Mixing, Mastering, Production

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

A: I have been mixing seriously since I was 17, so over 10 years. I started off recording my guitar into Garageband on my iPad when I was probably about 15 and I just became obsessed with making my songs sound better and better. I probably recorded about 100 songs on the thing before deciding that I needed an upgrade. So my parents very generously bought me a MacBook Pro for my 18th birthday and I bought myself ProTools and an audio interface. From here on my love for mixing only grew and I've completed many, many more mixes in the years since. I had just finished High School about the time I got my MacBook and my recording software, and I was left with the daunting decision of what to do next. I didn't have any real interests other than music and music production and I knew that any non creative subject would bore me and I would subsequently lose interest and fail any course I decided to attend. So I applied for and was accepted to a college course studying 'Sound Production'. This was a 2 year course that covered a wide range of topics including recording and recording techniques, mixing, acoustics, live sound recording and even a module that covered the details of the industry. I loved this course and learned so much including many valuable skills in audio engineering. But it wasn't a realistic or 'safe' career path for me so mixing had to take a back seat for a while until I found a stable career. So here I am a few years later with a reignited passion for mixing. I now have a stable career where I earn enough to very slowly build the studio that I have wanted since I was 17. My expectations have changed slightly and I now know exactly what I want, and what is realistic. But I have a plan and I'm looking forward to seeing it through.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I like to think that I have a very relaxed style. When working with a client I make a point to put my clients vision before mine and any requests they have, I try my best to complete.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog. Although I don't have any analog equipment, I have worked with and used analogue mixing desks, reverbs and compressors. I find that these give a certain character to a sound that digital equipment struggles to replicate.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Very basic at the moment. Although I have been mixing for many years, due to my financial circumstance I have never been able to upgrade my studio a great deal. This is reflected in my profile photo. I currently mix on a MacBook Pro with Presonus Eris E5 studio monitors and I use an Avid Mbox as an interface. No fancy preamps or analog equipment. I rely on plugins a lot to get good sounds out of guitars. I do however enjoy the challenge of making a great sounding song with the limitations I currently have. This is why most of my spare coin has gone towards recording software and plugins. Things are beginning to look up for me though, so I'm looking forward to improving my studio!

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

A: I'd say that it's not all about making a song sound great. This is of course the basic role of a mixing engineer but theres so much more to it than that. It's also about using my skills with equipment and plugins to make a song sound like what my client is expecting their song to sound like. My role also has a high demand for good communication skills, I think this is something that a lot of people might not realise. Keeping in touch with a client is immensely important as well as keeping good relations with your network.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I always ask what the general sound they are going for is with each project or song. This allows me to get a better understanding of their vision and it allows me to make decisions during my mix to help achieve this. Another thing I tend to ask, if its applicable, is what song/ artist they would like me to reference when mixing their work.

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

A: I would advise to keep in mind that you are in charge. This is your vision and I am only here to enhance it. Don't be afraid to make any unusual or cheeky requests. And definitely don't be afraid to tell me to change something in my mix.

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

A: Recently I have been working on a lot of my own material. This is primarily Punk Rock but branches over to Metal, Metalcore, Rock and Pop Rock. So its pretty clear what my preferred genre is. I have however been fortunate enough to mix a variety of different genres and instrumental performances over the years including a grand piano performance, a bagpipe performance, an Indie band and various acoustic pieces.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I would say that my strongest skill is communication with my clients. I ensure that the file that is returned to them is exactly what they expect and unless it is absolutely necessary or specifically requested by my client, I won't advise on any changes to the song structure/ tone.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: As mentioned in my bio, I typically bring clarity and 'punchiness' to a song, depending on what is required or what fits.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Typically what I have done in the past to improve my mixing skills is record my own songs- an example of this can be found as my mix sample. So I record a basic demo and add programmed drums to this. Then I'll record the MIDI into individual audio files for mixing later. Then I'll record bass and guitars over the top of the drum parts and the song is ready for mixing. Mixing for me begins with an initial level balance, giving me a better idea of what needs to be altered later in the mix. Next I start panning certain channels to provide width to the mix. After that I apply any EQ, compression, reverb, delay, saturation or whatever else is required to create clarity and 'fullness' to the individual channels and sub mixes. This is the meat of my process, any further alterations or additional effects are done after a break or the next day- allowing for a clearer head. Mastering is next for me, something I have recently been focusing on. This process varies from song to song but most of the time involves very subtle EQ and compression followed by some limiting. This is my normal process but occasionally I'll get a friend or acquaintance asking me to mix something for them. In this case all of the parts for the song are sent over and most of the time no additional recordings are necessary.

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

A: Huge fan of Bad Religion. Their style, energy and message is a massive influence on the work I do. Chris Lord-Alge has been a hero of mine for a very long time, even if I didn't realise it earlier on in my life. I greatly admire his approach to mixing.

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

A: Mixing, Mastering and occasionally assisting with production.