Where can I find the best free tutorials for learning audio mixing basics?

[LoganWC]

Hey everyone, I'm completely new to music production and trying to learn audio mixing basics. I've been watching some random YouTube videos but they're all over the place. Does anyone know where I can find structured free tutorials that actually teach the fundamentals properly? I'm on a tight budget so paid courses aren't an option right now. Looking for something that covers EQ, compression, reverb, and all that basic stuff in a way that makes sense for beginners.

[NicholasL]

For audio mixing basics, I'd definitely recommend checking out the YouTube channel In The Mix". The guy has a whole playlist called "Mixing 101" that starts from absolute zero and builds up slowly. He explains EQ, compression, reverb, and all that stuff in a way that actually makes sense. What I like is he shows you what each knob actually does to the sound, not just where to click.

[Kenneth39]

I learned most of my audio mixing basics from a free course on Coursera called The Art of Music Production". It's actually from Berklee College of Music and it's completely free if you don't want the certificate. They break everything down week by week and you get to practice with actual audio files. The best part is it teaches you the concepts first, then shows you how to apply them in any DAW.

[Addison_W]

Don't sleep on the official documentation and tutorials from DAW manufacturers. Companies like Ableton and FL Studio have extensive free learning sections on their websites. The Ableton Learning Music" and "Learning Synths" websites are especially good because they're interactive - you can actually play with the concepts instead of just watching.

[JustinA]

One thing that helped me a ton was finding mixing tutorials that come with downloadable project files. There's a site called Mixdown Online" that has free sessions where you can download the raw tracks and follow along with the video. Actually working on real material instead of just watching makes the concepts stick way better. They have beginner, intermediate, and advanced stuff all for free.

[GregoryOC]

I'd actually suggest starting with something simpler than full mixing tutorials. Look for ear training" resources first. Being able to hear what EQ changes actually do is more important than knowing which knob to turn. There are free apps and websites that train you to recognize frequencies, compression artifacts, and reverb types. Once your ears are trained, the tutorials make way more sense.