Audio mixing for brand video: delivering productions with professional sound

Badly mixed audio can obscure speech, introduce volume jumps, or distract from the content. Image quality does not correct those problems: sound needs its own review before the video is delivered.

Leaving all sound review until the last moment can limit the time available to correct it.

This article explains what an audio mix is, how to distinguish level and loudness measurements, and what to check in the sources and delivery file.

What a mix is, exactly

An audio mix is the process of combining several independent tracks, voice, music, effects, ambiences, into a single final file that sounds good in its playback context. Each track arrives with its own volume, color, and dynamics, and the mix balances them so that none drowns out the others and so the result has the intended character.

In a typical corporate video, a mix can include:

• Voice of the interviewee or presenter (the main track when there's dialogue).
• Narrative voice-over.
• Background music (music bed).
• Spot effects (transitions, sonic emphasis).
• Ambient sound (ambient sound, room tone) that adds texture.

Each element has its volume, its EQ (tonal equalization), its compression, its spatial effect. Getting them to coexist without fighting one another is the mix.

A brief history: from the studio to the phone

Audio mixing as a discipline is a century old. In the 1920s through the 1940s, Bell Labs and commercial radio developed the first systematic techniques. Multitrack recording, recording separate tracks instead of a single take, was introduced in the mid-1950s: Les Paul popularized multitrack recording with his home studio around 1953-54, and Atlantic Records adopted the 8-track format in 1957.

Phil Spector developed the "Wall of Sound" in the early 1960s, a technique of dense layers that changed pop production. George Martin, the Beatles' producer, pushed the possibilities of the studio between 1963 and 1969 with recordings that are still studied in production schools today. SSL consoles set the standard for professional rooms from the late 1970s.

Pro Tools appeared in 1991, according to Avid’s release history. Digital audio workstations expanded computer editing and mixing possibilities; Pro Tools did not mark the start of all digital audio.

Playback context also matters. A piece may be heard on monitors, headphones, phone speakers, or a room system. Check it on systems relevant to its destination.

The loudness standards: dB, LUFS, EBU R128

dBFS expresses level relative to digital full scale; it can describe peak or RMS measurements, so specify the meter. In fixed-point PCM, 0 dBFS is the representable amplitude limit. A signal 6 dB below another has roughly half its amplitude, not necessarily half its perceived volume. Internal floating-point processing can exceed that level before output.

LUFS expresses an estimate of loudness using frequency weighting and time measurement. Integrated loudness summarizes a program; it does not replace listening or peak measurement. dBTP measures true peak, accounting for peaks between samples.

Values depend on the use and delivery specification:

• Television: EBU R128 recommends −23 LUFS integrated loudness. Its production guidance sets a −1 dBTP maximum for linear audio. Also check the broadcaster’s requirements.
• Spotify: its playback normalization uses −14 LUFS in the Normal setting when enabled. This is not a universal file acceptance requirement. Spotify recommends true-peak headroom; behavior depends on the device and settings.
• Other services, podcasts, and cinema: check the distributor’s specification. There is no single LUFS target valid for all those destinations. AES recommendations distinguish distribution contexts.

A separate version may be needed when requirements differ. A constant gain change alone does not alter tonal balance or dynamic range; a limiter or other processing can.

How a mix is worked in practice

Beyond final loudness, the typical steps of a mix:

1. Cleanup. Reduce noise, hum, clicks, and plosives when they interfere. Tools such as iZotope RX or Adobe Enhance Speech can help, but compare the result with the source: processing can also introduce artifacts.

2. Level balancing (gain staging). Adjust each track's gain so they live in a reasonable range, without clipping or staying too low. Errors here propagate through the rest of the process.

3. Equalization (EQ). Attenuate problematic frequencies according to the recording. A high-pass filter can reduce rumble, but choose its frequency while listening to the voice; no cut or boost is mandatory for every take.

4. Compression. Control dynamics when needed. Threshold, ratio, attack, and release interact; a particular ratio does not guarantee an even voice or prevent clipping by itself.

5. Reverb and spatial effects if the piece calls for them. A voice can benefit from a touch of subtle reverb to "fit" into a setting; too much overdoes it.

6. Balance between tracks. Adjust voice, music, and effects while listening to their interaction. A fixed peak value for each track does not guarantee intelligibility: spectrum, dynamics, and arrangement also matter.

7. Automation. Volume and EQ changes throughout the piece. The music drops when the voice comes in and rises when it stops; reverb intensifies in emotional moments; a sound is attenuated so it doesn't compete with a cut.

8. Mastering / final loudness. Measure the export and adjust loudness and true peak to the delivery specification. Use limiting when needed and review its audible effects.

9. Testing on different systems. Studio headphones, consumer earbuds, monitor speakers, phone speaker, car if possible. Each system reveals different problems.

Music obscuring the voice

Music that is too loud can obscure dialogue, especially when it competes with the voice’s frequencies. Check intelligibility in the intended playback context.

There is no universal minimum 10–12 dB separation between music and voice. Adjust the balance and, where appropriate, automation or ducking according to the material.

Other recurring mistakes

Voice with background noise. A room with echo, air conditioning, a humming computer. A voice with noise is a voice that tires the listener. Solutions: record with the microphone closer, in a deader room, or use AI cleanup.

Untreated plosives and sibilance. The explosive "p" and "b" sounds, the hissing "s" sounds, each requires a specific tool (de-popper, de-esser).

Abrupt cuts between clips. Check for clicks and ambience discontinuities. Fades or crossfades can correct them; not every cut needs the same transition.

Volume differences between scenes. Review unintended loudness jumps without removing expressive changes the piece needs.

Saturation / clipping. −1 dBTP may be a required or recommended margin; exceeding it does not automatically imply audible distortion. Check clipping in sources, processing, and export: limiting the master does not repair an already distorted source.

Overdone effects. Every transition sound effect, the "swoosh," the "boom," the "ding" of the final logo, competes with the voice if it's poorly placed and poorly mixed. The test: does this effect add something or just decorate?

Mixing on only one system. Also test on other systems relevant to the audience; one device can hide balance problems.

Not checking final loudness. Measure the exported file; playback normalization, where available, does not fix speech obscured by music or a distorted recording.

Not allowing for edit changes. A provisional mix can help during editing. A stable edit makes finishing easier, but later changes must be reflected in the sound project.

Not keeping sources and stems. Stems are exported submixes, such as dialogue, music, and effects; they do not necessarily correspond to each individual track. They allow balance changes between groups. Also preserve the original tracks and project if you need to edit within those groups: a mixed dialogue stem does not recover each microphone separately.

How to fit the mix into the workflow

A well-done mix isn't improvised. It needs time, tools, and process.

Time: depends on recording condition, complexity, revisions, and deliverables. Video length alone does not determine mixing hours.

Tools: audio workstations such as Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Fairlight, or Reaper, and processors suited to the material. Check the features and licenses of the version you use.

Process: mix in a room with proper monitoring (not in an office with background noise), with quality headphones and monitor speakers, validating on consumer systems before approving.

In Polimake, the audiovisual library lets you archive, search, and retrieve creative material, including through API or MCP. Mixing and stem export take place in the chosen audio tool.

This relates to shooting commercials, where audio determines perceived quality, to postproduction as the phase where the mix lives, and to the decision about delivery format, which defines what loudness each destination requires.

To close

A mix should make the content understandable and maintain a balance appropriate to its destination. Evaluation combines listening, measurements, and delivery requirements.

Allow time to review sound, preserve sources and stems, and create versions when specifications require them. No loudness target alone guarantees a mix will work on every system.

Quick reference

• Level, loudness, and true peak are different measurements.
• Delivery requirements and playback normalization serve different purposes.
• Voice and music: check the balance with the actual material.
• Stems and original tracks: preserve what future versions need.
• Final export: measure and listen before delivery.