The Art Of Mixing: The Only Secret You Need To Know To Get Started

Lemme guess... You want to learn how to mix and master music but you've got absolutely NO clue as to how to do it or where to start. You have all of the equipment and software that you need, and you have even figured out how to record your tracks into your computer. But, alas, you've come to the realization that you have not the slightest idea as to  how to work a compressor. Or a graphic equalizer... or a digital reverb plugin..

Fear not, my fellow recording enthusiasts, for I was in your very position at one point in time! And, like most of you probably have done, I endlessly searched the internet in vain trying to find some sort of resource that could teach me how to work these mysterious effects.
Lucky for you, I'm going to reveal the single most useful piece of advice that could ever be given to an amateur recording engineer:


USE PRESETS! That's it. This is how you become familiar with the different types of effects and the settings that correspond with each.
Let me explain what I mean...
Okay so when you open up an effect in your DAW, it can obviously be overwhelming. All of these buttons and faders and knobs do look confusing if you are just starting out! What you want to do, however, is find the set of presets that generally come with each digital plugin. For example, in the picture above you can see both the button you need to press to open up the presets, and the actual preset dialogue box itself. For demonstration puroposes, I chose to use an EQ effect in the DAW program "Cubase." However, most of the other major DAW programs work in a similar way. Usually, the preset button can be found in the top left corner of the effect dialogue box, as shown in this picture.
Once you have located the bank of presets for your desired effect, look through them and decide which one best fits your needs. Most of the time, the presets are labeled with a short description of what they were intended to be used for. For example, you may find and EQ preset entitled "Jazz Bass." Please note that this doesn't mean that the preset can only be used on a jazz bazz track, but rather it was simply created to serve that specific purpose. Chances are, you'll easily be able to find a preset that works with your particular track.

Alright so I know what you're thinking: "Great, so I can use a bunch of presets... how does that help me to learn how to actually use the effect?!"

Don't worry, I will explain myself I promise.
The point of using presets while mixing your audio tracks is NOT to provide a long term or professional method for mixing songs. This next point I am about to make is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL if you want to become a better recording engineer -
When you apply a preset effect setting to an audio track, make sure you take note of exactly what parameters are toggled with so you can begin to associate each setting with its proper use. For example, say you have an acoustic guitar track, and you want to put compression on it. Once you have found a preset that you like, select it and take not of how it changes the attack, decay, sustain, and level settings within your digital plugin. If you really pay attention and use this method correctly, you will begin to notice patterns based on what you hear and what you see. You may notice that when the preset on the compressor raises the attack level, you begin to hear a more aggressive and responsive tone in your audio track. Making a discovery like that on your own is infinitely more valuable than reading about it in some random article online.
Very soon, you will begin to learn what each of the settings are used for. You will become for familiar with them, and before you know it you will be using them on your own!
The goal of using presets when you first start out mixing is to eventually grow out of them to the point where you can manually adjust the settings and make more precise tweaks to your sound. 

This is the way that I taught myself how to mix music, and if you approach mixing in this way then I guarantee you will not only learn how to utilize all of the tools available to you as a recording engineer, but you will become just as adept at manipulating sound as the pro's.