Has it ever happened to you that, no matter how much you raise the volume of a voice, there is no way it stands out over the instrumental? If you are constantly searching
How to improve your mix without spending hours automating volumes or destroying dynamics with aggressive compressions, frequent ducking is the ultimate solution.
Arnau Sala, producer of electronic music, professor and academic coordinator at Eumes, brings us one of those tools that completely changes the rules of the game: Waves Factory TrackSpacer
. A key plugin if you are in the process of discovering how to learn to mix music with a really professional finish.
What is TrackSpacer and why does it save so much time?
When it comes to working in your musical production
, one of the most common mistakes is to try to solve masking problems (when two instruments compete for the same space) only by moving the volume faders or the panorama. TrackSpacer is a plugin created precisely to solve this conflict in an almost automatic and transparent way.
How exactly does it work?
Unlike a classic sidechain compressor—which absolutely lowers the entire volume of the track receiving the signal—, TrackSpacer acts as a 32-band dynamic equalizer:
- Real-time analysis: the plugin constantly analyzes the frequency spectrum of the signal that reaches it externally (for example, the main voice).
- Inverted Equalization: applies an inverted curve of exactly these frequencies to the track where it is inserted (e.g. synthesizers or bass).
- M/S (Mid/Side) processing: allows this effect to be applied only to the central part (mid) or to the sides of the stereo signal (side), ideal for keeping the center clean.
Practical case: how to make room for a voice in a fully saturated mix
Imagine that you are fighting with a track where a very distorted bass line and a powerful voice coexist. The bass, having so much saturation, has quite a few harmonics in the middle and middle-highs that end up completely covering the clarity of the voice.
If you applied a sidechain
of traditional volume, every time the voice entered, the bass would lose all its power and the track would be empty. With TrackSpacer you solve it surgically and much more naturally.
Step by step to apply it to your DAW:
- Insert plugin: Place TrackSpacer on the track of the distorted bass (the one we want to “remove”).
- Side-chain path: selects the voice track as the external side-chain input from the plugin.
- Adjust percentage: turn the central potentiometer to apply the right amount of reduction so that the voice breathes without losing presence.
- Fine-tune controls: adjust the attack and release time as well as the amount of effect in the mid or side
. You must find the adjustment you feel that the effect cannot be detected by the
volume pumping but it is doing the job of leaving room for the voice.
The result: When the voice sounds, the bass subtly yields space in the average frequencies where they coexist. When the voice is silent, the bass recovers its harmonic richness instantly. And best of all: the sub-grave remains intact at all times, preserving the body and energy of
track.
Beyond plugins: bring your mixes to the industry level
Knowing exactly where to place tools like TrackSpacer is what differentiates a home studio
amateur of a production ready to play at a festival or on streaming platforms. Finding small tricks on the internet helps, but to master your mixtures it is essential to understand the physics of audio and train your hearing.
If you want to stop doing blind tests and you are interested in taking an advanced mixing course or a production course that gives you the real bases that the current market demands, at EUMES
We help you transform your passion into a profession of the future. As
music school in Girona a benchmark, and now consolidated as a Higher Artistic Education Center, we offer you cutting-edge technology and active teachers to boost your career. We recommend our
Diploma in Advanced Music and Sound of three years or the intensive course AEMP of four months.
For us, TrackSpacer remains an essential plugin in the studio.
Expert’s note: 8/10.
