Joe Wenger on SoundBetter

Making sure each track sounds its best on any system by thoughtfully considering technological limitations to enhance your creative decisions.

As a specialist in mixing and mastering, my approach focuses on two central tenets, science and creativity. In both processes, it is crucial to have an understanding of each tenet. Understanding the science behind acoustics and music technologies allows the engineer to make decisions that make a track sound great across all playback systems. However, if the engineer ignores the second tenet, creativity, they can make moves that make scientific sense but fail the artist's creative vision. In my process, I weigh the balance between both so that the track's creative vision is maintained and enhanced.

Throughout my work on your project, you can expect a collaborative experience. Each project begins with a consultation where we discuss the results you are looking for and what I can do for your project. After this consultation, I will create an individualized proposal for your project. Once you receive this proposal, full payment to SoundBetter is required to confirm the project. Throughout my work on the project, there will be multiple points where I will check in with you and provide opportunities for input before you receive the final products.

Reach out through the contact button above, and we can begin discussing how I can help your music always sound its best!

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Interview with Joe Wenger

Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My style is summed up easily in one word, minimalism. Most important to me is enhancing the artist’s artistic vision, so I’m not going to load in a track and start turning knobs for no reason or simply because that’s what I do for every project. Each project deserves to have its individuality respected, and I prioritize this respect for any project I take on. This means that every change I do make needs to enhance that individuality while still obeying certain norms required by the different playback systems your end consumer will use to listen to your music.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: It all begins with listening carefully to both the tracks and client requests. Since all of my mastering decisions come from balancing the scientific and creative parts of the mixing/mastering process, my goal in listening as closely as I do is not only to understand but internalize the creative vision of each individual project. Once I’ve gotten a handle on the creative vision, I make the typical changes you would expect from any engineer while constantly referencing the creative vision and ensuring that any changes I make enhance that vision. This respect for the creative vision is also why I am sure to allow for plenty of input from the client so that my vision lines up with theirs.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I am a mastering engineer first. While I enjoy mixing for clients when asked, I bring a big-picture perspective no matter the service I provide. What I find clients come to me for is squeezing out the last 10% of the latent potential from a song. My clients trust me to get the maximum impact from their low-end, groove, and song structure. When I find that the original mix is preventing me from creating the effect I am looking for in mastering, I either provide mix notes that the client will then bring back to the mixing engineer for a second pass or hire me to punch up the mix so that my mastering work can have maximum impact.