Lyric comes first; sounds and vibe a close second. Equally at home with Bob Clearmountain-style stereo deluxe, as with kick-it-out-of-the-park, original-thinking art-rock. Sensitive music lover at the controls. Here to help.
Mixing service from client multitracks or stems. I've been mixing here to a high standard for the last seven years on album and EP projects in my home mixroom. Friendly, fast. Happy to do a couple of rounds of revisions per mix.
I'm doing this because I live through music, as you probably do, too.
We're not aiming for average. It's gonna sound great.
Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.
4 Reviews
Endorse Pete Millson
Pete produced, engineered, sophelguised, helped arrange and pushed/helped me finish my last album. Modestly, it’s a masterpiece because of him. His knowledge and intuition when I asked him to add bits was great, he has an encyclopaedic understanding of music and production.
All that and he’s a thoroughly lovely man!
Pete has been the producer, mix engineer and co-arranger of my last three records, ‘Codetta’, ‘Almanac for the Failing Days’ and ‘The Silver Age’. There is nobody out there whose ears, musical intelligence or generosity of spirit I trust more.
There is so much more to making records than writing songs and cutting them. Pete has made this complex process and absolute joy for the last seven years.
Pete is a master of his craft and driven by a passion for record production that is pleasingly infectious. He gave my recordings an entirely new lease of life, adding lots of production - layers of overdubs and then delivering a stunning mix. A clear, concise communicator too and a pleasure to work with.
I’ve had the privilege of working with Pete on many tracks for my album and EP. Not only is he technically great but he is also an excellent singer songwriter and musician in his own right, but is very supportive during the recording process. He has an excellent ear, which is vital, and he brings all those skills to the desk.
Interview with Pete Millson
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Jinder's album 'Codetta'. We had a lot of fun turning the guitars into something big and cohesive. And Jinder makes me laugh. I was mixer and producer on that one.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: LP of John Hillman's; EP by Lilli Fuchtner.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Gareth Matthews at Echotown. He sometimes uses the kick 'in' mic by itself in a mix, like I occasionally do… A lovely chap.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital. It works beautifully.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: That I will take their vision for the music up to another level, and that I will bring my artistic prejudices to bear if they lose sight of that vision in any way. I promise to make it sound great.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Music; coffee; people getting excited when listening to something nice and hifi coming out of the speakers that somehow originated from their head and heart
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Can you get it sounding like a record? Yes. Can you do anything about that guitar sound? Yes.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That I would hand it all over to a robot (I don't own a robot).
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What's going on…?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: My assumption is that music is something you care about deeply. I'm keen to assure you that I also feel the same way.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: NS10 monitors; my silver Pultec; My Telecaster; my Drawmer compressor; tea bags.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been a music photographer, singer-songwriter, mixer and artist since 1992 (an actual working mixer for the last seven years). Never really found a career path to follow; I tend to follow my nose.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Deluxe-sounding with appropriate rough edges still intact.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Erlend Øye. Where to start…
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Mute anything you don't like. At some point you'll be left with what you do like. Your ears will be happier now. From here, gradually add back in the little wayward characters who are hiding under the mutes. And then everyone's happy…
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop-rock is a loose description of what I see most. Recently had a very psych project which was a lot of fun. Delicate dulcimers or slamming drums; it's all about the record and the songwriter who channeled something via their heart.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Knowing how much music means to people.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Since I was a little boy, I’ve lived through records and music. My parents started me off with Radio 2-sanctioned ballads and soft-rock, friends of my parents gave me The Jam and all things new-wave, and then schoolfriends finally lined me up with noisier things. From that day to this I’ve been a record collector. I bring my artistic prejudices and my empathy to bear on every project.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Discuss project with the client and listen to their roughs. In an ideal world—and if appropriate—I'll go and see a gig too. That very quickly tells me a lot about where they're coming from. I work in the early mornings and I work quickly. If a mix is proving hard to get it is always fixed with a cup of tea.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Audient converter into NS10s for all critical work (until my ears can stand it no longer).
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Bob Clearmountain is the person whose records I hold up as high benchmarks. Another favourite mixer is Trina Shoemaker. Bruno Ellingham is another whose records sound sensational to my ears.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Usually from client multitracks I build a mix that's a bit more like what they had in their head, often with bells on (though, not literally). Listening to where they're at and how they like their music to sound is part of the job. If it needs to rock, it'll rock; if it needs sublime elegance I'll turn that dial up, too.
I was the mixer (and producer) in this production
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $250 per song
Two revisions per song. Once the mix is booked-in, please allow up to two weeks for delivery, depending on size of project. Cost is 150% for rush jobs.
