Robbie Simmons on SoundBetter

Mix Engineer specializing in pop, rock and indie

I am a lifelong musician, producer and audio engineer. Bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music in Contemporary Writing and Production.

I specialize in pop, alternative and rock music, I have a lot of experience mixing minimal and at-home recordings and utilizing space within the mix to achieve a larger-than-life sound regardless of recording conditions.

I'm offering remote mixing from my home studio. I am time-efficient and generally charge flat-rate for projects to ensure the best possible outcome for the project.

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

7 Reviews

Endorse Robbie Simmons

by Emily Mineo - lylyly
I trusted Robbie with some of my dearest songs - one needed a strong quartet, a grand piano; one wanted an electronic synth beginning, building into a roaring rock band; another, a ukulele, a three horn harmonie line, and the ocean. They were just concepts with chords and lyrics when I brought them to him. He guided them into the most beautifully produced, shining versions of themselves! He helped me write the instrument arrangements, sourced incredibly talented musicians, all as equally delightful and easy work with as he is, and even played on the tracks himself! I'm thrilled with his work!!
by Kevin Lee Erskine
Hi, I'm Pansy Lee (aka Kevin Erskine). Robbie lent his amazing mixing skills to my recently released single 'Love is Coming for Me Too', which can be found anywhere you listen to music! Not only was he quick at turning around the project, but he really brought out so much character in my music that I wasn't able to hear before his mix. I felt empowered moving into my release and really proud of my work after he cleaned it up and made it ready for the world to hear!

I recommend him to all of my friends now and I'm so glad to have a go-to engineer to support me moving forward!
by Sug Daniels
Robbie was recommended to me from a friend and went above and beyond my expectations. They were kind, a great communicator, and most importantly an incredibly talented engineer. 10/10 will be using them again.
by Brendan McGeehan
Robbie rocks. Very musical, technical, and super easy to work with.
by Bianca Cevoli
Robbie is a thoughtful and talented musician, engineer and producer. He’s a quick study and great collaborator—honest and easy to work with. I feel lucky to have worked with him in both the studio and in live performance! You’re in good hands.
by Daisy Royce
Robbie is an exceptional producer who goes above and beyond for the musicians he works with. He has extraordinary artistic vision and partners with clients in a way that is rare. I’m addition to studio recording, Robbie is skilled at live recording woth quality you would rarely hear outside of a studio. Robbie produced my first album and served as musical director for the live band arrangements and studio album recording. He was also producer and engineer for an outdoor recorded live performance with a six piece band. I fully, fully recommend that artists work with Robbie!
by Jesse Griffith
Robbie is a real pro & a pleasure to work with. He’s recorded my drumming and not only gets great sounds, he combines those sounds to make beautiful & cohesive songs! You won’t regret hiring Robbie for your next project.

Interview with Robbie Simmons

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Sophie Coran for top-lining and piano
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I'll always be grateful to Emily Mineo from lylyly for having faith in me as one of my first production artists. We worked on 4 songs from their self-titled album, including "Home" which was an incredible journey of a song. I got the freedom to arrange for many instruments, record the band live and mix across genres and styles. The project was so formative and really changed my understanding of collaboration.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I am producing an album with Frankie DeRosa (the first single releases in November) and have recently done mixes for Kevin Erskine and Sug Daniels.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Why does it have to be either? Analog is great for recording, some Analog circuitry will always sound better than not when recording something with a microphone. But for mixing, the reliability of recall, the variables to automate and plugins available make it very hard to compete strictly working in the analog domain.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: To always deliver a high-quality, release ready mix, regardless of obstacles.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Getting a song to really move and tell a story with the motion of its elements, and artists getting really excited about a mix!
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Questions usually are around pricing and delivery time. My pricing is flexible and budget friendly and typically I can deliver a first mix within a week of receiving files.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That any and all issues can be fixed in the mix. I'm great with clean-up and pitch correction but some things can be really time-consuming and not very fun to fix.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Do you have a specific sound you're looking for?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Work with someone who respects you and your art! If someone acts like they're too good to work with you, they're going to treat your project that way.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Laptop, Apollo twin, a midi keyboard, my slimline telecaster Vonda and an SM7b
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I have attempted many career paths, but always land back at music. In my 20s I went back to school, attending and graduating from Berklee College of Music. I have been working in and around music professionally since 2015.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I would describe my style and clean and creative
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I would love to mix for Lucius. Their two-vocal approach is totally unparalleled and even as they evolve, their sounds and arrangements are so deliberate and creative.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Leave space for the melody in your arrangement. If you have moving secondary lines, use those in the dead air of the melody and allow the main melodic idea to shine on its own.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop, Rock and Indie
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is understanding musicality and being able to weave a mix around the most important and interesting moments in a song.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring a clean but creative take on a mix. I have a knack for understanding the artist's intention in the song and bringing that to life in the most honest way.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: To mix a song, I start by organizing the tracks in a session, grouping by instrument/section and coloring. I start mixing with the drums and build the song from the drums and bass, shaping and leveling each track. By the time I get to vocals, I'll have an idea of the appropriate sound of the vocals and setup those effects. Once the mix sits nicely, I start with automation and creative mixing choices, the final phase of the mix.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: DAWS: Logic Pro, LUNA, Mixbus, Wavelab Conversion/Interface: Universal Audio Apollo Twin x Plug-Ins include UA, Soundtoys, iZotope, Waves, Plugin Alliance and Slate Digital
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Brandi Carlile, Shawn Everett, Sarah Tudzin, Andy Park, Butch Vig, Serban Ghenea, Joe Gallagher
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Mixing, mastering and production

Wearing Me Down by ThebandIvory

I was the Producer, Mixer in this production

Mixing EngineerAverage price - $200 per song

Terms are negotiated per-project, with a flat rate for the entire project agreed upon. Pricing is negotiable. 1/2 of agreed flat-rate due before work begins; final payment on delivery of final mixes.