Leonardo Nerini

Mixing and Mastering

Leonardo Nerini on SoundBetter

Streaming-ready mixing and mastering, 10+ experience, quick turnaround.

I started recording and mixing band demos in 2012 in my hometown Trento, moved to Berlin and completed a B.A. in Audio Production in 2016 and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering in 2023.

I've been working as a recording and mixing engineer since 2016 and as a quality engineer at Neumann since 2023. Records I've recorded and mixed span different music genres, such as jazz, heavy metal, rock, reggae, electronic, techno, and much more.

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Interview with Leonardo Nerini

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

  2. A: I have recorded and mixed the Hormigueo record "Too quiet for outside". I particularly enjoyed it, because there was never a moment of doubt regarding the direction of it, and it all happened spontaneously, as it was meant to be like that.

  3. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  4. A: I am mixing a Techno EP and a Ska/Rock record that I have personally produced and recorded this year.

  5. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  6. A: Analog for recording, to impart its character, digital for music for full flowing flexibility.

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

  8. A: This is your music, and I will never do something to it that you would never want done to it.

  9. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  10. A: The chance of reacting to music, and letting the flow of it decide where the mix is going to go.

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

  12. A: It is really hard to fix something in the mix. I can make it sound better, clearer, louder, but if the soul is not there beforehand, there is not much that can be done about that.

  13. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  14. A: What do you want the listener to feel like while listening to your work?

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

  16. A: I look for work relationships where both parties can speak openly in the service of music being worked on. The process is not straightforward

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

  18. A: - Reference headphones, if I cannot hear I cannot mix. - A parametric equalizer - A variable saturation circuit - A colorful compressor - A set of faders There are a lot of situations where you will not have the exact gear you want. I prefer to see gear as simple tools that fulfill different functions that allow me to work and do conscious changes on a piece of music.

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

  20. A: I have started recording bands in my hometown 10 years ago, then moved to Berlin after high school to study Audio Production and Electrical Engineering. Have been working freelance ever since.

  21. Q: How would you describe your style?

  22. A: Adding clarity where it is unintentionally cloudy, adding character where it is unintentionally dull. It is my goal to improve what is already there and add what is missing.

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

  24. A: I would love to either work with Snarky Puppy or Knower, as they have different approaches to jazz that I find extremely inspiring.

  25. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  26. A: Mixing is arrangement. Arrangement is mixing.

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

  28. A: I come from a family of classically-trained musicians, I started working in indie rock and heavy metal (especially metalcore), then moved to Berlin and started recording jazz and mixing electronic music. I believe that the emotions that music provokes are above a categorization.

  29. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  30. A: Small additions to an existing body of work, that can help clear and refocus the final result.

  31. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  32. A: I bring a fresh perspective, experience that span multiple genres, and a particular attention to storytelling with musical elements.

  33. Q: What's your typical work process?

  34. A: I will get a set of tracks to mix, together with ideas and direction from the artist. I will listen to its raw sum to get an idea where everything was left off. During that first listening session a vision will form, which I will then proceed to work on until I am happy with the work and send it over to the client.

  35. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  36. A: I have a bass managed stereo system (Neumann KH750 + KH120) which is calibrated in a room-in-a-room studio, for maximum fidelity. I also work with Neumann NDH30, as I am happy with the mixes that I can make with them. I have plugins for ages, but do not use any analog processing during mixing, only during recording.

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

  38. A: I get inspired by Tchad Blake and his approach to mixing, it is a constant reminder to explore sonic possibilities within a mix.

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

  40. A: I will get a set of multitrack or stems, where the artists and producer have worked on until they feel like it's time to give it a final polish, and that's where I come in.

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Hormigueo - Aurora Borealis

I was the recording and mixing engineer in this production

Terms Of Service

Mixing: 2 revisions included.
Mastering: 1 revision included.

Special rates are available for indie artists or entire albums.

GenresSounds Like
  • Mark 'Spike' Stent
  • Mick Guzauski
Gear Highlights
  • Neumann KH120 + KH750
  • Neumann NDH-30
  • All the usual DSP suspects (Fabfilter
  • Waves
  • Plugin Alliance
  • Soundtoys...)
More Photos
SoundBetter Deal

50% off our first project together :)