Simon Achkar

Mixing, Remixing & Editing

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4 Reviews
Simon Achkar on SoundBetter

Hire the mix engineer that cares about the outcome of your work more than you do. I'm up to date with the development occurring in popular music-genres, sound and culture. I started as a mix engineer in 2015 for Mr. Sikuencer's 'I Am' which sat at #1 for two weeks in Traxsource Stems Chart. I've worked with other artists such as G-Bace, Babe Grand.

I come from Northern Lebanon, a calm place yet full of potential called Halba.

My knowledge in the audio field comes from both academic and practical sources. With 'Audio Engineering' - the ever evolving art that gave each era in music history its unique sound - and my knowledge, we can give your record any timestamp you want or be adventurous and create something totally unique for you.

With me you get unlimited revisions and free social media posts about your work. And if you're in my area then I won't let your visit be short or let you leave without the generous reception northerners are famous for. And if you're into retro/arcade games we have an arcade system in the studio with every single arcade game ever created. We will have good time and you get a 50% discount if you can beat me in Street Fighter II ;)

Send me a note through the contact button above.

4 Reviews

Endorse Simon Achkar
  1. Review by RobeMagin
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    Simon mezcló 2 canciones para mí y quedé muy satisfecho con el resultado. Me dio a entender desde otra perspectiva el sonido de mi música y le dio fuerza a la mezcla. Si buscas profesionalidad y compromiso es la persona adecuada. En resumen un buen trabajo con un gran profesional.

  2. Review by RobeMagin
    starstarstarstarstar

    Simon mezcló 2 canciones para mí y quedé muy satisfecho con el resultado. Me dio a entender desde otra perspectiva el sonido de mi música y le dio fuerza a la mezcla. Si buscas profesionalidad y compromiso es la persona adecuada. En resumen un buen trabajo con un gran profesional.

  3. Review by RobeMagin
    starstarstarstarstar

    Simon mezcló 2 canciones para mí y quedé muy satisfecho con el resultado. Me dio a entender desde otra perspectiva el sonido de mi música y le dio fuerza a la mezcla. Si buscas profesionalidad y compromiso es la persona adecuada. En resumen un buen trabajo con un gran profesional.

  4. Review by Gary Burlace
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    by Gary Burlace

    Simon is a great engineer, with detailed attention on the mixes, delivering a velvet smooth sound ready for playing out and sending to labels for demo.
    He helped myself with a recent release on Kukushka Records, and I have another 3 tracks ready to send now with Simons mix skills added.

    Highly Reccommended!!!

Interview with Simon Achkar

  1. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  2. A: Sound is analog... 10 years ago I would have said Analog. But with the advancement of today's technology you have the choice to choose the one that fits you and your workflow. Digital fits my workflow.

  3. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  4. A: Matty Harris! I always recommend him to my clients as a mastering engineer.

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

  6. A: Commitment & dedication to deliver the best work I can do.

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

  8. A: We get the stems! The multi-track! More audio files! More control! Yum! That's selfish huh!? Joking... haha! Music is collaborative art and I love when my clients are happy. At the end of day this is MUSIC. And it's THEIR music, it satisfies me when they are satisfied that's what I like and what I want the most. it's truly a beautiful thing.

  9. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  10. A: Few questions have been common since I started mixing... ▪ Clients ask me how they send me their files? I prefer Microsoft's OneDrive. But it's not important what you use DropBox, WeTransfer, Google Drive I'm okay with all that as long as their files are exported in an uncompressed audio format like .AIF and WAV. ▪ Also I get a lot of clients that ask me if I deliver a master as well? No I'm not a mastering engineer and it's truly worth it to hire the specialist in the job. I did it sometimes where the budget of the project was small. But I prefer to connect them with a mastering engineer and explain their case.

  11. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  12. A: I know the technology that I work with like the person who have created it. I know my gear, I know my plugins for long time. My job is just a communication manager between the artist and the plugins, to achieve the sound they want and we will achieve it!

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

  14. A: It's gotta be the latest Babe Grand EP 'King Of The Weekend', I've helped with the songwriting and I also did the mixing.

  15. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  16. A: At the moment I'm preparing a series of Cubase/Mixing Tutorials that will be on youtube next month, in March this year!

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

  18. A: Electronic music

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

  20. A: Remon Khalife, Elie Barbar, Ron Rigler, Bob Clearmountain, Flemming Rasmussen, Randy Staub

  21. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  22. A: I'm a mix engineer, My clients usually have a favorite track and they want me to imitate its spectral image. But I do also from time to time get the opportunity to work with some adventurous artists that really just want me to be creative with their mixes and get a unique sound/balance.

  23. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  24. A: Many people think mixing is the same thing as mastering. But it's okay I always explain to them. The worst is that some think we have magical powers and that we can fix the unfix-able - an unfinished production?

  25. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  26. A: Have you worked with a mix engineer before? Do you have basic knowledge of what we do as mix engineers? Do you have any experience in this field? Do you know that it's not always the case that we can make your record sound like Artist X that you referenced? For your record to sound like another record it's supposed to be built from the ground up like the other record from composition to arrangement to recording to production. It's not always feasible. It depends on whether your song and your referenced record share the same vision.

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

  28. A: I'd take an axe, a fishing rod, a flint-based fire starter, some WetFire tinder cubes and some ropes. Just joking :) Cubase 10.5 Pro, My laptop, my soundcard and my headphones. Hmmm that's 4 and the Cubase dongle that's 5!

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

  30. A: I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS and even before I listen to the client's material. I ask my clients to play a small role play where I am their deaf friend and they need to write me a small paragraph about their song/album that interprets the way THEY hear it as well as what/when/who/where it sounds like! This is very important! So if my prospective client is reading this, prepare yourself, trust me this is how I make the magic happen! After that I hear the material and I talk about it with the client, write down their expectations so that the sonic destination is clear and under the radar. They send me the money, I start working. It takes me about 2-3 days to finish a mix, I send it to the client and we can revise together until they are satisfied most of the times it's just two rounds and we're done.

  31. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  32. A: It's exclusively In-The-Box: Monitors: Presonus Eris 66 Headphones: Ultrasone Pro-900 Audio Interface: Focusrite 18i20 (3rd Gen), DAW: Cubase Pro 10.5 Plugins: SSL Native Plugins Bundle - VMR 2.0 - elysia Phil's Cascade

  33. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  34. A: Work with what you have that's all you need.

  35. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  36. A: Know your music very well. Know what sound is possible with the recordings you have. Don't be shy, no body knows everything! Consider me your friend in the music business.

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

  38. A: I've been making music since I was 11, but I only started mixing 4 years ago. I'm blessed, I'm still fresh and I have alot to learn and many to work with!

  39. Q: How would you describe your style?

  40. A: My clients say my mixes are clear and powerful. I say my mixes are honest, they tell the truth.

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

  42. A: Al Di Meola, because he's a magnificent musician. And at the end of the day It's what's behind the faders that counts.

  43. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  44. A: I don't always bring... sometimes you have to take. But my ironclad law in mixing is 'know then give what the song really needs'.

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Babe Grand - No More Hurtin'

I was the Mixing Engineer and Producer in this production

Terms Of Service

- Mixes will be delivered in 2-3 business days from the date booked + unlimited revisions for mixes, remixes and edits until we find the sound that satisfies you 😀

GenresSounds Like
  • Will Clarke
  • Mike Vale
  • Justin Martin
Gear Highlights
  • Cubase 11 Pro
  • Solid State Logic Native Plugins
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5$ Discount for Soundbetter visitors on any of my offerings