Studio Mix · free drill

Level Match

Balance two sources by ear, in decibels.

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Level Match

Balance two sources by ear, in decibels.

6 rounds, about two minutes. Headphones help. Nothing is saved until you choose to.

What you are training

Level balance is the first pass of every mix and the one most people rush. A mix with the right faders and no processing sounds better than a mix with wrong faders and perfect plugins, yet most beginners reach for EQ before the balance is right. This drill plays two sources, moves one by a hidden amount, and asks you to match them. You learn what 1 dB, 3 dB, and 6 dB actually sound like, which is the vocabulary you need to make small, confident fader moves instead of large, nervous ones. It also trains the honesty that reference-track work depends on: you cannot judge a comparison until the levels match, because louder always sounds better. Six rounds, with the answer shown in dB after each one.

After this drill, the plan: The daily plan runs level matching before any tonal drill, so every later comparison you make is at matched loudness.

The concepts behind this drill

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