Double-click the Mixcraft desktop icon to open the program. Depending on how you have Mixcraft configured, either a new session or the most recent session opens automatically. If the correct session doesn't open automatically, click "File" and select "Open Recent." From the drop-down menu select the session to which you'd like to add effects.
Click "S" on the channel strip of the audio to which you wish to apply effects. This solos the track, muting all other audio so you can listen to it in isolation.
Press "Play" so you can hear the influence of the effects in real time.
Click on the track to highlight it. This assigns subsequent effect commands to that track specifically.
Click "Effects" and select your desired effect from the drop-down menu. To tweak the frequencies of a sound, select "EQ." To make a guitar sound heavier, select "Distortion." To add ambiance to a sound, select "Reverb." If you are unsure of what each effect does, click on it and listen to how it affects the audio. Click "Bypass" to hear the audio with and without the effect for comparison. If you don't like the effect, close the interface.
Audition the preset effect settings. For convenience, the effects in Mixcraft have a variety of preset configurations, based on the most likely parameter combinations. Click on each of these options and listen to the effect. You then have the choice of sticking with that set of parameters or tweaking the parameters to suit your personal preferences.
Tweak the parameters of the effect. Each effect has a range of parameters that let you customize and modify the sound. Some parameters, such as "Level" and "Gain," are common to all effects as they dictate the volume and strength of the affected signal in relation to the unaffected signal. Other parameters, such as "Rate" or "Delay Time," are specific to certain types of effect, such as tape-echo, chorus and digital delay. "Rate" governs the speed of a modulation effect. "Delay Time" governs the gap between the original sound and its echo.
Click "Save" when you hit on an effect and a set of parameters that suitably enhances the sound of the audio. If you hit on a good combination of parameter settings, click "Save As" and select "Template." This saves the settings as a preset. To apply effects to the next audio channel, click on the channel and select another effect from the menu.