Double-click the Sony Acid Pro desktop icon to launch the program. It may take a few seconds for Acid Pro to fully launch. Unless you’ve altered your preferences, the last song you saved will automatically load. If this isn’t the song you wish to work on, close the song, click “File” and launch the relevant song-session from the “Open” menu.
Click the “Mixing Console” tab. This opens a virtual mixing desk on screen. The mixing desk has an array of channels. You can add more channels as you go along, so the amount of channels in this particular Acid Pro session depends entirely on how many instruments you already recorded.
Hit “Play” so you can hear your mix edits in real-time.
Adjust the gain level of the lead vocal by moving the fader dial up. If you move it too far up, the red volume units meter will flash to warn you. This is because too high a gain level causes distortion. With lead vocal, aim for the highest possible gain setting before distortion.
Adjust the gain level of the remaining vocals. Backing vocals should be approximately 70 percent as loud as your lead vocals.
Adjust the remaining instruments so each is audible. Some instruments will have a duller sound and will therefore require more gain to cut through in the mix. Such instruments include bass drum, bass guitar, organ and soft keys. Tweak the levels of the entire mix to suit your own taste. While level balancing is a matter of preference, there should be no volume spikes and everything should be audible.
Click “Insert Assignable FX” on the vocal channel. Select “Compressor” from the drop-down menu. Compression tempers peaks in the volume of a recording; this smooths the sound out and enables you to boost the gain without causing distortion. Tweak the “Threshold” and “Ratio” dials to find a compression setting that boosts the vocal without making it sound flat. Then adjust the “Output Gain” dial to a high level that doesn’t distort. Repeat this process for drums, guitars and bass.
Click “Insert Assignable FX” again and effects to taste. Different sounds benefit from different effects. For example, a soft vocal sounds eerie and intense if you add reverb. The impact of a snare drum is magnified if you add a little distortion. Use the “Insert Assignable FX” tab to route specific effects to an audio channel.