Aleksej Saržan on SoundBetter

I specialize in mixing rap vocals Lil Uzi Vert / Quavo / 6lack style from start to finish, and fitting them into the beat. What exactly I will do for your project is: tune your vocals, make them sound crispy and shiny but controlled, mix them into the beat while keeping the vocals punching through, and drive the whole mix nice and loud.

Now, to be a bit more detailed:

1. Who am I?
- I'm a completely self-taught mixing engineer with many dozens of mixed songs already under my belt.

2. Who have I worked with, what experience do I have?
- Most of my portfolio is comprised of my own music, so I have a deep understanding of the recording, mixing, and mastering processes, and especially of mixing rap vocals and fitting them into the musical composition - that's where I have the most expertise. I have worked with some local talent doing exactly that, and I constantly listen to current top songs, breaking down the different sounds and effects and techniques used to create the tracks - so I know what a great song sounds like.

3. What popular artists do my mixes sound like?
- The biggest inspiration for my sound is Lil Uzi Vert. The crispy, new-school auto-tuned, bright and shiny vocals also resemble the likes of Quavo, Lil Wayne, Tory Lanez, 24hrs, and 6lack.
That being said, your song is YOUR song. That's why we will extensively communicate throughout the mixing process to make sure it sounds the way YOU want.

4. How many revisions do I offer?
- As many as it takes. I love working on your tracks as much as you do.

5. Do I master?
- I will drive your track nice and loud and Spotify-compliant, but professional mastering is still recommended.

Contact me now and let's get your project mixed!

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Credits

MG-16

3 Reviews

Endorse Aleksej Saržan

by Jonas
Me and Aleksej started the band "MG-16" together with some friends more than 2 years ago, and we've been writing and recording music together ever since. He does all the mixing and mastering for our songs. From a musical standpoint, he has a greatly trained ear and imagination and attention to detail - we even make inside jokes about him doing his "magic" with mixing, and tuning vocals like a surgeon when we're recording. And from a personality standpoint he's very hardworking and passionate.
by Oleg
Aleksej is a great guy, very hardworking, and his mixing is on point. Seriously.
by Ervinas
Aleksej is a very great guy to work with! I had the opportunity to work with him back in August. He mixed and mastered the entire song for me, including the instrumental and the vocals. I'm a freshman in this whole rap game, so he gave me a lot of advice, like how many vocal tracks should I record, how to promote my first song, and other useful advice for beginners. High-quality sound is very important to him.

Interview with Aleksej Saržan

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: 1) Of course, listen to demos and find someone who works with a style similar to your desires; 2) Talk to different people and see who you connect with personally, and who seems genuinely passionate about working with you. I love it when people put a piece of themselves into the work, as opposed to just getting it done.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: At the moment, I'm actively writing, recording, and mixing a lot of new music of my own, while working towards getting my first Soundbetter client(-s).
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Tuning vocals | Mixing vocals | Mix bus mixing | Basic mastering
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: New-school, in-your-face, while atmospheric and ambient at the same time.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: 6lack, because his lyrics always hit me right in the feels (and I love listening to the way his vocals are mixed and trying to break it apart)
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Loosen up, get in the mood, and don't be afraid to experiment.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Hip-hop, club
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Vocal mixing
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: It all started with a cover song with friends in high-school, and I've been hooked ever since. I've been writing, recording, mixing, and mastering music for 2 years now. 100% self-taught and still learning.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: A rich-sounding, loud mix, with vocal clarity and crispiness, and overall balance and coherence. On the personal side, I bring a deep compassion for the artist, because it's always going to be YOUR song, so I make sure it sounds the way YOU imagined. That being said, I'm a very creative mixer and I like to experiment and come up with unique-sounding elements, which might enrich your mix in a way you wouldn't have imagined yourself.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: 1) Communicate with the client extensively to really understand what sound / vibe they want to achieve; 2) Listen to the raw tracks multiple times and imagine the result sound in my head; 3) Put that imagined result sound into reality (vocal tuning and mixing, doubles, reverb, and delay for ambience); 4) Use the mix bus to glue all the tracks together and make final EQ adjustments; 5) Basic mastering to drive the track loud and get it to the required LUFS for Spotify.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: MacBook Pro with Logic Pro X and the top plug-ins from Slate Digital and Waves | a pair of KRK Rokit RP5 G4's with a Focusrite Scarlett Solo in a semi-treated room | Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro headphones and a mono Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 5 speaker for reference.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Lil Uzi Vert | 6lack | G-Eazy | Dave Pensado | Steven Slate