What is mixing?

Mixing is the process where you balance out the sounds of instruments with one another to allow each voice to be heard. You then apply effects to sounds to enhance them. Traditionally, this was done in a hardware device called a mixer control panel. These devices were very expensive pieces of equipment, selling for thousands of dollars. In a mixer console, you’d plug your instruments and microphones into the mixer’s ports and play sounds. The sound would be recorded on a recording device called a tape, which would store the audio information. The tape could then be played back and send the audio signals through the mixer. The mixer had knobs and buttons to finely adjust the volume, panning, and level of the input and output signals. You could then send the audio signals to effect plugins that manipulated the sound before sending the signal back to the mixer.

Digital audio workstations like FL Studio replicate a mixer console in looks and functions...