Serge Firsov on SoundBetter

Production / mixing / mastering in one place!

...if you give a song for mixing to five top sound engineers, you will find that at the end all five mixes will sound completely different. Here, not only skills and experience come into play but most importantly musical taste. This is what highlights one sound engineer from another. If your sound vision and musical preference match up then you found your mixing engineer. In order to determine the difference in sound you can always compare my mixes to your favorite tracks.

Sincerely,
Serge Firsov

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Credits

1 Reviews

Endorse Serge Firsov

by Konstantin
Verified
Great customer orientation. Everything was done quickly and qualitatively. Special thanks to the sound engineer for the additional efforts that were not included in the initial deal. Highly recommend!

Interview with Serge Firsov

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Dave Grohl - he is full of crazy ideas yet he manages to implement them into reality.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Besides mixing and mastering I also work as a producer. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience of many years with my clients.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I love working with the Sirena band, they trust me and give me full freedom to create. I am especially proud of this project as I worked with them not only as a mixing engineer but also as a producer.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: At the moment I am working on a new album for a Russian band "Sirena".
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I am new to SoundBetter
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: I will always miss analog but in the modern world there is just no way without digital.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I will exceed your expectations.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Creativity and freedom
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Customers often reference famous artist and want to sound like them. My answer would be - I will reference this in the process but will make your song truly distinct.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That my job is easy and the computer does it for me.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What is your vision for the song?
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My brain, computer and a guitar!
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: Back in the 80s I was a member of a successful rock band when I realized that music is my passion and I can no longer live without it. As they say " there are no former musicians".., In those days we were using only analog equipment and were trying to make our first recordings. Years later I graduated from Los Angeles Film School with a degree in Sound Engineering and Recording Arts. Since then I continue to work as a sound engineer.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: diverse
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Don't try to mimic other artists, be your own self with your unique style.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I work in various genres
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Each mix takes me about 2 days. I first need to live with the song for some time allowing for creative flow to begin. Then comes the premix and only after that I make final edits.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: The most important part of a mixing studio is how it's treated and monitoring. I spent a lot of time choosing the right monitoring system for my studio. After years of experience I landed on Tannoy System 1200. The heart of my studio is the mixing console Yamaha DM 2000 equipped with Dante network cards which allows me to have 32 audio channels. This set up works perfectly with my Pro Tools 12 HD. I also have 2 Millennia STT1 preamps Empirical Labs Distressors, which I love on drums section. I also have Universal Audio DSP cards with bunch of plugins and much much more...
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: ...if you give a song for mixing to five top sound engineers, you will find that at the end all five mixes will sound completely different. Here, not only skills and experience come into play but most importantly musical taste. This is what highlights one sound engineer from another. If your sound vision and musical preference match up then you found your mixing engineer. In order to determine the difference in sound you can always compare my mixes to your favorite tracks.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Rhythm and arrangement.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: My experience and exceptional sound to make each song truly unique.