John D. Norten on SoundBetter

I Mix and Master, and Engineer for artists like The Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Backstreet Boys, Fergie, Estelle, Prince, Fifth Harmony, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and many others.

I've been working nearly 20 years professionally Mixing, Engineering, and Mastering songs for many of the biggest artists in the world. I've worked engineering and mixing directly with everyone from Prince to Lady Gaga to The Black Eyed Peas and mixed legitimate Billboard hits, including the single "Icebox" by Omarion's Billboard #1 Album '21'. As an Artist myself, I'm very sensitive to artists needs and want to ensure every mix sounds as great as possible. That's why I'm on Soundbetter offering exclusive deals for Indie artists. Your song will have the same polished and professional mix and mastering I'm known for among 20 years of major label clients.

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Credits

107 Reviews - 19 Repeat Clients

Endorse John D. Norten

by Cybèle F.
Verified
As always, John is a magician of sound - he will ensure your song sounds amazing and do your music justice. Thank you so much for everything! :)
by Robert Helme
Verified
It's my third time I worked with John and I'm a happy customer again.
John is very responsive and he delivers quickly.
by Nathan
Verified
Wow! Just wow.

Couldn’t have been more up my alley!

Highly recommend, John’s a real master!
by Cybèle F.
Verified
John is like the wizard of sound! He knows all of the right elements to make the song sounding more magical and better than you could ever imagine! Thank you so much :)
by Robert Helme
Verified
The more I work with John, the more I like it.
Very professional, patient, quick to response.
by Robert H.
Verified
As usually, very good job.
John is very quick to response.
by Cybèle F.
Verified
John is incredible at his craft and really knows how to bring a song to life. He is great to work with and pays attention to every detail within a song until it has been ripened to perfection in its sound. Thank you John!
by Sam Hwang
Verified
Second time with John. Amazing work as always. Very timely, and professional. Highly recommend.
by Gabby M.
Verified
This is just my latest of many times working with John and as always, it was a pleasure. He vocally tuned, mixed, and mastered my track, and added beautiful artistic embellishments on the vocals that really kick the quality of my song up several notches. Thank you!
by Dan E.
Verified
Incredible. Absolutely nailed the entire atmosphere and did a phenomenal job with the overall mix. Super clear communication, very professional start-to-finish. Thanks again!
by Robert Helme
Verified
You want your song to start breathing like a live organism?
John can do this magic. He creates the depth, the feeling.
He follows music emotion. And John is so responsive.
by Pati U.
Verified
What an amazing experience working with John. My first time sending an audio track online for mastering. Great guidance and advice whenever needed and the final result was a high quality professionally mastered track.
by Gabby M.
Verified
As always, John did an excellent mix & master for me. This time it was on a very edgy cover of 'Toxic' of mine, and I needed it done within a week by Halloween. Not only did he deliver on time, but he also brought the song to life with effects that made the overall vibe of the song pop. Thanks again!
by Sam W.
Verified
Great communication, fast response, will definitely hire again!
by Gabby M.
Verified
John has worked on five of my songs as well as the fine-tuning for the masters of my upcoming EP, and he's gone above and beyond to make sure they sound great, have a distinct and attention-gripping sound, and make sure it gets released at top quality. I will work with him again for future projects!
by Gabby M.
Verified
Another amazing job! I'm always happy to work with John, & trust him with my vision.
by Gabby M.
Verified
This is my fourth time working with John and once again he's brought my vision to life! He's always very communicative & attentive. I will be returning with my next project!
by Luke Mitrani
Verified
and another one! Thanks again John, best of luck with all of your future endeavors.
by Luke Mitrani
Verified
John is always my go-to when it comes to mixing & mastering my music. He is very communicative and professional when it comes to understanding what needs to be done to a song. It's an absolute privilege so If you want to work with one of the top mixing engineers in the world look no further!
by Gabby M.
Verified
Third time working with John, and of course I love the finished song! He vocally tuned, mixed, and mastered my track, "DANCE of the DAMNED" (you can check it out on any platform, by GABRIELLA RAELYN), and it came out exactly how I imagined it. He took into account my references as well as my own rough mix and made all of the elements pop. Thank you so much, can't wait for the next one!

Interview with John D. Norten

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I mix primarily using Pro Tools, Lots of Plug Ins, and select Hardware.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Prince Musicology was a real career highlight, Also I was the Producer and Mixer for the Song "The Fight" by Taboo from The Black Eyed Peas. We wrote it when he was struggling with cancer and it became a big promo for the American Cancer Society. Effecting peoples lives positively through music is rewarding.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: BEP, The Fifth Harmony Girls solo careers, Trash Deity, many others.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: hopefully soon.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: my background is Analog, but mostly digital these days. DAW's and plug in's have never sounded better.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I always promise to give each mix 100% regardless of budget, I don't do rush job super low budget mixes just for a buck.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Most clients have questions regarding Mix prep, Pro Tools session or Stem preps. It's also good to define the specifics of the services as the lines can blur between mixing/production etc.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: After Prepping session in PT I like to listen to the Ruff Mix as well as check mix/master references the artist often provides, that usually provides a good roadmap of where to go.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I bring the best to every project in a creative and unique way, doing what's best for the song, I'm not a cookie cutter mixer
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Trent Reznor.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I usually work on major label pop and hip hop and r&b.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: I think the biggest misconception is that I only work on pop and r&b since that's what I'm best known for. I also enjoy other genres like Industrial Rock, indie pop, singer songwriters, etc.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I ask them the specifics of what they're looking for as well as what services I provide for the budget to avoid any miss understandings.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: I am very professionally having worked in the face paced major label environment for the past 20 years, with biggest and most demanding artists in the world where professionalism and the ability to make deadlines is crucial.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: my laptop, headphones, and interface, 1 vintage synth. and a microphone. With those tools the sky's the limit if you're creative.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been mixing and engineering professionally nearly 20 years.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: I can share many!
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My Strongest skill is my ability to view things through both the technical lens of a great mixer, and the creative lens of a great producer and artist.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring the highest major label radio quality to any song I mix. I will make your song just as professional as the top Billboard Hits and Shows i've mixed and the Biggest Artists I"ve worked with.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Working with Prince was massively inspirational, as I've always been a huge fan since I was a kid. Dr. Dre the Detox, the most infamous never released Hip Hop Classic was also cool to be a part of.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I'm known best professionally as an in demand Mixing and Mastering Engineer, but my background also includes Writing and Production for myself and others.