Music Production and Mixing Tips for Beginner Producers | Inside The Mix

Creative momentum is built on steady habits—but real breakthroughs often require intentional space. In this episode of Inside The Mix, the show takes a purposeful pause to reassess what truly helps music producers grow. The mission remains the same: help producers make better music, finish more tracks, and build skills that compound over time. The format, however, is being refined for greater clarity, momentum, and measurable results.
This episode explores why constant output doesn’t always equal progress, and why focused learning will shape the next chapter. Listeners will hear plans to streamline segments, experiment with new teaching formats, and introduce more practical, repeatable tactics into every episode.
Behind the scenes, a new Substack dedicated to podcasting for beginners is launching, offering step-by-step guidance on story development, audio quality, editing workflows, audience growth, and monetisation. It’s designed as a practical resource filled with templates, playbooks, and honest experiments to help creators launch and grow efficiently.
Music remains central. New releases are in progress to ensure future advice is grounded in real, current studio work—covering arrangement improvements, mix decisions, and mastering techniques that translate across systems. During the pause, Synth Music Mastering remains fully open, including a listener perk to keep releases moving forward.
Audience input will shape the relaunch. Should the focus be short tactical episodes, deep-dive walkthroughs, or detailed producer case studies? Feedback will guide what comes next.
Stay connected via the mailing list for weekly updates, Instagram for music progress, and Substack for structured learning. Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help shape the return.
TL;DR: Inside The Mix is taking a strategic pause to refine the format, launch a podcasting Substack, and return with more practical, results-driven episodes, while Synth Music Mastering stays open.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Follow Marc on Substack
Follow Marc on Instagram
Send me a message
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Ways to connect with Marc:
If you'd like a second set of ears on your mix or workflow, you can book a no-pressure chat here
Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips
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How to prevent overmixing and finish tracks faster is one of the biggest challenges facing independent producers. In this episode of Inside The Mix, Marc Matthews sits down with producer and Recording Studio Rockstars host Lij Shaw to unpack a powerful truth: the fix for overmixing isn’t another plugin, it’s a process.
Why do producers overmix in the first place? What makes a song feel complete? And how do you know when to stop mixing music? Marc and Lij break down the psychology behind endless tweaking and explain how to channel that instinct into structured improvement instead of decision paralysis.
You’ll learn a simple “1% rule” for steady growth, how templates and labelled routing speed up workflow, and why mixing on the fly can capture more energy than a drawn-out session. They explore plugin overwhelm, the danger of polishing the life out of a track, and how to separate creative play from technical execution.
Marc also shares practical systems to prevent overmixing: print early, leave the room, level-match your references, and use car and phone checks to spot real issues. You’ll discover how to recognise diminishing returns, gather meaningful feedback, and finish music with confidence.
If you’re stuck tweaking instead of releasing, this episode gives you a repeatable system to close projects and build momentum.
TL;DR:
Overmixing isn’t a plugin problem; it’s a process problem. Use templates, the 1% rule, fresh ears, and level-matched checks to finish tracks faster and keep their energy.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Recording Studio Rockstars
Follow Lij Shaw
Check out Mix Master Bundle
Follow Toy Box Studio
Send me a message
Support the show
Ways to connect with Marc:
If you'd like a second set of ears on your mix or workflow, you can book a no-pressure chat here
Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips
Follow Marc's Socials:
Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering
Thanks for listening!!
Try Riverside for FREE

What is mastering in music, and what does mastering a song really mean for independent producers? In this episode of Inside The Mix, host Marc Matthews sits down with mastering engineer Ben Holmes to break down what mastering is, how it differs from mixing and mastering as a combined process, and why it’s the final step that makes a track translate everywhere—from phones and cars to clubs, streaming platforms, and CDs.
Marc and Ben explain what mastering a song actually involves, starting with translation and future-proofing. They cover how streaming loudness normalisation affects modern releases, why “one size almost fits all” masters are possible, and when alternate versions, like a higher-ceiling CD master, still make sense. Ben shares a simple, repeatable mastering chain beginners can trust: corrective EQ, sweetening EQ, gentle compression, and a transparent limiter, plus why half-dB decisions matter more than flashy plugins.
The conversation also tackles common frustrations DIY artists face: overprocessing, chasing loudness until the chorus collapses, and expecting mastering to fix mix problems. You’ll learn why mastering in a separate session improves judgement, how to use AI mastering tools as references instead of replacements, and which DAW features speed up real-world workflows—using Reaper as a practical example.
Finally, Marc and Ben answer the big question: should you master your own music or hire a mastering engineer? From second-pair-of-ears benefits to room calibration and experience, they lay out how to choose what’s right for your release.
TL;DR: A practical, beginner-friendly breakdown of what mastering is, how it differs from mixing, and how to get a clean, confident master that translates everywhere.
If this episode helped clarify what mastering is and why it matters, follow the show and share it with a fellow producer.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Follow Ben Holmes
Send me a message
Support the show
Ways to connect with Marc:
If you'd like a second set of ears on your mix or workflow, you can book a no-pressure chat here
Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips
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Thanks for listening!!
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Clearer mixes don’t come from buying more plugins, they come from making better decisions. In this episode of Inside The Mix, Marc Matthews sits down with returning guest Tim Benson (Aisle9) to show beginner and intermediate producers how to get clearer mixes using arrangement, sound selection, and simple processing choices that actually translate.
This episode is for independent producers struggling with muddy, crowded mixes that fall apart on headphones, Bluetooth speakers, or in the car. Marc and Tim explain why clarity starts at the source, writing interlocking drum and bass parts, choosing sounds that live in different frequency ranges, and being ruthless about what truly earns a place in the arrangement before reaching for EQ.
From there, they break down practical mix decisions that deliver immediate results: why gentle high-pass filtering and small cuts around 200–400 Hz often outperform aggressive boosts, how thinning stacked hats and shakers reduces ear fatigue, and when adding “air” helps—or hurts—your mix. Compression gets a reality check too, with clear guidance on attack and release settings that protect groove, where firm control matters (vocals, bass, snare), and when colour is more useful than gain reduction.
You’ll also learn simple systems you can repeat in every mix: sidechaining kick and bass for headroom, panning colliding parts apart, automating short dips for vocals, and using the one-mute test to identify what’s adding music or mud instantly.
TL;DR: Clear mixes aren’t about plugins—they’re about arrangement, sound choice, and small, intentional mix decisions that reduce mud and improve translation.
If this episode helped your mixes, follow the show and share it with one producer who’s fighting muddiness in their tracks.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Phosphorescent
Send me a message
Support the show
Ways to connect with Marc:
If you'd like a second set of ears on your mix or workflow, you can book a no-pressure chat here
Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips
Follow Marc's Socials:
Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering
Thanks for listening!!
Try Riverside for FREE

Free synth plugins can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re staring at an empty patch and just want results. In this episode of Inside The Mix, Marc Matthews walks beginner and intermediate producers through a practical Surge XT tutorial, showing how to design mix-ready high strings from an init patch using this powerful free synth plugin.
Surge XT is a free, open-source synthesizer packed with features, but more options don’t always mean better results. Marc focuses on what actually matters in a real track: speed, tone, and fit in the mix. Starting with a quick interface overview, he explains how small workflow tweaks, like using Surge XT’s Dark skin, can improve focus before sound design even begins.
From there, the episode breaks down a simple, repeatable system: building the core tone with two saw oscillators, controlled unison width, and careful detuning to avoid phase issues. Marc explains envelope shaping in plain language, why octave placement matters for strings, and how gentle filtering prevents harshness without killing brightness.
The final section covers effects that solve problems at the source. You’ll hear how light chorus and plate reverb help strings sit in a dense house mix—often reducing the need to fight levels later. Along the way, Marc shares a clear framework for evaluating any free synthesizer: how fast it gets you to a usable sound, how intuitive the controls are, and whether the result works in context.
If you’re looking for a free synth plugin that earns its place in your workflow, this episode shows how to test Surge XT properly, inside a real project with real constraints.
TL;DR: Marc designs high strings from scratch in Surge XT, showing how to judge a free synth plugin by speed, clarity, and real mix results—not presets.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Surge XT
Send me a message
Support the show
Ways to connect with Marc:
If you'd like a second set of ears on your mix or workflow, you can book a no-pressure chat here
Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips
Follow Marc's Socials:
Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering
Thanks for listening!!
Try Riverside for FREE