Roy Merchant

Mix Engineer/Producer

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196 Reviews (175 Verified)
Roy Merchant on SoundBetter

Do you need your track to be more defined? More thump? More sheen? Give me a shout...

I started my career in Soho’s early 90’s studio boom by cutting teeth on all things sample based and beat orientated. A great time for Hip-Hop and Dance music, the beginnings of our current flavours. In the late 90’s, after spending almost 18 months moving between London, New York and Jamaica,I decided to plant my feet firmly in Brixton, South London, where I went on to produce and mix a whole host of ground breaking UK Garage and Hip-Pop artists. A multi platinum Mixer/Producer with credits that span from Coldcut to So Solid Crew and Omar to MIA. With over 25 years experience I've mixed various multi platinum selling records. How can I help you?

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

196 Reviews - 45 Repeat Clients

Endorse Roy Merchant
  1. Review by Kimmy T.
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    The whole process was smooth and Roy is really easy to work with. He added a fullness and professional sheen to the track but still very faithful to the initial sound of the reference and demo mix. He also took care of some minor issues with the source track that I can no longer hear. Would be very interested in working with Roy again.

  2. Review by Tim S.
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    by Tim S.
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    Roy must have the patience of a Saint doing this with people like me, can't recommend him enough.

  3. Review by Maciej Szkonter
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    we just finished mixing my next EP. another great collaboration with Roy.

  4. Review by AB T.
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    by AB T.
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    I really enjoyed working with Roy. He is easy to work with and very talented!

  5. Review by Gregory-Yves F.
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    Roy has an amazing ear and really polished my track from a muddy idea to something very presentable. What's more is he was incredibly patient which is detrimental to such an emotional and finicky process as song mixing. I thoroughly recommend him for your project and

  6. Review by Sharaf
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    by Sharaf
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    Roy's expertise really amazed us. The project was complex as it is but Roy was very diligent and receptive of what we wanted from the project and delivered above our expectations.

  7. Review by Tim S.
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    by Tim S.
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    Roy's patience & commitment to the job paid off as usual, very happy :)

  8. Review by Franck D.
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    Another great job from Mr Roy! What else?

  9. Review by Christos T.
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    Excellent engineer! thanks a lot Roy

  10. Review by Cayso
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    by Cayso
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    Roy knocked this one out of the park. A simple track with a laid back, understated rap vocal, it needed the right mix to bring the energy of the bass and waviness of the melodies to life.

    He balanced everything in just a few revisions, was prompt with the turnaround and communication, and really turned this track from a rough draft into the vision I knew it could be.

    Couldn't be more pleased with my results - Roy is really helping me level up my workflow and professional sound quality!!

  11. Review by Gim
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    by Gim
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    They always do an excellent job.
    Thank you for responding appropriately to my requests.

  12. Review by Oscar S.
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    Roy was so easy to work with. Pretty much nailed the vibe on the first round. Will definitely be using Roy for future projects.

  13. Review by Cayso
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    by Cayso
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    I am SOOO happy with the result from this mix and master. Roy met and exceeded my expectations within a few revisions. He is prompt and dedicated to his craft.

    I've been mixing for years and I have never achieved this level of professionalism on my own - I just listened to the final mix alongside other songs by top artists and it sounds THE SAME in terms of clarity, tone, and loudness. I am overjoyed and Roy has helped me to take the quality of my music to the NEXT LEVEL!!!

    YAY :)

  14. Review by Doosik K.
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    Always amazing and patient:) The best

  15. Review by phillysm
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    Third time working with Roy and it’s always the charm. He’s quick, efficient and gets what needs to be done to shape the track to perfection. All round good guy and top producer/mixing master.

  16. Review by Ptychka
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    Roy delivered an excellent mix. He was efficient, generous and highly professional.

  17. Review by Matthew T.
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    Years of experience, great advise plus guys a legend

  18. Review by Gim
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    by Gim
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    Roy is a great engineer. I would request him again.

  19. Review by Valentin Dietmar
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    Highly professional, experienced mixing, and mastering engineer. His initial mix is so good that only minor details need adjustment to suit personal preferences. Thank you for your patience Roy!

  20. Review by Doosik K.
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    Roy is amazing. I'm glad I found the right person to take care of my music:)) I'm so happy.

Interview with Roy Merchant

  1. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  2. A: I use Protools as my mixing DAW and Ableton for programming. Hardware includes a N16 summing amp fed by an Apogee Symphony and AD/DA 16X. I have a few racks of analogue gear I like to process parts through.

  3. Q: What's your typical work process?

  4. A: Import all the files at 48k then get a tempo and strip the audio so I can actually see the arrangement. Then I'll AB the balance with the ref mix so I'm starting where the producer left off, that's really important. I have some nice bits of gear, so sometimes I'll bounce things around to play with their harmonics and dynamics. There's a Phoenix N16 summing mixer that sits at the backend of my Tools session and returns via either an Alansmart C2 or Avalon 747.

  5. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  6. A: I love woking with Omar, he's such a great talent. Saying that, the material he hands over can be in a pretty bad shape sometimes. His "The Man" album was mostly recorded in his back garden and hearing what we managed to pull out of the sessions makes me smile. When I mixed that project we really captured his unique vibe.

  7. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  8. A: I'll put everything I can into your project.

  9. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  10. A: Mac, ATC 25a, Apogee Symphony, U87, DRS-Q4. Shame there's no power on the island...

  11. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  12. A: I started making tea in a studio when I was 16. Watched and learnt from many different engineers and producers. I was in-house at a studio in Soho, London, for 4-5 years then went out to Jamaica to record and mix a few albums. After that I engineered for a range of different dance producers and signed to a management company. This led to engineering and mixing for major labels. 25 years later and about 10 million records later... Here I am.

  13. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  14. A: Electronic.... Pop/Soul/Dance/Indi

  15. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  16. A: SOOOO many.. Massive Attack were and still are a huge inspiration. Mobb Deep had a great vibe and so did Dr Dre. Armand Van Helden's done a few decent tracks in his time too. Beck and the Dust Brothers have probably inspired many people without knowing. More recently, you can't knock Calvin Harris for consistency and pop sensibility. As far as mixers go Mark Stent and Tony Maserati have done some of my favourite mixes. As I said.. SOOOO many...

  17. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  18. A: I love hearing new tracks, hearing new ideas and new sounds. That said, the best part is seeing people stretch their creativeness.

  19. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  20. A: Both... Analogue can add a harmonic richness and digital is quick easy and convenient.

  21. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  22. A: Beck.. I've always loved his vibe. Folk hop? The dirt, groove and colourful lyrics.

  23. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  24. A: Patience.

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Swiss - Like This

I was the Mix Engineer in this production


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    Swiss - Like This
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    Kianja - I Appreciate You
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    Electronica Medley
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    Omar - The Man
Terms Of Service

Mixing: 2 revisions;
Stems: $20 per stem
Mastering: 2 revisions

GenresSounds Like
  • Bonobo
  • Daft Punk
  • Funkadelic
Gear Highlights
  • Avid Pro Tools Ultimate
  • Apogee Symphony
  • ATC SMC25a
  • Neve 1073
  • Neve 2254
  • Urei LA4
  • Wes Beta76
  • Avalon 747
  • Smart C2
  • Manley ELOP+
  • Phoenix N16
  • Moog
  • MPC 3000
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  • Over a Billion streamsDec 16, 2023

    Muso.AI just released the figures for 2023 and WOW,  1.1 billion streams. Mega happy, let's push for the second BILLION. See picture inserts.

  • Joe Meek???Jan 28, 2022

    On a whim I got a SC2.2 off Ebay... Why I hear you ask. Well, it's different I give you that. 


    I bussed a drum kit and put the LA 4 over it, not bad. Then used the Joe Meek SC2.2 as a parallel and WHACK. This thing will come in handy...!!!!!

  • New gearAug 17, 2021

    Just added the Wes Audio Beta76 to the studio. A fantastic rework of the classic Urei 1176. A beauty..!!!!!