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10 Tracks, 1dB Each: What Happens to Your Mix?

February 6, 2026 · Beat Kitchen · Mixing

Effects, Synth & Mixing Primer Mixing & Mixcraft

Let’s say you have 10 tracks and your mix is peaking at -10dB. If you boost each fader by 1dB, what will be the result on the output?

Some of you will know this. Some won’t. I think it’s something all of you should. I also think this will make for good discussion… Provided that the excellent quality of those of you following this page shows itself by keeping discussion and disagreement informative and respectful.

Tags: gain-staging, mixing, decibels

$Text card with a DAW meter graphic asking: 10 tracks peaking at -10dB, boost each fader by 1dB, what happens to the output?$

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- OFFICE HOURS: Went through a mix of Alee's and talked about arrangement, distribution of frequencies and lumping in mixes
- THEORY-GYM: We dug into Al Jarreau's "We're in This Love Together" as a live analysis vehicle, unpacking its deceptively simple harmonic language — predominantly plagal motion, super sus chords, and bass-line-driven pseudo-chord changes. From there we traced a sophisticated turnaround section that flirts with a Giant Steps-style modulation before resolving differently, and closed with a brief but rich look at vocal formant production and how great singers physically shape tone without needing the engineer to fix it.
- PRODUCTION-GYM: Breakdown of "Time Moves Slow" by BADBADNOTGOOD, production style, tempo push/pull, song structure, drum texture and keyboard sound
- OFFICE HOURS: We talked about picking monitors and acoustic treatment
- THEORY-GYM: We used Nina Simone's "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" as a masterclass in arrangement, mix balance, and harmonic construction. Explored how a song with minimal formal structure can build enormous intensity through restraint, dynamic layering, and the deliberate elevation of a single voice above the ensemble. Worked through the chord progression in B-flat, covering secondary dominants, the plagal cadence, sus chords, and invertional analysis (6-3 and 6-4 voicings) in relation to the harmonic series.
- OFFICE HOURS: We talked about producing for other artists and some of the steps required to practice doing so, artist residencies, and going from thinking to doing.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: Reviewed beats and tracks submitted by students for the Weekly Beat Challenge. Covered topics ranged from animated/interactive audio installations and code-driven visuals to detailed mix critique — examining dynamics, compression, drum bus treatment, stereo imaging, and the concept of "overworking" a mix. Closed out with some DAW workflow tips including creating click tracks from recorded guitar, using separate drum channels for verse/chorus treatment, and a quick-action loudness tool for macOS.
- INSTRUMENT-GYM: Piano hand independence with basic boogie-woogie piano exercises and blues patterns
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10 Tracks, 1dB Each: What Happens to Your Mix?

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