Maxx Karales on SoundBetter

I've been mixing $20-100 microphone sounds for over half-a-decade, and I will mix your sounds too. Not just do I make them sound good, but I have way too much fun doing it. I take mixing other people's music as a privilege and I want the artist (you) to be proud of the final product, so let's make the mix you want, together <3

Hello! I'm Maxx Karales, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and most importantly, independant mixing engineer. I have written, recorded and produced five albums since 2021 (check Discogs creds). I love mixing music because it's like bringing a paper doll to life through tedious EQ tampering.

I ask at least 24 bit, 44.1khz WAVs of your multitracks, but higher quality is great too! I'm a young producer and I'm constantly learning, so my prices are pretty low and ever changing. I start rough mixes at $20 per song (EQ, compression, audio balancing) and full mixes at $40-60 (FX, mega time, making it all shiny). I also sing and play instruments and if you want me to put anything on your track, we can chat specifics.

My favorite kinds of mixes lean into the characteristic of the music it's supposed to serve. Not every song has to have impossibly big sounding drums and walls of guitars, but if that's what it needs, I won't say no. I have many, many inspirations when it comes to mixing, so here's a short list of a few of my biggest inspirations:

Rock/Metal:
Mer De Noms - A Perfect Circle
Era Vulgaris & ...Like Clockwork - Queens Of The Stone Age
Blast Tyrant - Clutch
Betty - Helmet

Alternate/Others:
Green And Gray - Pile
XO - Elliott Smith
Tenacious D - Tenacious D
Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars - Edie B
Posthumous Release - Coma Cinema

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Credits

Discogs verified credits for Maxx Karales

Gort and Caretaker
Gort and Caretaker
Gort and Caretaker
Gort and Caretaker
Gort and Caretaker
Gort and Caretaker
Gort and Caretaker
Gort and Caretaker
Gort and Caretaker
Gort and Caretaker
Gort and Caretaker
Gort and Caretaker

Languages

English

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Interview with Maxx Karales

Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm working on the next Gort and Caretaker album and surviving until then.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Analogue because I'm a hipster
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: I don't just mix, but I'm not sure what else it is I do.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Do you know Pterodactyl King's cover of Bandz A Make Her Dance? Do you wanna make a cover of their cover with me?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Don't hire a provider 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 me, just hire me. I'm into the vision more than I am about being "right" about a mix, so if you want something unconventional, shoot!
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: An old Yamaha keyboard, an acoustic guitar, and three 4x12 cabs for display.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: Career?
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Power Slop meets Raging Bird Ballads meets the Power Rangers theme sometimes.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: If you ain't red linin', you're not playing my cousin's birthday party.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I have a strong ear for bad frequencies, and I try to milk every single track on a project for the most of itself will give me, no matter how much it usually takes.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: An unadulterated opinion on how I feel, a unique and open perspective on kick mic placement, and a pack of soda or seltzers if you're not into sugar.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: It's different for every song. Full band songs with drums and bass and geets, I start with drums and build up the rythym section into strings into the rest of it. For songs with bare arrangements or strange instrumentation, I just take it as it comes and do my best to make it, to put it in one word, satisfying.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have my BX8a monitors and Philips Fidelio X2HR headphones to use with my ears, a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 to use with the ear stuff, and to do the magic, I use REAPER.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Terry Date and Ulrich Wild for their work on Around The Fur, what a crushing sounding album. Those two also double teamed S.C.I.E.N.C.E.! That album goes so hard and also sounds absolutely amazing. Matt Bayles did a pretty decent job on Manipulator by Fall Of Troy, though really the music stands on its own merit without a fancy mix. He also assisted on Around The Fur which is fun.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I will try to get as close to the sound in your head as possible! Though, I have no guarantees because I cannot hear your thoughts.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Post-Indie-Hard-Anti-Sex-Sad-Rock
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I mix :)