To some, mixing seems straightforward: set levels, balance a few channels, and call it a day. But anyone who’s spent years (or dare I say, decades) in the craft knows there’s an entire universe of possibilities within audio engineering that can take a lifetime to fully master.
The truth is, audio production isn’t just “easy” or “hard.” Most of the action happens in the space between (shoutout Dave Matthews, I couldn’t help myself). And it’s in this middle ground, where beginners are learning and seasoned vets are still refining, that channel processing lives.
That’s where we’re heading in this blog: a clear look at what channel processing is, why it matters, and how modern tools make it easier than ever to not just understand, but to actually get better at this essential piece of the mixing puzzle.
If you’re a seasoned mixer, some of this might feel like a refresher — but stick with me. Revisiting the fundamentals often sparks new ideas, and you might even find a fresh way to explain these concepts to others on your team. For those newer to mixing, don’t worry — we’ll keep things clear and practical, so you can follow along without feeling lost.
Channel Processing Defined
Understanding Dynamics
The Power of EQ
One Universal Interface for Almost Any Mixer
Remote Access + Control From Anywhere
Final Thoughts
Let’s start at the very beginning, I’ve heard it’s a very good place to start.
Channel processing is made up of a collection of tools on an audio mixer that can be used to shape and control the sound of each individual output. This typically involves things like gain, filtering, equalization, compression, gating, and sometimes even panning or insert effects. These controls allow you to refine each individual source so that it nestles perfectly into your overall mix, creating a balanced and polished overall sound for your listeners.
Without a solid grasp of channel processing, mixes often end up uneven and unenjoyable to listen to, no matter how talented the performers or how expensive the gear. While different consoles or software may bundle in extra features, the heart of channel processing always comes down to two essentials: dynamics and EQ. These are the tools that create balance, shape sound, and impact every mix so they’re where we’ll keep our focus.
If channel processing is the umbrella over dynamics, then dynamics is the umbrella over compression and gating.
Compression reduces those sudden, uncomfortable spikes in volume by applying a ratio to any signal that crosses a set threshold. I sometimes wish there were stats for everyday life — how many times I sneeze in a year, or, more relevant here, how many times someone says, “Whoa, turn it down!” when a commercial blasts in way louder than the show. We all get it: painful jumps in loudness make our ears rattle. It’s why I smiled wide the first time I heard Bandit Healer shout, “Bluey, inside voice!”—finally, a family-friendly way to justify asking my kiddos to keep things at a standard volume level. That’s compression on your mixer: taming those unpredictable mountaintops so they don’t stick out like a sore thumb above the hills and plains around them.
Gating does a complementary job in the quiet moments. It mutes or reduces a signal that falls below a set threshold, helping remove unwanted background noise. Think of trying to focus on your spouse on date night while a bizarre conversation at the next table hijacks your attention — you wish you could hit mute on your neighbors so your brain isn’t doing two things at once. That’s the gist of gating: only sounds that meet the threshold make it to the final mix. Goodbye coughs, sneezes, random amp buzz, and all the little distractions that make a stream feel less professional.
I grew up playing bass guitar in a high school band. My blue Fender Precision bass had two knobs — one for volume, one for tone. Rolling it one way gave me a smooth, mellow sound; the other made it bright and crunchy. Maybe I’m biased, but that’s always felt like the best way to explain equalization, or EQ.
EQ is the second core pillar of channel processing, and at its simplest, it’s the boosting or cutting of specific frequency ranges to shape how something sounds.
On some mixers, you’ll see dedicated knobs for treble, mids, and bass. On more advanced setups, you’ll find parametric EQ with precise controls that let you target and adjust specific frequency bands. But no matter the interface, the best way to learn EQ is hands-on. A small tweak to the highs or lows can completely change how a sound is perceived. Trust me, I hear this firsthand daily: my three-year-old loves to run over to my record player mid-spin and crank the treble up while cutting the bass. This makes the Beatles or John Mayer suddenly sound … very different than I’d prefer.
When you put an adult behind a board, though, EQ is like the paint palette of the artist. The possibilities of EQ are endless, which means that there’s no one right answer to this part of mixing. Audio engineers develop their own styles for shaping sound, and these preferences often evolve over time. For beginners, the great power of these little knobs might feel intimidating, but with a bit of trial and error, they can turn a flat mix into something clear, balanced, and vibrant.
By tuning the EQ with a specific instrument in mind, you can filter out other frequencies not expected in order to minimize unwanted bleed from other instruments.
For a long time, channel processing has looked a little different in practice depending on the mixer in front of you. Think about the similarities and differences between Microsoft and Apple laptops. Both are computers that let you browse the internet, download software, jump on video calls, and even spend time gaming. The controls and interface feel quite different, though. Some differences may seem slight while others feel jarring if you are used to one brand and suddenly need to switch to the other.
Applying this example to audio, this means that if you spent time regularly mixing at your child’s middle school for a few years and then volunteered to do the same at his high school, you might find yourself facing an entirely new interface and workflow. You may have grown comfortable configuring dynamics and EQ at the previous location, but learning to do the same thing on the new soundboard can feel disorienting.
Now imagine you are an audio professional often hired to show up at different venues, each with its own mixer, so you rarely see the same hardware two days in a row. Eventually, you will figure out how to configure each board, but only after plenty of focus, practice, study, and plain old work.
This is where modern tools step in to make things easier to learn and even easier to master. Instead of needing to become fluent in a dozen different interfaces, RemoteMix software lets you control most major digital mixers through a clean and intuitive standard software experience.
All you need to do is select the channel you want to edit, toggle processing on or off, and make adjustments by either clicking and dragging within the graphical interface or by manually entering a number. Any changes you make instantly show up on the digital mixer’s display.
The result is simple but powerful. Once you learn channel processing within RemoteMix, you don’t have to relearn it on other digital mixers. You can control Behringer, Allen & Heath, PreSonus, and Soundcraft through the same streamlined experience. Put another way, RemoteMix makes it feel like every major brand suddenly speaks the same language.
Tech marketing loves to promise the impossible, but too often the product falls short. When I say modern tools make channel processing easier to understand and improve at, I’m not exaggerating, and RemoteMix proves it.
In the past, getting real practice with channel processing features meant you had to be on site. That may sound obvious, but it’s true. Remember how in the last section we talked about RemoteMix giving you a clean and intuitive interface to control your digital mixer? What we didn’t mention is that you don’t even need to be in the same room — or even the same city — to do it.
Gone are the days when you had to sit behind the board in person to use dynamics and EQ. With RemoteMix, you can control your digital mixer from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Putting it all together, this means you can be miles away and still gain the hands-on experience needed to grow as an audio engineer, even if travel or logistics would have kept you out of the room before.
Remote access like this is ideal for mixing live stream audio, since you can listen to the audio and see the video in real time, optimizing sound for listeners with the same experience you are having remotely. You can also mix front of house audio this way, but depending on the space, it is often still better to be in the room to hear how the acoustics affect the mix.
Channel processing is not just another step in mixing, it’s the heart of what makes audio sound amazing. Whether you are adjusting dynamics to tame volume or shaping EQ to bring clarity and color, these tools are what elevate a mix from average to professional. For audio engineers at any level, regular practice with channel processing is the single best way to sharpen your skills and consistently deliver great sound.
Modern tools like RemoteMix make this practice and growth more possible than ever. With one singular, universal interface and the ability to access your mixer remotely, you can refine audio from anywhere and gain confidence across different systems. This is what makes channel processing both timeless in importance and easier than ever to master today.
Start mastering channel processing today with RemoteMix and give your audience the listening experience they deserve.