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Mixing & Mixcraft

10 sessions · Tuesdays, Thursdays · 2hr each

Advanced mixing with a real engineer

You know your DAW. You understand signal flow and basic effects. Now learn how to actually mix — decisions about balance, space, dynamics, and movement that turn a tracked session into a finished record.

18 chapters of ground covered

Monitoring and listening — calibrating your room and ears before touching a fader
Mix philosophy — developing an approach to each song, not a fixed chain you paste on everything
Compression in depth — parallel, sidechain, multiband, deessing. Multiple weeks on dynamics because most mixing problems are really dynamics problems
EQ as sculpting — surgical vs. tonal, subtractive first, and when to reach for a shelf vs. a bell
Reverb, delay, and spatial effects — placing elements in a believable space, managing depth without washing things out
Mixing by instrument — drums, bass and low end, guitars and synths, vocals. Each has its own chapter because each has its own problems
Automation and movement — volume rides, filter sweeps, effect throws, and using automation to shape a mix over time rather than setting levels and walking away
Mastering and delivery — reference tracks, loudness targets, and preparing your mix for release

Prerequisites: DAW proficiency, basic understanding of effects and signal flow. If you took Core Skills and the Mix Primer, you're ready.

This class has a full set of companion notes you can browse for free in our guides section.

Building This Class

Mar 30, 2027 – Apr 29, 2027

Tuesdays, Thursdays, 4 PM Pacific | 7 PM Eastern | 12 AM UK

10 × 2hr classes

$620.00 includes 2 mo. residency

I'm a current resident $450.00

What's a residency?

Residency is your Beat Kitchen membership —$85/mo or $700/yr. It includes office hours, gyms, beat challenges, and a community of producers on Discord.

Non-residents can take any class — residency months are bundled into the price. If you're already a resident, check the box above and you'll see the lower class-only price.

Learn more about residency →

Other start dates and times (1 more)

More Dates

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Jan 2, 2028 – May 14, 2028 Sundays, 10 AM Pacific | 1 PM Eastern | 6 PM UK

Building This Class

Mixcraft

Time to MIX! Once you understand the tools, the rubber hits the road here

Sundays, 10 AM Pacific | 1 PM Eastern | 6 PM UK

Jan 2, 2028 - May 14, 2028

20 x 1hr Classes

Are you a current BKS resident?

No Yes

$960.00

* This price includes 6 months required BKS Residency

None of these times work?

Building This Class

Want this class at a different time? Seats aren't on sale yet — raise your hand and we'll build it around your availability.

The more times you select, the more likely we are to build a class that works for you.

Related videos

What students say

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Just finished a Workshop about music theory with Nathan, and all I can say is he really opened my eyes and mind about it and makes me want to know more. I will definitely be looking into some of the classes to further my education in this

—Mercedes, Denver, CO

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Nathan is one of the great few teachers that care. As a graduate of a prestigious music school, I was whisked through a massive amount of knowledge, with many teachers. None of them stood up to parr as Nathan does, simply due to the quality and dedication he takes into account when explaining even the simplest of concepts. Amazing.

—Maxwell, Reno, NV

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I took the “FX, Synthesis, and Mix Primer” class, and it was amazing! This class covers all types of effects, such as EQ, reverb, delay, compression, tremolos, phasers, etc. Not only does the class teach what the effects are and how to use

—Eric, Wisconsin

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Took a class recently with Nathan and he’s a fantastic instructor. His kindness, openness to questions, and knowledge of music is truly phenomenal. I highly recommend this school for anyone who wants to be a great music producer!

—J, Brooklyn, NY

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Nathan was extremely helpful in helping better understand the basics of harmony and music theory. The instruction style is small group and having the ability to communicate and not just listen to a lecture makes the learning process more

—Ira, Los Angeles, CA

Explore Classes

Office Hours Weekly. Ask questions, get help, and connect. Included with residency. Production Gym Weekly. Production breakdown of your favorite songs. Included with residency. Theory Gym Weekly. Morning music theory workout. Included with residency. Ear Training Weekly. Test your ears and discuss — music, mixing, and more. Included with residency. Instrument Gym Weekly. Practice and workout on instruments. Included with residency. Weekly Beat Review Weekly. Listen to Beat Challenge song ideas together. Included with residency.

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Electronic Music Kitchen Master electronic music production fundamentals. Learn trance, bass music, EDM composition techniques, MIDI programming, … Hip Hop Kitchen Learn to create unique hip hop beats with professional structure, sound design, and mixing techniques. Master looping, … Orchestral Kitchen Master orchestral production techniques including articulation, arrangement, and realistic programming for brass, … Session Player Kitchen Learn professional session player techniques and realistic instrument programming. Master drums, guitars, bass … Vocal Kitchen Learn professional vocal recording, production, and processing techniques. Master microphone placement, vocal chains, …

Beat Building Jam Workshop ideas into songs. Peer feedback. Instructor support. Prep for production Mix Incubator Your lab for carrying a track across the finish line — the forcing function that turns a produced or recorded song into … Production Incubator Your lab for turning a song into a finished production — the forcing function that leaves you with a track ready for the … Recording Incubator Your lab for capturing real performances of your song — the forcing function that leaves you with recordings ready for … Songwriting Incubator Your lab for getting a song started and out the door — the forcing function that leaves you with a draft ready for the …

Mixing & Mixcraft Advanced live mixing course: parallel compression, sidechain, vocal chains, drum mixing, stereo imaging, automation, and …

Recording Studio Masterclass Hands-on recording studio masterclass with professional equipment. Learn large format consoles, studio etiquette, and … Songwriter Masterclass Master songwriting techniques with professional composers. Learn melody writing, chord progressions, song structure, … Synthesist Masterclass Advanced synthesis masterclass covering wavetable, granular, FM synthesis, and sound design. Learn professional …

Beat Kitchen At-A-Glance

Beat Ktichen Calendar

See the full calendar
Recent Resident Gyms
- EAR-TRAINING-GYM: We worked through "I Can't Go for That" by Hall & Oates, using it as a vehicle for ear training and harmonic analysis — identifying chord extensions, cadence types, bass-line behavior, and groove mechanics. Covered how to hear stacked thirds as extended chord structures, how to distinguish perfect from plagal cadences by ear, and how modal interchange and line clichés function in a soul/R&B context. Also spent time on the rhythm section: hi-hat patterns, syncopation in the bass line, kick placement, and the relationship between where the bass plays and where it stops.
- THEORY-GYM: Covered syncopation as a rhythmic concept — how accenting off-beats and weak beats creates forward motion and rhythmic tension. Traced the concept from Western classical meter through Caribbean clave, reggae, jazz swing, stride piano, and popular music, with listening examples throughout. Introduced passing chords as the planned topic for next session.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: We reviewed two beat submissions this morning, discussing miking techniques, sound design approaches, and the use of texture and modulation in cinematic composition. Conversation expanded into the use of body-sound psychoacoustics as a compositional tool, Lissajous/vectorscope visualization, and the use of samples as modulation sources in synthesis. The session also touched on sync licensing trends and the Beat Challenge portal.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: Reviewed chord progressions submitted by members this evening, working through the harmonic analysis of a C–Am–Bb–F progression and unpacking how stacked voicings (a power chord in one hand against a full chord in the other) create unexpected color. Also heard a new improv guitar piece from Marc and a rhythmic sketch from Jon working in shifting meters (3, compound 8, 10, and 11). Much of the session was informal, with instrument discussion and member catch-up alongside the music listening.
- EAR-TRAINING-GYM: We ran an interval and chord identification exercise using a Portal-based multiplayer bingo game, working through a series of chords and asking students to name the intervals present. Discussion covered close voicings, chord inversions, the relationship between intervals and their inversions, and how a minor 6 chord is constructed. We also worked through the use of melodic reference songs as a tool for interval recognition.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: We reviewed work in progress from participants, with extended focus on a microtonal beat built on a noble number scale — exploring how non-rational tuning systems interact with blues harmony and functional chord progressions. The session also included a hands-on look at Bitwig's Grid modular environment, examining how polyphonic patches are constructed from sine waves and how waveforms can be sculpted by manipulating partials. A significant portion of the conversation covered Nathan's ongoing development work on a harmonic synthesizer that uses weather data as a noise source, including the mathematics of scaling that data across frequency ranges and the potential use of Perlin noise as a smoothing carrier.
- OFFICE HOURS: mixing vocals, listening to a student song and giving feedback, editing mouth sounds and plosives, sidechaining and all the different ways you can use it
- THEORY-GYM: Covered chord extensions and color tones through the lens of polychords — stacking two independent triads or chords to produce richer four- and five-note harmonies. Demonstrated how upper extensions (9, 11, 13, flat 9, sharp 9, sharp 11) can be understood as embedded triads within a single chord, and worked through voicing, inversion, and omission strategies for making those combinations usable. Used "Strawberry Fields Forever" as an analysis example to show how melody-first writing can drive harmonic choices rather than the reverse.
- THEORY-GYM: We worked through a chord-by-chord analysis of a student-submitted song, using it as a vehicle for ear training at the harmonic level. The focus was on identifying borrowed chords, slash chords, and functional voice leading — and on developing the habit of listening from a 10,000-foot functional view before zooming in to specific voicings. We also connected recurring chord progressions to named "tropes" drawn from well-known songs, framing harmonic pattern recognition as a transferable, buildable skill.
- EAR-TRAINING-GYM: Worked through learning a song by ear — specifically the chorus of a student-submitted track — identifying chord quality (major vs. minor), chord voicing, bass motion, and passing tones by listening alone. Also discussed live arrangement and band management: how to balance working with available musicians against the ideal production a song calls for, and how to leverage each player's strengths rather than forcing a predetermined arrangement.
Learn more about Residency
Upcoming Resident Events
- Weekly Beat Challenge: Nathan
  Aug. 31,
- Office Hours: Cato Zane
  Aug. 31,
- Theory Gym: Nathan
  Aug. 31,
- Production Gym: Kallie
  Sep. 01,
- Office Hours: Jam
  Sep. 01,
- Instrument Gym: Nathan
  Sep. 01,
Learn more about Residency
Upcoming Courses
- Sep 01, 2026 Comprehensive Program
- Sep 1, 2026 DAW Core Skills
- Sep 2, 2026 Songwriting Incubator
- Sep 9, 2026 Production Incubator
- Sep 21, 2026 Beat Building Jam
- Oct 6, 2026 Hardware & Recording Primer
- Oct 21, 2026 Mixing: Effects, Synths & Tools
- Nov 10, 2026 Mixing: Effects, Synths & Tools
See All Courses
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