Nick Johnson on SoundBetter

Working with Hip Hop and Trap artist, I know what it takes to provide a professional mix that has creativity, dynamics and character to get your music to where it needs to be.

I absolutely love what I do and enjoy doing it each day. I also enjoy helping others achieve a sound that will help them express themselves through music. My goal is to translate the feeling and vibe you want for your music.

I started my engineering career in Chicago, where I received my B.S. in Audio Production at The Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago. Since I was a child, I've always had interest in technology and music and how those two worlds united to make music. After my time in college I became an assistant engineer for one of Chicago's top engineers at a prominent studio in Chicago. During that time, I gained insight and knowledge and a skillset that I still implement into my life today. I currently live in Cleveland now as a freelance engineer as well as a in house engineer at a top Studio in downtown Cleveland. I specialize in Hip Hop & Trap music but has a love for all types of music and loves to venture out and mix other genres.

For my entire career I've mainly worked on Pro Tools. I monitor through Apollo hardware, Yamaha HS7 and Avatone mix cube and Focal Twin6 Be. I love using a combination of plugins and analog hardware to achieve a desire sound. I am a big believer on understand your tools and how and when to use them. Having these at my disposal gives a an array of choices to be creative with.

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

2 Reviews

Endorse Nick Johnson

by Paper Paulk
Been working with nick for a while now! And I always get a great result! From mixing to effects to capturing the sound that I want to capture he makes sure it’s A-1 great did great mixer! 100
by Rwdy
Nick is my go to guy for mixing and mastering. He handles all my projects at the moment. He is good with communication and understanding the vision you have for your work. Good turn around time, and always meets my deadlines, which is tough to come by.

Interview with Nick Johnson

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: my mix cube, mac, hard drive, apollo, and a candle
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Aggressive and creative
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Hip Hop and Trap music
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My personality
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: That i will always give my ultimate effort.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Being around creatives and being able to make a vision come true
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: How quickly can you get this mix done. My answer is usually depending on the session and needs of it but most 48-72 hour turnaround time.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That it doesn't require skill or talent or that its a realistic career
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What is the overall feeling you want to translate through this song
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Have fun, and use your ears and don't overthink it
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I usually listen to the rough mix a couple time to get an idea of where the song is and where the client and I want to go with it. Then i proceed to organize the session to help me mix quick and fast and efficiently. Then I begin the mix process usually getting the drums, vocals and bass in the right place in the mix. I fine tune individual sounds to give the mix energy and life and add creativity to it to make it musical and entertaining,
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both, Analog has its depth and warmth and vintage sound, digital give you at time unlimited possibilities
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Send references on what you might want your sound to resemble. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want in a song.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Kid Cudi, I think his sound is unique and he has unlimited possibilities to his sound
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I work with detail and and creativity. I try to bring something new and refreshing to the song as well as clarity and precision.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Mac, Apollo Twin Duo, Yamaha Hs7, Presonus Sub, Avatone Mixcubes, Waves, UAD, McDSP, Slate, Sonnox, SLL Native, FabFilter, Lexicon, Valhalla DSP, Soundtoys, Sonarworks. I mix from either a professional studio setup or from acoustically treated home studio.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Kendrick Lamar, Mixedbyali, Travis Scott, Drake, Mike Dean, Noah 40 Shebib, Young Guru, Jay-z, Alex Tumay,
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I record, mix and master music for clients so that they can distribute their music on multiple platforms.