The Mixer

The Mixer is the central command console of the Audio Workspace. It visually represents every track and bus as a vertical "Channel Strip."

Anatomy of a Channel Strip

Reading from top to bottom, a standard channel strip contains:

  1. Input/Output Routing: Shows where the audio is coming from and where it is going (e.g., routing to the Main Bus).
  2. Effects (Inserts): Slots where you can add VST/AU plugins (like reverb, echo, or third-party noise reduction).
  3. EQ (Equalizer): A dedicated slot for Oraphim's built-in 6-band parametric EQ. Double-click it to open the large EQ interface.
  4. Dynamics: A dedicated slot for Oraphim's built-in Compressor, Limiter, and Gate.
  5. Pan: A spatial control. For stereo tracks, turning the knob left makes the audio play out of the left speaker; turning it right plays it out of the right speaker.
  6. Mute / Solo: M silences the track. S silences all other tracks.
  7. The Fader: The primary volume control.
  8. The Meter: Visual LED lights showing the current loudness in decibels (dB).

Gain Staging

Before you start moving faders, you must ensure your audio is "Gain Staged" correctly.

The fader is not the only volume control. The raw audio clip on the timeline also has a volume line.

  • Clip Volume (Pre-Fader): If a microphone recorded an actor way too quietly, do not just push the Mixer Fader to maximum. Instead, increase the Clip Volume on the timeline until the audio meter hits roughly -12dB.
  • Fader Volume: The Mixer Fader should primarily be used for mixing—making artistic decisions about the balance between music, effects, and voices—not for fixing bad recordings.

Mixing Best Practices

  1. Dialogue is King: In film/video, if the audience cannot understand what the actors are saying, the video fails. Start by mixing your dialogue to a comfortable level (usually averaging between -15dB and -10dB).
  2. Bring in the Music: Unmute the music track and slowly raise the fader until it supports the emotion of the scene without overpowering the voices.
  3. Add Effects: Bring in the sound effects last to add texture and realism.

If the combined volume of all your tracks causes the Master Bus (M1) to hit 0dB, the audio will clip and distort violently. You must pull the individual faders down to preserve headroom.