A systematic workflow for analyzing your raw recordings before you start mixing. You’ll identify technical problems, understand your material’s characteristics, and develop a mixing plan based on actual measurements.
When to use this
- Starting a new mix session with unfamiliar material
- Receiving stems from a client or collaborator
- Before opening your DAW — understand what you’re working with
Workflow Overview
Batch-analyze all stems
Get a bird's-eye view of every file's loudness, spectrum, and problems
Fix technical problems
Address DC offset, clipping, and phase issues before they compound in the mix
Profile key elements
Deep-dive the vocal, kick, and bass to understand their spectral character
Check for masking conflicts
Identify where stems will fight for space before you start EQing
Establish gain staging
Set relative levels based on measurements, not guesswork
Step 1: Batch-analyze all stems
Why: Before touching individual tracks, you want to know what you’re dealing with across the entire session — relative levels, any obvious problems, and the general character of each element.
Prompt:
Run a batch diagnostic on all my session stems: vocals.wav, drums.wav, bass.wav, guitar-L.wav, guitar-R.wav, keys.wav, strings.wav
Phantom output:
Batch Diagnostic: 7 files
vocals.wav Loudness: -18.4 LUFS | Peak: -3.2 dB | Centroid: 2,847 Hz Problems: SIG sibilance at 6.8 kHz
drums.wav Loudness: -12.1 LUFS | Peak: -0.4 dB | Centroid: 1,423 Hz Problems: None
bass.wav Loudness: -16.7 LUFS | Peak: -2.8 dB | Centroid: 185 Hz Problems: MOD mud 200-350 Hz
guitar-L.wav Loudness: -19.2 LUFS | Peak: -5.1 dB | Centroid: 2,102 Hz Problems: None
guitar-R.wav Loudness: -19.0 LUFS | Peak: -5.3 dB | Centroid: 2,098 Hz Problems: None
keys.wav Loudness: -20.3 LUFS | Peak: -6.1 dB | Centroid: 3,102 Hz Problems: None
strings.wav Loudness: -22.1 LUFS | Peak: -8.4 dB | Centroid: 1,890 Hz Problems: LOW DC offset +0.002
Summary: Loudest: drums.wav (-12.1 LUFS) Quietest: strings.wav (-22.1 LUFS) Range: 10.0 LUFS between stems Issues: 3 files have detected problems
What to look for:
- Large loudness range between stems (>12 LUFS) suggests inconsistent recording levels
- Any SIG or MOD problems should be fixed before mixing
- Note the spectral centroids — they tell you the “brightness center” of each element
Step 2: Fix technical problems
Why: Technical issues compound in a mix. DC offset eats headroom, sibilance gets harsher with compression, and phase problems cause unpredictable cancellation. Fix at the source.
Based on Step 1’s results, address each flagged problem:
Prompt:
What should I do about the sibilance in vocals.wav, the mud in bass.wav, and the DC offset in strings.wav? Give me specific fixes.
Your AI assistant will recommend specific processing for each issue:
- Sibilance in vocals: De-esser targeting 6-8 kHz, threshold set to catch only the harsh peaks
- Mud in bass: High-pass at 30 Hz + gentle 2 dB cut at 250-350 Hz with wide Q
- DC offset in strings: Apply DC offset removal (zero-cost fix, no sonic impact)
Pro tip
Fix problems on the source files (or at the top of your plugin chain) before any other processing. If you EQ after a de-esser, you won’t reintroduce the problem.
Step 3: Profile key elements
Why: Your vocal, kick, and bass define the mix’s foundation. Understanding their spectral character tells you where they naturally sit and where conflicts will arise.
Prompt:
Run a detailed spectral analysis on vocals.wav — I want to know where the energy is concentrated and where the character lives
Phantom output:
Spectral Analysis: vocals.wav Centroid: 2,847 Hz Rolloff: 8.2 kHz (95th percentile) Flatness: 0.0012 Contrast: 28.4 dB
Per-band Energy: Sub (20-60): -42.1 dB Low (60-250): -18.3 dB Low-mid (250-2k): -12.7 dB High-mid (2k-6k): -14.2 dB High (6k-20k): -22.8 dB
What to look for:
- Where is the vocal’s energy concentrated? (Here: low-mid to high-mid, 250 Hz - 6 kHz)
- How bright is it? (Centroid 2.8 kHz = moderately bright)
- Is there energy where it shouldn’t be? (Low end at -18 dB — consider high-passing)
Repeat for kick and bass to understand the full low-end picture.
Step 4: Check for masking conflicts
Why: Before you start making EQ moves, know which stems are competing. Masking analysis tells you exactly where to carve, instead of guessing.
Prompt:
Check for masking conflicts between all my main stems — vocals, guitar, keys, and bass. Which pairs are fighting?
Phantom output:
Multi-stem Masking Analysis: 4 stems
Worst Collisions: 1. vocals + guitar 0.67 @ 500 Hz - 2 kHz 2. guitar + keys 0.54 @ 250 Hz - 1 kHz 3. bass + guitar 0.41 @ 125 - 500 Hz
Crowded Frequency Zones: 500 Hz - 1 kHz: 3 stems competing (vocals, guitar, keys) 1 kHz - 2 kHz: 2 stems competing (vocals, guitar)
Suggested Priority: 1. Separate vocals from guitar in 500 Hz - 2 kHz 2. Separate guitar from keys in 250 Hz - 1 kHz
What to look for:
- Severity above 0.5 = you’ll hear masking
- The “Crowded Frequency Zones” show where your mix will feel congested
- Priority suggestions tell you which EQ moves give the biggest clarity improvement
Pro tip
Write down the masking results before opening your EQ. It’s your surgical plan. Instead of sweeping randomly for problems, you know exactly which frequencies to cut on which tracks.
Step 5: Establish gain staging
Why: Starting with roughly balanced levels (based on measurements, not just ear) gives you a better foundation. You’ll make finer adjustments by ear, but measurements prevent large imbalances.
Prompt:
Based on the batch analysis, suggest initial fader positions to get all stems roughly balanced before I start mixing
Your AI assistant will recommend relative gain adjustments based on the loudness data from Step 1. For example:
- Drums are 6 LUFS louder than vocals — pull drums down or bring vocals up
- Strings are 10 LUFS quieter than drums — typical for background elements, but verify intent
Quick Reference
All prompts from this workflow, ready to copy:
Run a batch diagnostic on all my session stems: [list files]What should I do about [problems found]? Give me specific fixes.Run a detailed spectral analysis on [key element].wavCheck for masking conflicts between [stems]. Which pairs are fighting?Based on the batch analysis, suggest initial fader positions
Next Steps
- Mixing workflow — Continue with measurement-guided mixing decisions
- detect_problems — Deep dive on problem detection sensitivity
- multi_stem_masking — More detail on masking analysis