Justin Colen

Mixing Engineer, Producer

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14 Reviews (1 Verified)
Justin Colen on SoundBetter

Hey guys, thanks for checking out my page! I am a full time studio Engineer in Tampa Bay. I specialize in Mixing, Mastering and Producing Hip hop, R&B and Electronic/EDM. I'm very passionate when it comes to crafting and mixing music to a broadcast standard. I consider myself fortunate that I've been able to assist so many talented creative artist.

I have been a studio engineer and producer for the last 15 years. I attended Fullsail University in 2005 and shortly after had the privilege to work at major studios in the Florida area. During my journey at KDS studios and Big 3 studios I got to work with many talented major and independent artist. Currently I have a studio space in Tampa Bay, this is my main hub for most of my creative projects!

I use Protools as my main DAW for all my projects. I've been using P.T. for all my sessions since I started! I also have some nice analog hardware that I incorporate along with all my favorite plugins. Feel free to message me with any questions you may have!

Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.

14 Reviews

Endorse Justin Colen
  1. Review by Mark B. Christensen
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    check_circleVerified (Client)

    Working with Justin was great! Track was well mixed and very professional communication etc. I'd definitely work with him agin!

  2. Review by Joey G.
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    Justin is a great engineer, understanding also great advisor.

  3. Review by Joshua C.
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    Justin is one of the greatest, most talented, musically minded and creative engineers I have worked with. Not to mention one of the kindest souls I have ever met. Justin has a dedication to excellence that shows in all of his mixing. He truly goes the extra mile to make sure your work stands high above the rest. He is worth every single dollar and minute spent. A must have in your musical arsenal.

  4. Review by Perception
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    by Perception

    Justin is not only an amazing person but is also an incredible mixing engineer. His passion to make your vision come to life is unmatched. He has been an absolute pleasure to work and Iโ€™m grateful to have him help me with my album.

  5. Review by Bradda Biggs
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    by Bradda Biggs

    Justin Colen is a awesome guy to work very humble to say the least, he is very professional in mixing and mastering great Producer overall! Keep up the good work dude! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ’ฏ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐ŸŽต๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ๐Ÿ”Š๐ŸŽน๐Ÿฅ๐ŸŽธ

  6. Review by Jamie Hughes
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    by Jamie Hughes

    I have known and worked with Justin since 2012. He is truly one of the best in the business. Heโ€™s personable, patient and helps the artist see their vision. I highly recommend him.

  7. Review by Dino
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    by Dino

    Justin is overall a great producer and engineer. Has lots of patience working with the artist and can work in just about any style of music. Definitely has lots of experience and can help you with any music making needs whether itโ€™s producing beats or recording and mixing vocals. I also have learned a lot about working in Pro Tools from him taking the time to explain every step. Very grateful to be working with such a great guy and is very down to earth. I highly would recommend Justin for anyone wanting to record a song professionally.

  8. Review by Laura
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    by Laura

    Justin, is a wonderful, skilled engineer. Very talented, warm-hearted, easy-going person to work with. I enjoyed working with him. Such a great guy to be around, to have fun while recording because of his creativity, intelligent mind. Very focused and gets the job done. A loveable guy. The best.

  9. Review by Corey Mix
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    by Corey Mix

    Justin Colen is one of the best music producers I have ever worked with, I have been working with him over 10 years and his creative mind and guidance is amazing. He puts his heart and soul into everything he produces.

  10. Review by Ryan Copeland
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    by Ryan Copeland

    Justin has been an amazing asset to my musical journey for the past 6 years! Every project that I have put out since then, Justinโ€™s touch has been included! He is That guy and will forever be THAT GUY!

  11. Review by Karna
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    by Karna

    Justin is great to work with. Amazing music sense & fabulous sound engineering skills. Looking forward to creating music with him again!

  12. Review by Akini
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    by Akini

    Justin is amazing to work with! He has produced a few song with my son now and they are all on Point.

  13. Review by J.R.
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    by J.R.

    Amazing quality every time!

  14. Review by Roger Smith
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    by Roger Smith

    Justin is just an amazing Engineer and producer - his mastery of pro tools is top notch - he knows it like the back of his hand - great equipment in the studio too!!

Interview with Justin Colen

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

  2. A: A few Pop R&B and Hip hop artists songs for sync licensing

  3. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  4. A: I like both! Plug ins have gotten so good and the things you can do with them are amazing. I could and do all ITB mixing often. However there's a few hardware pieces I love that I put on the end of my mix and master. It just smooths and glues everything together how I like it.

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

  6. A: What are some of their influences creatively. What similar artist do they like or listen to. What is their vision for this project.

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

  8. A: I'd take my computer with Protools, my SSL Fusion, mini keyboard, interface and converter. and is there anyone to record on this island lol? If so I'd take a sony c800g and neve channel strip

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

  10. A: In highschool I was introduced to music production and studio work. I decided to go to Fullsail to expand my knowledge and network. After school I interned, ran sessions at different studio and became a main engineer at Big 3 studios. Shortly after that I started my own company and studio. It's all been about 15 years.

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

  12. A: Here's a sImple one, record multiple vocal takes for the lead vocal and pick all the best pieces of the performance, turning them into one finished vocal. (Also known as comping.) If that's not your workflow, make sure the vocal performance and delivering is on point. It's very easy to punch in a line or certain section if you feel it needs improvement!

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

  14. A: I usually work on pop and sub genres of Hip hop, R&B, EDM mostly but I have worked on every genre.

  15. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  16. A: My ability to mix and master songs while working closely with artist and making sure there vision is met.

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

  18. A: My ear, sonic imprint, creativity and understanding what an artist wants.

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

  20. A: I'll import all the track/stems sent to me into Protools. If there's a reference track I will listen to that first. From there I will start balancing different elements. Usually starting with the drums and instruments. Then start balancing the vocals to sit nicely just with volume and panning. From there I will start to add signal processing subtractive and adding, clean any unwanted space, breaths and so on. Also adding automation, reverbs, and delays and other efx where I feel fit. From there on just keep tweaking till I really feel the mix is complete.

  21. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  22. A: I'm using Protools as my DAW and have a hybrid mix workflow. Using plugins and hardware combined. For the production side of things, I have a Korg Triton, Mpc Live, Lots of virtual instruments and Reason.

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

  24. A: Timbaland, Max Martin, Dave Pensado, Quincy Jones, Manny Marroquin and many more.

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

  26. A: I've worked on just about every genre! The music I work on the most is Rap, R&B and Edm.

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Dabron Kain "Walls"

I was the Mixing Engineer and Producer in this production

Terms Of Service

For mixing and mastering I can do up to 4 free revisions. After 4 it will be an additional $20 per revision. Also for mixing I will provide alt versions for free including Instr., Show track, acapella

GenresSounds Like
  • Dabron Kain
  • Saint Rene
  • Ahmari Lia
Gear Highlights
  • Protools
  • RME ADI-2 FS
  • SSL Fusion
  • Audio Zulu
  • Vintech 609Ca
  • Drawmer 1974eq
  • Avalon 737
  • Vintech 473
  • Dbx 160x
  • Multiple monitors and headphones
  • Mpc Live
  • Korg Triton
  • and lots of plugins
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