Mixing & Music Production

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

A: Actually, there are so many projects I’m proud of. Right now, it’s a German-language pop project that I’ve been creatively very involved in. For example, in the third verse, I rewrote the arrangement a bit and also recorded the guitars. The artist recorded himself in his own home studio, and it became a collaboration between the artist, the beat producer, and me as, let’s say, an additional producer and musician. In the end, I mixed and mastered the track. The song has already hit over 700,000 streams on Spotify in no time, which is quite an achievement for a newcomer. I think we’ll be hitting the million mark soon. That’s a current project I’m really proud of.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Right now, I’m working on a German-language pop-reggae song that’s turning out really cool. I just finished a punk-rock-garage-surf EP and still have one song this week to master, which is in a deep, trappy US-pop style with female vocals, as well as a mix to create for a Taylor Swift-style rock-country song. That’s the current work alongside the regular studio business. (February 2025)

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

A: No, just started here.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Most people say a mix of both here, but that’s actually not the question. That would probably be my answer as well. But if I have to choose between analog or digital, definitely digital. The technology has come so far, and the digital analog emulations sound so great. We’ve compared them multiple times with original gear, which we also have here in the studio. Sometimes, we’ve had colleagues run things through original studio tape machines, which we then compared with the plugins. In some cases, it’s really not about whether it’s better or worse, but just a matter of taste. But the ability in the digital world to reset everything if the client has a revision request a week later, something that’s not possible in the analog world, is a factor that really speaks in favor of digital. So, to keep it short: Digital.

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

A: I can actually promise, in a certain way, that if a collaboration happens with me, the artist, band, or musician will be 100% satisfied in the end. First, I always have pre-meetings and communications to ensure we’re all heading in the same direction. The revision rounds are usually either done directly in my studio or via stream, so the people are really involved in the sessions and can actively participate in the revision process. This naturally ensures a high level of satisfaction. In my entire career, which has now lasted quite a few years, I’ve never had an unsatisfied client, actually. But that’s really because I make sure to talk things through with people. There are also projects where the tracks are delivered in such poor quality that I end up turning the project down because I know we wouldn’t achieve a good result together. But that’s usually the exception.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: What I like most about my job is the freedom to plan and organize everything exactly how I want, especially when it comes to timing. Of course, there are always deadlines and such, but the real freedom lies in the fact that no one really tells you how or when to do something. That’s a very valuable thing that I truly appreciate.

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

A: And you really know what all these buttons mean? And what they do? My answer is YES :D

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

A: I think the reality is that, as a music producer or mixing engineer, you spend most of your day working with music production, mixing, and so on. However, I actually spend a lot of time on organization, planning, and discussions. I also have a team I work with, where different people are coordinated in different styles, and a production might be split into recording engineers, mixing engineers, and mastering engineers, so that every project is given the best possible care. I can imagine that this aspect of working in the music business might be somewhat underrated.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Actually, I always find myself in a bit of an interviewer situation. I ask what their musical heroes are, what albums the bands love, where their self-perception of their own music lies, and where their references are. It’s about making sure we’re all pulling in the same direction together.

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

A: So, the first thing I’d do is check out the references of the respective producer and mixing engineer to make sure that the style they’ve worked in matches what I’m aiming for. It’s basically similar to going to a tattoo artist. You either go to someone you know can execute exactly what you have in mind, and then the price is a bit secondary, or if you’re just looking for a mix at a great price, then I might focus more on pricing. However, it has often shown that people who go for the cheapest option often end up paying twice, because they later switch to professionals. This applies both in the tattoo and audio world.

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

A: Laptop, Pro Tools, UA Twin X, Slate Digital All-Acess Pass, SM7B.

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

A: I think I’ve been making music and working with recording, mixing, and production for pretty much my whole life. I started making music when I was around 16, playing guitar. Somehow, it never stopped. I’ve essentially never done anything other than music, and I’ve never earned money from anything else but music, which I’m actually very proud of. Apart from supermarket and waiter jobs during high school and college, of course :)

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I don’t really think I have a distinct, personal style when it comes to mixing. Of course, I do use the same tools, and maybe others can tell when something is mixed by me. But I really try to focus on nailing the artist’s vision. One thing I’ve been told is that I tend to blend vocals into the music rather than having them stand out too much. That might just be a personal taste of mine.

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

A: There are really many. Right now, I think it would be Post Malone, just because he’s such an incredibly creative person and, I think, a really cool dude who doesn’t limit himself.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Listen carefully to what the artists are telling you and always keep the rough mix in mind when external material is sent for mixing.

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

A: My roots are in punk rock, garage, and indie, but over time, I've also developed a deep appreciation for gritty pop music, reggae, trap, and dancehall. I love producing music with attitude and character.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: To be a kind person, someone you can rely on 100% :-)

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: That really varies. There are some productions where I’ve worked as a producer but barely had to intervene because the bands were so creative and worked amazingly well in the studio. Then there are projects where, for example, choruses get rewritten while I’m there because I made a suggestion that resonated with everyone. It all depends on the situation. When it comes to pure mixing, I’d say my main goal is simply to nail the artist’s vision.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: The most typical part of my mixing process is listening to music in the same stylistic direction beforehand—to get into the right mindset and immerse myself in great albums. With that background, I then dive into the mixing process.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a incredibly high-quality setup, combining the best of digital and analog technology. On the analog side, I work with hardware from Neumann, Adam Audio, Neve, SSL, API, and Universal Audio for example. On the software side, I love using tools from Acustica, iZotope, Avid, and FabFilter.These are the things I use every day in my setup. Depending on the production, I apply different approaches and combinations—always based on what the song truly needs.

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

A: I’ve always been more drawn to producers and mixing artists who place a high value on understanding the individual artistic vision and sound design of artists and bands. I don’t have a single “studio sound” that I apply across all bands and artists—partly because the genres I work in are simply too diverse, but also because even within the same genre, I prioritize shaping the sound according to the artists’ and bands’ vision. It’s a philosophy similar to how Rick Rubin approaches production. Many of the albums he worked on became legendary, with bands later saying that, for the first time, they truly sounded like themselves. That’s my vision as well.

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

A: My main job is essentially to provide my clients with highly individualized advice, find the best possible solution for them, and then implement it accordingly according to plan. I love creating mixes that have a lasting impact and sound exactly the way artists envision—so that they’re still happy with them years down the line.