The mixer and track headers
Every track has the same set of controls, available both on the track header and in the mixer panel below the timeline:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Track level. Unity (0 dB) sits at 75 on the fader and the top of the travel is +12 dB. |
| Pan | Left / right placement in the stereo field. |
| M (mute) | Silences the track. |
| S (solo) | Plays only soloed tracks (see below). |
| R (record-arm) | Arms the track for recording. |
| A (automation) | Opens the automation lane for volume and pan. |
| Lock | On the track header. Freezes the track's level so it cannot be dragged by accident (see below). |
The mixer panel shows a channel strip per track for a classic mixing-board view. You can pop the mixer out into its own window (handy on a second monitor).
Meters
Every track has a level meter in its track header, right under the volume fader, as well as the vertical pair on its mixer channel strip. Both are driven from the same measurement, so there is one truth about how loud a track is and the two never disagree. The head meter is the quick glance while you are arranging; the mixer strip is the detailed read while you are balancing.
Two things to know:
- Meters only move while audio is actually playing. Silence reads as nothing, which is correct.
- They only animate while the DAW tab is in the foreground. Browsers pause animation in background tabs, so a meter that looks frozen after you tabbed away is not a bug. Come back to the tab and it picks up again.
The master meter sits on the master channel at the right of the mixer. That is the one to watch for clipping.
Fader safe zones
Both faders, on the track head and on the mixer strip, are tinted to show you where you are:
- Below the white tick is the normal operating range. This is where a mix should live.
- The white tick is unity, 0 dB. The track plays at exactly the level of the audio on it, no gain added or taken away.
- Above the tick, tinting warms into amber and red. That is boost, and it is headroom being spent rather than level being gained.
The top of the fader is +12 dB, which is deliberately generous so you always have room to reach for. But the guiding principle is that you should never have to max a fader to hit your target level. If one track needs the last few dB of boost just to be heard, the real problem is that everything else is too loud: pull the rest down instead, and let the master carry the final level.
Lane lock
Once a track is dialled in, click the lock button on its track header. That freezes the track's level, so a stray drag while you are working elsewhere cannot move a fader you already got right.
The lock covers both surfaces at once: the head fader and the matching mixer strip dim and stop responding to the pointer together, so there is no back door into the level from the mixing board. Click the lock again to release it. Locking affects the level control only, so mute, solo, pan, and effects all keep working.
Solo logic
When no track is soloed, each track plays according to its own mute state. The moment you solo one or more tracks, everything not soloed is silenced, so you can focus on a part. Un-solo to return to the full mix. Solo and mute are independent, so a soloed-but-muted track still stays quiet.
Balancing a mix
AI-generated tracks often come in at different levels, which is normal. A quick way to a clean balance:
- Play the full song and listen for the loudest and quietest parts.
- Pull loud tracks down with the volume control rather than pushing quiet ones way up (leave headroom).
- Pan elements apart (for example, double-tracked guitars left and right) to open up the center for vocals and bass.
- If one track jumps around in level, add a Compressor to even it out (see Effects and the rack).
Keep the master from clipping: if the mix is too hot, bring the whole thing down a little rather than fighting individual tracks. The master fader is at the bottom right.
Automation
Click A on a track to open its automation lane. Draw volume or pan envelopes over time to fade a part in, duck it under a vocal, or sweep the pan. Automation is applied on playback and included in your export.
You do not have to draw it by hand. The AI-Engineer can write the curve for you from a plain description: "fade the intro in", "duck the pad under the vocal", "automate a filter sweep into the drop". It automates volume, pan, or any parameter of an effect already on the track, and the breakpoints land in the lane where you can drag them afterward.
Let the AI-Engineer mix
You can drive all of the above by asking the AI-Engineer in plain language: "mute the drums", "turn the bass down to 70", "pan the guitar left", "add a compressor to the vocals". Every change is undoable with Ctrl+Z.
Where to go next
- Effects and the rack - shape each track's tone
- Mastering - the final polish on the master bus
- Exporting - render the finished mix