkarmış.
yazarın,
ya da
tadındaki sorularla oynak cevaplara yer bırakmamış olması, mikserlerin de bu sorulara hiç kıvırmadan bam güm cevap vermeleri okuma zevkini artıran unsurlardan. seçici mi davranıyorum kestiremiyorum ama günümüzde profesyonel bilgi paylaşımı çok daha soyut, çok daha oynak, çok daha "12 adımda hedehödö mastrklasım yalnızca $19.99" görünüyor bana. bu sektörde işlerin farklı olması, bilgi paylaşımının daha somut olması sanırım baştaki alıntıyla alakalı: kulak öğretilebilen değil, öğrenilebilen bir şey.
(bu arada neredeyse hepsi Yamaha NS10 veya Auratone çemberinden geçmiş, çoğu UA ve Waves pluginlerini kullanıyormuş, ilginç şekilde FabFilter ve iZotope pek seyrek zikredilmiş. sanırım insanların outdated eleştirisi biraz bunlarla alakalı.)
bunun yanında, kitap için her ne kadar "eskimiş" eleştirisi yapılsa da hakkını vermek lazım: işin matematiğine (özellikle EQ ve dileye) dair yapılmış zamansız önerilere defalarca dönmek mümkün görünüyor.
çıkarılan ders #1: ses prosesleme, reverbler, dileyler, panlamalar, şunlar, bunlar ve öğrenmeye ömrün yetmeyeceği bir milyon diğer konu kulağa hoş geliyor ama birçoğunu kullanmadan ya da ölçülü kullanarak da (işin temelinden, sağlam adımlarla yürüyerek de) sektörde isim edinecek seviyedeki bir mikser olmak mümkünmüş.
çıkarılan ders #2: çok da kasmamak lazım. namevcut mükemmel harbiden de vücuda gelebilmiş iyinin düşmanı.
çıkarılan ders #3: bu plugin işinde iyi para var.
mikslemeye girişten bir parça ileride, ileri düzeyden (?) geride görünen bir kitapmış bu da.
giriş için okunabileceğini zannetsem de okunabilecek daha iyi giriş kitapları (bkz: Gibson) olduğunu gördüm. bunun için girişle orta arası düzeyde desek yeterli olur. pekâlâ EQ'sunu eleyip konsolunu asmış mikserler de buradan bir şeyler alabilir; özellikle, kitabın şaşırtıcı derecede somut bilgilerle yüklü ikinci kısmı ileri düzeye daha çok şey vadediyor; sonuçta, yazarın röportaj yapmak için seçtiği mikserler (Beyonce'nin, Santana'nın, Herbie Hancock'un, Metallica'nın, Aguilera'nın, Sting'in, White Stripes'ın, U2'nun, Elton John'un, Dream Theater'ın, BTS'nin, Chainsmokers'ın ve adını ilk kez duyduğum onlarca sanatçının şarkılarını mikslemişler) hiçbiri dünkü çocuk değil ve seçtiği nokta atışı sorularla yazar, işe henüz başlamış, sektöre dair hiçbir somut bilgisi olmayan heveslileri doyuracak bilgileri kazıp çıkarmış.
yazarın,
Hangi monitörü [hoparlör babında] kullanıyorsunuz?
ya da
Hangi pluginleri kullanıyorsunuz? Olmazsa olmazınız var mı?
tadındaki sorularla oynak cevaplara yer bırakmamış olması, mikserlerin de bu sorulara hiç kıvırmadan bam güm cevap vermeleri okuma zevkini artıran unsurlardan. seçici mi davranıyorum kestiremiyorum ama günümüzde profesyonel bilgi paylaşımı çok daha soyut, çok daha oynak, çok daha "12 adımda hedehödö mastrklasım yalnızca $19.99" görünüyor bana. bu sektörde işlerin farklı olması, bilgi paylaşımının daha somut olması sanırım baştaki alıntıyla alakalı: kulak öğretilebilen değil, öğrenilebilen bir şey.
(bu arada neredeyse hepsi Yamaha NS10 veya Auratone çemberinden geçmiş, çoğu UA ve Waves pluginlerini kullanıyormuş, ilginç şekilde FabFilter ve iZotope pek seyrek zikredilmiş. sanırım insanların outdated eleştirisi biraz bunlarla alakalı.)
bunun yanında, kitap için her ne kadar "eskimiş" eleştirisi yapılsa da hakkını vermek lazım: işin matematiğine (özellikle EQ ve dileye) dair yapılmış zamansız önerilere defalarca dönmek mümkün görünüyor.
çıkarılan ders #1: ses prosesleme, reverbler, dileyler, panlamalar, şunlar, bunlar ve öğrenmeye ömrün yetmeyeceği bir milyon diğer konu kulağa hoş geliyor ama birçoğunu kullanmadan ya da ölçülü kullanarak da (işin temelinden, sağlam adımlarla yürüyerek de) sektörde isim edinecek seviyedeki bir mikser olmak mümkünmüş.
çıkarılan ders #2: çok da kasmamak lazım. namevcut mükemmel harbiden de vücuda gelebilmiş iyinin düşmanı.
çıkarılan ders #3: bu plugin işinde iyi para var.
May 20, 2022
Started my music production journey about a year ago, and I'm not interested in becoming a mixing engineer, I only want to improve my productions. I think it's a testament to how much quality information is available for free on youtube nowadays that I can say that I already knew most concepts this book describes before reading it (not that I'm any good at it...). I will keep this book around as a reference as it has some really good technical information about specifics (which frequencies to EQ for each instrument, specific methods of compression, etc.). Generally speaking I found it ironic to read about sound in a book format, and I don't think I'll repeat the experience... you can't hear text, so you can't be convinced by the author's advices without taking a long time to try out everything (spoiler, I didn't so it's hard for me to evaluate the book).
November 11, 2021
Perhaps if this was the first book I read on mixing I would have given it 5 stars, but I actually expected more from it. Bobby definitely provides deep insights into mixing after picking the brains of some of the most successful engineers, but if you're looking for a solid framework on which to build you mixing skills, there are other books to read. This one is definitely more about the heart and the feels than the cerebral aspects of approaching a mix. And it's great that it provides that perspective! In particular, the way the author described Groove is not something I have encountered elsewhere and it's going to be something I implement in my own music.
January 14, 2022
Really helpful info; useful even if you're not a beginner as the author has some great insights he shares from his experience. I took a bunch of notes even though a lot of the info wasn't brand new to me. Recommend.
April 24, 2023
A great book for anyone wanting to know what the pros do when mixing a piece of music. I learned quite a bit. There are a few typos and the author says "that being said" quiet a bit, but those are minor quibbles. I highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to perfect their mixing skills.
January 15, 2024
Lots of useful information explained in an up to date way. A great resource to refer back to, with real life examples and interviews with top line producers and engineers. Now to learn how to apply it!
December 15, 2017
Full of great mix strategies and ideas. The interviews at the end are a little tedious because Owsinski asks the same questions in each.
April 22, 2018
Really helpful and informative.
January 6, 2020
Very useful and informative. Probably gonna use this as a handbook for practice. Recommend this book for everyone who wants to do som mixing (beginner/intermediate and advanced).
June 1, 2020
Hello, Im santosh from Nepal, in my country there is no international payment system. I want to read this book but i can not buy in this situation ! Please help me
January 25, 2021
I great overview about mixing!
March 29, 2021
Learned a lot! All sorts of different approaches to the mixing art! Definitely useful for any amateur-producer at home!
May 2, 2021
Great book, lots of useable info. It’s a book I will continue to refer to for guidelines. Love the interviews in the second half of the book.
July 25, 2021
Good intro to mixing concepts and ideas to play with.
January 16, 2023
Extremely informative at a basic - intermediate skill level. The section at the end where top producers and mixers give their advice made this book far more interesting for me.
September 13, 2023
Could be shorter, and slightly out-dated, but its still very informative and helpful.
March 4, 2025
This gold mine
December 15, 2016
Really great practical guide to the more complex parts of creating a radio ready final mix.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews