Credits include Santana, Spoon, Jason Mraz and more. I am a Grammy-nominated engineer who learned the art of engineering during my 12+ years of working at the legendary Sunset Sound in Hollywood, CA. My goal is simple, to help you achieve your vision for your songs. I love what I do and will work on a song until you are completely satisfied.
I've been fortunate to work on pop, rock, Latin pop, hip hop, classical, psychedelic, electronic, Americana, blues, reggae, jazz, smooth jazz, choral, country, jingles, and soundtracks - lots of major label work and lots of independent artists. I bring the tips and tricks I learned working on many different records in all these genres to your mix. All genres welcome!
My mixing process focuses on collaboration to get the results you want:
• Before getting started I'll ask for any general direction and references you might have for the mix.
• I will get the song to a good starting point, then the collaboration really begins.
For mixes I can provide an internet-based audio/video stream accessible from the web-browser on your phone or computer. This allows us to work in real-time - If you ask for a change you'll hear me make it and can decide if you like it. This way of working is the next best thing to being in the same room while mixing, and it really allows us to experiment if you're into that approach.
Other Services:
• Vocal editing/tuning/comping - (my tuning is very transparent and is phase-aligned).
• General Instrumentation editing.
• Drum sample placement (phase-aligned).
I want to be clear that not all of my credits are mixing credits - most of them come from assisting and engineering work during my time at Sunset.
Send me a note through the contact button above.
Credits
25 Reviews - 5 Repeat Clients
Endorse Graham Hope
check_circleVerifiedThird time working with Graham and am always amazed at the work he does! A joy to speak with and always an abundance of patience, I can never recommend enough if you want your vision brought to fruition
check_circleVerifiedIt was such a pleasure working with Graham. He has a keen ear for tonal balance, a creative input on the sounds, and a real knack for recognizing the energy in a song and harnessing it optimally. He's a true creative and professional. I look forward to working with him again in the future.
check_circleVerifiedIt was really nice to work with Graham. The result is perfect. We got many revisions and chances to address things that we would like to have in a special way. Would choose him again for mixing!
check_circleVerifiedWhat's worse than a band that doesn't know what direction they want their own song to go? I don't know but sounds like a pain in the ass. Graham patiently pulled up multiple mix / tone options while we got it together. And we're definitely diggin' the results. Thanks for helping us figure it out and for the encouragement along the way.
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Graham had mixed a version of this song for us back in 2013 but after having 8 years to think it over we decided to add some claps and additional vocals. Was excited to find him available to take on the remix! This one goes from pan handle to all out garage and he was down for it. Graham even remembered the outboard buss compressor we used in the original mix and had it fired up and ready to go before I jumped on the session stream!
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Graham has a real breadth of engineering experience. He is comfortable working with whatever I throw at him. In this case it was an xtra long acoustic song with mic bleed every which way, some tricky phase alignment and touchy tape echo. He was able to bring it all together in a really beautiful mix. He even added a little secret sauce with a transformer emulation plugin that served up some gentle whoosh and vibey tone shaping. Thanks Graham!
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Working with Graham is a repeated delight and is well worth the price. He is communicative, kind and always willing to make adjustments until you are satisfied. He sees through your ideas to the end and can get the small details you desire sitting just right in a mix. It is always an absolute pleasure to work with him and I have never sounded better!
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can't say enough good things about graham. he took a track I was already stoked about and brought it to a whole new level. he was always open to hearing my feedback, and consistently came through with great edits. he's a professional for sure, and I felt like my song was in great hands the entire tire. something I really appreciated was that he took his time (in the best way) — he was methodical, and his attention to detail really came through. thanks graham!!
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Working with Graham was the first time I have ever listened to an initial mix and became ecstatic with what I heard. He is patient, listens to your references, respects your overall vision and is always so prompt with responses. He makes sure that all your notes are taken care of down to the smallest details and is willing to sit with the product until you are satisfied. I can't recommend working with him enough!
check_circleVerifiedWorking with Graham has been an absolute pleasure from start to finish! He is so thorough, detailed, communicative, responsive, talented, and professional - he took a track that I thought I would never be totally happy with, and turned it into something I'm so excited to get to share! I can't recommend working with him too highly, and look forward to working with him in the future. A 12/10 experience from start to finish!
check_circleVerifiedGraham was a total dream to work with! I brought him a rough mix and after a brief conversation about the overall vision and vibe I was looking for, he was able to execute a perfect mix that met and exceeded my expectations- he understood exactly what I needed. Graham is communicative, prompt and clearly an expert in his field. Can't wait to work with him again.
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Graham is an extremely communicative, kind and hard-working guy. I highly recommend working with him and can't wait for our next project together!
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Graham is very rigorous and will accommodate any timeline. He always helps get my projects get to where they need to be, particularly from a vocal production perspective
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I threw a super weird song Graham's way, and he 'got it' immediately. We're in a groove now, nailing it in 2, 3, tops 4 passes. The song has an entire new depth to it.
I can't recommend Graham enough. But first, you'll have to steal him from me. :) - check_circleVerified
this is my third track with Graham, and i dont plan on stopping anytime soon! We (very) quickly found our groove and workflow together. He's got a killer ear, and can do things with frequencies I've only heard of (get it?)
Based on notes and some discussion, Graham always whips up either exactly what I was hoping for, or something much more interesting.
The ONLY reason I would hesitate fully recommending Graham is selfish...so I can keep him available for myself! - check_circleVerified
Graham and i just completed another mix for one of my tunes. Absolute pleasure to work with. Killer ear. Great suggestions. Silly fast turnaround. Always goes above and beyond. Ill say it again - my only hesitation recommending Graham is that he'll be too busy for my songs!!
check_circleVerifiedDid a great job, was patient as I was trying to figure out how I wanted everything to fit together and the end result turned out great..
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Graham is THE MAN. He's got great ears, and really took my track to the next level. He is totally pro. Very fast response time. Delivery ahead of schedule. A pleasure to work with. He was available by phone when needed, and we even did a remote mix session in real time (very cool). My only reason not to highly recommend Graham would be selfish - i want his time and expertise to myself!
check_circleVerifiedWorking with Graham is my pleasure, he is such a professional, actively person. No matter how many/difficulty my opinion, he will do!
Quick turnaround, respond quickly with every details!
You won't regret if you choose Graham as your mixing engineer : )- check_circleVerified (Client)
Graham presented me with a challenging session, and it was a complete blast working on it. Amazing song, with really clear directions while still giving me the artistic freedom to be me. It's always an honor working with someone at Graham's level!
Interview with Graham Hope
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I'll work until your happy. If for some reason we can't get there I won't take your money and I can hook you up with an engineer who can get you there.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both. I don't really miss aligning tape machines, printing tones, or striping tapes with SMPTE, but working on tape forces decision making and commitment, and it also has built-in break time for doing all of the things I just mentioned. DAWs are clearly convenient for recording and experimenting. When it comes to gear vs plug-ins - I like em both. As much as I would like to for simple recall-ability, I don't think I'll ever go full in the box. Not because I think there's anything wrong with mixing in the box, I just like the tactile nature of touching a few pieces of gear on every mix. But having spent a large portion of my life documenting consoles and gear, I completely understand the draw to working in the box all day every day.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Experimentation with purpose.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: An acoustic guitar, a laptop with Logic, a converter with one really nice preamp, headphones, and an SM57.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: When I was working at Sunset it was all over the map. I might work on a rock album for two months, then a pure pop album, then do a quick 2-day live-jazz album, overdubs on a country song, then a few jingles, a classical date, string cues for a movie, it was just whoever walked in the door. Lately, in my "music career 2.0" it's been a lot of electronic music which I enjoy. I like the freedom within that genre to experiment with effects and to really try and get the low end feeling big.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Have your sessions well organized and labeled, and just be clear about what you want - do you have a specific direction, or do you want a completely fresh take on the song(s)?
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Commit. You don't need 6 mono tracks for one guitar part. Use some busses and buss them into a single channel, be brave and go for a sound!
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I'm constantly blown away by how session musicians can hear a song and scribble down the changes during the playback of a demo in the control room, then walk out into the live room and completely own their part on the first pass.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: In the past, it was recording, mixing, assistant engineering - pretty much everything you could ever do in the recording studio. You could call where I'm at now the start of my second career in music, and now I'm focusing on mixing, and that's most of what I've been doing.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: For mixing: 1) Talk to the artist about their vision for the song 2) Listen to any rough mixes and or stylistic references 3) Listen to individual tracks as I set up a session 4) Make choices on how I'm going to treat the tracks 5) Work on getting a balance - a good starting point 6) Begin automating 7) Bring artist in to listen/comment (realtime streaming and video chat, or just MP3s and messaging) 8) Make adjustments as necessary 9) Work until the artist is happy 10) Print the song, any alternate mixes, and stems
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: My musical tastes and my experience are what I bring. I just try to put those two together and listen to the music like a fan. Other than that, I just bring a good attitude and a strong work ethic. I try to align the song with the artist's vision, and make it fun to listen to.
I was the Mixing Engineer in this production
- "Just Fine" by Slightest Clue
- Blank Page by Golden Fin
- "Why Try To Change Me Now" by Belle Shea
- "Dashboard Depressional" by Mow Mow
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $350 per song
- Vocal TuningAverage price - $75 per track
- Vocal compingAverage price - $75 per track
- EditingAverage price - $75 per track
- Time alignment - QuantizingAverage price - $75 per track
* I must hear a rough mix of a song before committing to a job
• No Spec Mixes
• Turn around time for 1 song once funded = 4-7days (complexity dependent)
• Credit: Graham Hope - Mixing Engineer
- Dangerous 2Bus/DBox
- Smart C1LA
- API 550a/560
- JLM Audio MAC (St)
- EL8x/EL-Rx
- DBX 120a
- Fulltone TTE
- Little Labs Pepper
- Guitar Pedals
- Pro Tools HDX
- Logic Pro X
- Waves
- Sound Toys
- FabFilter
- UAD Plug-Ins
- Digidesign 192s
- Lynx Hilo
