Masteryourmix

01/15/2025

Mike Marsh is a world-renowned mastering engineer with over 30 years of experience in mastering audio for vinyl, CD, DVD, HD audio, and digital downloads. After nearly three decades at The Exchange Mastering Studios in London—where he worked on iconic albums for artists like Björk, Massive Attack, and Oasis—Mike established Mike Marsh Mastering in East Devon to continue his legacy of making great music sound even better. His meticulous attention to acoustics ensured his new facility replicated the exceptional listening environment he had perfected at The Exchange.
Mike's career began in 1984 as a recording engineer in his native Westcountry, where he honed his skills with analog equipment before transitioning to mastering at The Exchange in 1986. Over the years, he became respected for his versatility across genres, mastering projects for artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Jamiroquai, and Depeche Mode. His adaptability and ability to enhance music without compromising its artistic integrity have made him a trusted collaborator for both industry legends and emerging talents.
Recently, Mike has worked on high-profile projects for Calvin Harris, Jonas Blue, and Zedd, further solidifying his reputation as a leader in the field. His commitment to excellence has earned him widespread acclaim, with artists and producers seeking his expertise to bring their sonic visions to life.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Shooting your shot and creating opportunities for yourself
- The importance of learning how to record, mix, and master records
- Preserving mixes vs improving them in mastering
- Picking the right reference tracks
- Mike’s magical E.A.R. EQs: What makes them so special
- Balancing loudness vs clarity
- The specific requirements and challenges of mastering for vinyl
- Being strategic with track order when making vinyl records

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep232mikemarsh/

01/08/2025

Mark Rankin is an English record producer and audio engineer. He has won two Grammy Awards for his work with Adele and has multiple nominations for his work with other artists including Queens of the Stone Age, Iggy Pop, Weezer, Florence and the Machine, and Foster the People.

Rankin started his studio career in the London Exchange Mastering Studios, with his first session being with electronic duo Basement Jaxx.

Rankin won The Music Producers Guild Award for Breakthrough Engineer of the Year in 2010.

In 2012, Rankin won two Grammy Awards: in the Album of the Year category with Adele's 21, and Record of the Year category with "Rolling in the Deep".

In 2014, he was nominated for The Music Producers Guild Award for Engineer of the Year. He also received two Grammy nominations for the Queens of the Stone Age album ...Like Clockwork, in categories Best Rock Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

- Starting audio engineering by learning to master
- The benefits of working in a mastering studio
- Building a console
- Making the transition from learning engineering/mixing after focusing on mastering
- The challenges of tracking and working in the same room
- Making instruments sound like they do in a room
- Tracking drums for Queens Of The Stone Age
- Minimal micing techniques for drums
- Recording impulse responses of rooms
- How to organize your sessions
- Adding “color” to your tracks
- Referencing on different monitors
- Getting your mixes to translate

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep231markrankin/

01/01/2025

Mike Marra is a seasoned Mastering Engineer based in Toronto, Canada, working out of the renowned Joao Carvalho Mastering studio. Music and sound have been Mike's lifelong passions, with an early exposure to a diverse range of music and technology that deeply influenced his critical listening skills and technical expertise.
Mike followed his dream into the world of mastering, where his enthusiasm for the craft is contagious. The positive reactions from his clients to his work are a testament to his talent. He approaches every project with the highest respect and attention to detail, ensuring that each artist's sonic vision is brought to life.
Known for his bold, powerful low-end on Hip Hop and EDM tracks, Mike has worked with a wide variety of Canadian and international artists across all genres. His impressive list of collaborators includes mastering an official Bob Marley remix for the 75th-anniversary legacy release, Phil Gonzo, Jazz Cartier, Sean Leon, Dr. Draw, Sara Diamond, Storry, Division Street, The Dreamboats, Victoria Duffield, and many others.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

- Listening to music with a “big picture” perspective, rather than focusing on individual elements
- Emotional mastering: How to infuse emotion into your tracks through processing like EQ and compression
- Treating each song as unique
- Mastering singles vs a full record
- How to achieve consistency between tracks that have already been released as singles and later compiled into an album
- What to listen for when mixing/mastering low-end
- How your treatment of low-end can make mixes sound wider
- Why great masters start in the recording stage
- High Pass Filters: Why you might not want to use them

Check out the episode here:

In this episode, Mike Marra (Phil Gonzo, Jazz Cartier, Sean Leon) shares his tips and tricks for mastering for emotion.

12/25/2024

With it being the holidays, we are actually not going to have a brand new episode this week. Rather than bog you down with a new podcast, I figured, let's just take this week off and next week, we're going to start up again.

Our first episode of 2025 is going to be coming out on January 1st, 2025, which is a Wednesday, just like every other episode that we've released. So make sure to check back then, but we've got tons of good stuff coming up ahead and I can't wait to start off the new year right.

And I just want to take a moment here to also just say, thank you. Thank you so much for a great 2024. Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. We had a lot of amazing new guests. We've had a lot of amazing new listeners as well. And so I hope that this podcast has given you a lot of inspiration.

I hope that it's helped teach you a lot of great stuff throughout the year and that you're making awesome music as a result of everything that we talk about on this podcast.

Happy holidays and I’ll talk to you again in 2025!

12/18/2024

Drew BANG is a multi-award-winning Engineer and Producer, with over 10 years of experience working with clients such as U2, One Direction, Don Broco, Kelis, Royal Blood, Haim, Victor Ray, and more. Drew’s accolades include multiple BPI Gold Records, 2 UK Number 1’,s and a coveted Music Producers’ Guild “Golden Microphone” Award among others.
Starting out at Strongroom Studios as a Runner, Drew quickly worked his way up through Assisting to in-house Engineer for Studio 1 within 2 years, before going freelance to concentrate on Production. Drew has worked in many Commercial and Private Recording Studios around the world. He is experienced in using a vast array of modern and vintage recording equipment and is well-known for his Drum and Vocal recording skills.
Drew is an endorsee and spokesperson for respected industry manufacturers Eventide, Celemony (Melodyne), Antelope, Solomon Mics, Neve Electronics & Aston Mics, and also a vocal spokesperson for diversity and equality in the Music Industry.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Mindset shifts for success
- The power of persistence
- Dealing with failure and rejection
- Finding your inner motivation
- The problems with chasing money
- Getting into the music industry later in life
- Seeing opportunities when they are in front of you
- Relying on other people
- How being transparent about your weaknesses/abilities, can actually propel you forward
- The value of saying “yes” to everything
- When to say no
- The battle of being credited properly

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep229drewbang/

12/11/2024

Samuel Bassani is an audio engineer from São Paulo - Brazil, who has worked with producers and mixers like Pedro Calloni, Drew Fulk, Kile Odell, Nick Radovanovic, Kevin Trasher, Randy Slaugh, and many others, as well as bands such as Alpha Wolf, Hands Like Houses, The Amity Affliction, and others.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

- Focusing on becoming an editor rather than a full-time mixer or producer
- How much should you edit your music?
- What should you edit?
- Editing drum flams: How to prioritize your tracks
- Adding drum trigger tracks
- Tools for converting live drums into MIDI
- How to use MIDI for sidechaining gates when mixing drums
- Should you slip-edit your guitar tracks or use Elastic Audio
- Why you should always record guitars with a DI
- Melodyne vs. Autotune
- Should you edit timing or pitch first with vocals?
- How to speed up the editing process
- Figuring out your editing workflow to optimize your speed and focus
- How to prepare your mixes to work efficiently
- Working with checklists

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep228samuelbassani/

12/04/2024

Ken Riley’s career started in 1980 at 3D Studios in Costa Mesa with Doug Doyle. Recording such names as The Altor Boys, Crumbacher, Daniel Amos, and The Life Savors. Then creating the group Common Bond where he was the lead vocalist and the bass player. Common Bond toured and had 3 albums on Front Line Records. Then moving his career along to New York at Electric Lady Studios where he worked with the best in the industry. Bringing it to today where he is in his own well established Rio Grande Studios in Albuquerque, New Mexico recording.
8 ½ years as a traveling musician and recording artist, producing two gold records. 10 years as an engineer and musician in Los Angeles,
8 ½ years as an engineer in New York City at Electric Ladyland Studios.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

- Why he still has a mentor for getting mix feedback
- Unlearning “rules”
- Critiquing mixes “emotionally”
- Trusting your heart, not your ears
- Not relying on tech
- The problem with editing and samples
- Dealing with the personalities, egos, and comfort of an artist
- Why you should turn down work
- Building clientele in a small town
- Making a studio feel comfortable
- Arranging songs for impact

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep227kenriley/

11/27/2024

Matt Glasbey is a highly regarded UK-based sound engineer and music producer known for his meticulous attention to detail and an ability to capture the essence of any performance. Over the years, he has worked with an impressive roster of artists including Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, ALT-J, Madness, and Maisie Peters. This wide-ranging experience across genres from indie rock to pop has solidified his reputation as a versatile and skilled engineer. Matt’s exceptional technical expertise and deep understanding of musicality have made him a trusted collaborator for some of the industry’s most celebrated artists, contributing to the creation of memorable and impactful records.
Beyond his engineering skills, Matt Glasbey is celebrated for fostering a creative and relaxed studio environment, enabling artists to freely explore their sound. His dedication to sonic excellence and innovative production methods have led to projects that push musical boundaries and resonate deeply with audiences. Whether working on chart-topping hits or critically acclaimed albums, Matt’s passion for music production, combined with his profound knowledge of audio equipment and recording techniques, has cemented his place as an influential figure in the UK music scene.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Working at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios
- Pushing yourself to learn
- Focusing on being the best Assistant Engineer
- Taking chances with your career
- How to find problematic issues in your mixes
- Using the Andrew Scheps “rear-bus” technique
- Why the key to getting big low-end doesn’t have to do with focusing on the low frequencies
- Fixing masking issues
- Setting your levels to get the optimal “analog sound” when working in digital
- Sidechaining multiband compression
- Why the LCR method of panning might be working against you
- Creating contrast to make mixes that have depth and width
- Automating EQs to create clarity between various sections of a song
- Working with David Gilmore

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep226mattglasbey/

11/20/2024

Dave Cerminara is a Grammy-nominated producer and mixer. Originally from Pittsburgh, Dave landed in Los Angeles in 2015 and quickly amassed an impressive list of credits and collaborators. He began working alongside producer Lars Stalfors on pristine alt-rock recordings for Cold War Kids, Foster the People, and The Neighbourhood, and later became Jonathan Wilson’s go-to collaborator for the likes of Dawes and Father John Misty.
His production prowess is evident on releases from Paris Texas and Bartees Strange, with “Wretched” — from Strange’s Farm to Table — earning critical acclaim and landing on countless year-end lists. In 2022, Dave reprised his role as engineer and mixer for Father John Misty’s Chloë and the Next 20th Century, earning him a Grammy Nomination for Best Engineered Album. His most recent credits include Phosphorescent, Flyte, Billy Lemos, Haich Ber Na, and Matilda Lyn.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Learning through observing others
- Focusing on your speed
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Saying “yes” to all opportunities - Good idea or bad?
- Building a mix on top of the rough mix
- Working from other people’s sessions
- Setting your initial track levels
- Establishing the vibe of a mix
- Should you add effects on everything to make them cohesive?
- The power of automation
- Making room around the vocal
- Working with artists like Phosphorescent and Father John Misty
- How big mixes don’t require dense track counts
- Calibrating your ears for different speakers and rooms

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep225davecerminara/

11/13/2024

Rob Chiarappa is an award-winning producer, mixer, and songwriter based out of New Jersey.
Rob works out of the world-renowned Barber Shop Studios in Hopatcong, NJ as his home base but has relationships with studios in major cities around the globe to make records happen in most places.
Rob’s objective is to treat each project uniquely and work with artists to reach an end result that best represents their creative vision being as “hands on” or “hands off” as the artist is comfortable with.

The Story So Far, Hot Mulligan, Mom Jeans, Midtown

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Why small basement studios can yield better results
- The role of a producer
- Taking control of your own vision for your tracks
- Dissecting the gold in a demo
- Finding the “pocket” of a song
- Overcoming demo-itis
- Things to pay attention to to help produce your own songs
- Fulfilling the vision of the artists vs. your own
- Developing songs from the ground up
- Getting paid fairly for your services
- Should you take songwriting royalties?
- Why Metric AB is the best plugin of all time

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep224robchiarappa/

11/06/2024

Sean Moffitt is a 3 time Grammy winner, with over 70 billboard number 1’s over multiple genres. He has worked with Keith Urban, Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Diplo, James Arthur, Lauren Daigle, Ben Rector, Lady A, Patrick Droney, Kane Brown, Kelsie Ballerina, Josh Groban, Ingrid Michelson, and many others.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Being a mixing-only engineer
- Building your portfolio
- Working from the rough mix
- Knowing when to leave something alone in a mix
- Balancing the low end in your mix
- Mixing like there’s no mastering
- What to look for in a mastering engineer
- Making mixes that have movement
- Creative approaches to panning
- Sean’s hybrid mix setup
- Working in an open-concept mixing room
- His unique listening environment that ensures his mixes translate.
- Doing the “car test”

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep223seanmoffitt/

10/30/2024

Nick Rad is a highly sought-after mixing engineer who has worked with major artists such as Rachel Platten, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Hilary Duff, Nick Fradiani, MAX, Anberlin, and Skillet. Nick began his musical career in the late 90s as a signed and touring musician in the punk rock band Hangnail (Tooth and Nail Records). He later switched gears to take over drums in the pop-rock band Acceptance (Columbia Records).
While making records and touring for 7 years, his love of recording and production became his passion, which led him to where he is today. With a tasteful production sense, a highly tuned ear, and a strong midwestern work ethic, Nick delivers mixes that have made him a staple in the professional mixing scene.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Working with producers like Bill Stevenson, Stephen Egerton, Howard Benson, and Aaron Sprinkle
- Having an assembly-line approach to production
- Hiring help for your studio
- The value of editing
- How you don’t necessarily need to market your studio, as long as you do this one thing…
- Niching down your services
- Mixing vocals to fit in the mix
- Auditioning vocal chains
- Using sidechaining to help with your low-end
- How to prepare your mixes so they are optimized for deliverables

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep222nickrad/

10/23/2024

Mike Cervantes is a Grammy-nominated, Juno award winning multi–platinum mastering engineer with over 30 Billboard #1 songs, and 9 Dove Award wins.

At his studio The Foxboro, he has worked with select artists such as Kane Brown, Walker Hayes, Julia Michaels, Alan Walker, Lauren Daigle, Toby Mac, Flo Rida, Josh Ross, Brandon Lake, Mitchell Tenpenny, Russell Dickerson, Tyler Hubbard, Phil Wickham, Skillet, Lecrae, Yung Gravy, Avril Lavigne, Maverick City Music, Underoath, Misterwives, Against The Current, CeCe Winans, and many many more.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Taking the entrepreneurial journey
- Working for Scott Hull of Masterdisk
- Making the decision to stop working at one of the biggest mastering studios
- Building your clientele
- Using social media to sell your services
- Why your gear doesn’t attract clients
- The benefits of switching from an analog to digital workflow
- Managing your time when you’re working on hundreds of projects
- Using Zapier to help streamline your business processes and save money
- Mastering fast
- Knowing the needs of your clients

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep221mikecervantes/

10/16/2024

Tyler Smyth has dedicated his life to music. As a music producer, Tyler has landed multiple #1 singles in the rock category, both on the Billboard charts and on terrestrial rock radio. He was named as the first ever #1 Hard Rock Producer on the charts debut, holding the #1, #2, and #5 spots simultaneously with his productions from Falling in Reverse & I Prevail, and has since held the #1 spot 39 times and counting. In 2019, he received two Grammy nominations (Best Rock Album & Best Metal Performance) for the 2019 Grammy awards as the sole Producer of I Prevail’s album TRAUMA. I Prevail’s follow up album, TRUE POWER, debuted as the Spotify #2 album in the US, #4 album worldwide. Falling in Reverse's brand new album POPULAR MONSTER debuted as the Spotify #2 album worldwide and includes multiple RIAA gold and 2x platinum certifications for songs like “Popular Monster”, “Voices in My Head”, “ZOMBIFIED” and more.
As the frontman of Dangerkids, guitarist of Let’s Get It, and several other signed acts — Tyler has performed over 1000 shows around the world in his lifetime. He serves as a special guest mentor at Musician’s Institute for 4 years running, and has contributed to several internet publications & podcasts on the topics of music production, performing, touring, creating a fanbase, and more.
His producer credits include Falling in Reverse, I Prevail, Lights, Skillet, NASA, SEGA, and more.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Following your passions
- Thinking outside of the box with songwriting
- Creating “moments” with your music
- Working with bands like I Prevail and Falling In Reverse
- Using automation in your mixes to create excitement
- The quest for perfection
- The “white noise” trick for setting up your mix levels
- Assigning a mission statement to each song
- The reason song names matter

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep220tylersmyth/

10/09/2024

Pete Min is a recording engineer, producer and label owner based in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles. His label Colorfield Records features artful collaborative explorations with musicians in unlikely configurations.

Pete’s studio Lucy’s Meat Market has become one of the most in demand spots for recording among a subset of musical artists with LA ties ranging from Ben Wendel and Larry Goldings to Andrew Bird and Feist.

Min started Colorfield Records to pursue a less traditional approach to recording, one that he refers to as “sculpted chaos.”

He says, “I want what’s in the subconscious. I don’t want it ironed out. When people are just doing it and it’s coming out, that’s what I’m interested in.”

Since launching in 2021 the label has released records by Abe Rounds, Larry Goldings, Mark Guiliana, Sam Gendel, Anthony Wilson, Brad Allen Williams and others.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Starting a studio business
- Getting your first clients
- Capturing improved music
- Not sticking to songwriting “formulas”
- Embracing spontaneity
- Optimizing your studio space for speed and creativity
- Being in service to the music, not your audio skills
- Why you should avoid using compression while recording

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep219petemin/

10/02/2024

Cody McWaters is an ARIA award-winning producer, engineer, mixer, and musician based in Brisbane, Australia.

Under the mentorship of ARIA award-winning producer, Doug Roberts (INXS, John Farnham, Boom Crash Opera), Cody spent his formative years gaining an insight into a range of production approaches and the importance of nurturing musical relationships that play a strong role in developing the sound of emerging artists.

With a talent for understanding and developing artists’ sounds, Cody has established himself as a leading engineer and producer in the Brisbane area, working closely with the likes of King Stingray, Selfish Sons, and Osaka Punch. His relaxed and easygoing approach provides a calm atmosphere in any creative environment, allowing artists to create and explore comfortably, resulting in the best musical outcome.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Working in multiple genres
- Helping artists define their sound
- Working under Doug Roberts (INXS)
- Using gear that you don’t think should work
- Working with artists like The Chats and FELONY
- Focusing on clarity in a mix
- Not being afraid to mute tracks
- Stepping outside of your comfort zone as an engineer
- Top-down mixing
- How to have perspective on your own mixes

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep218codymcwaters/

09/25/2024

Gordon Raphael is best known for producing Is This It and Room On Fire by The Strokes and Regina Spektor’s ingenious Soviet Kitsch. He was born in New York, grew up in Seattle, and now lives in West Yorkshire, UK. From the age of 13, Gordon has been a keyboard player and later became obsessed with analog synthesizers, recording, and songwriting. His band Sky Cries Mary played a form of tribal space rock, with a 1960s-style multi-projector light show during the grunge scene in Seattle. This summer (2024) he released his 12th solo album, now streaming worldwide.
Gordon’s memoir, The World is Going To Love This (Up From The Basement With THE STROKES) was published in London by Wordville Press in 2022. Stories in his book include meeting Wendy Carlos and Dr. Robert Moog, detailed conversations from the recording sessions for Is This It, working with Ian Brown, Skin, The Libertines, Ian Astbury, and many others. Gordon has always taken a unique approach in his musical tastes as well as his production methods— which have kept him well outside of the traditional music industry!

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Working on your own music vs. working on music from others
- Being critical of your own music
- Dealing with rejection
- Pushing forward even when you don’t have everything figured out
- Perfectionism vs. control
- Finding the magic in raw recordings
- Working with The Strokes
- Getting the vocal sound of The Stokes
- Using saturation during the tracking stage
- Getting tight drum sounds
- The benefits of recording live-off-the-floor
- His special drum room mic technique
- Having a minimalistic approach, even when working with lots of equipment
- How he tackles compression in his mixes
- Embracing imperfections

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep217gordonraphael/

09/18/2024

Alex Venguer is an engineer who is comfortable with recording and mixing as small or large a project as can come and who has had great experience working with the top names in styles as varied as jazz, rock, folk, classical, pop, hip hop, broadway, R&B, electronic, film scores and many others.

Some examples of the artists he's worked with include: Sting, John Legend, Maria Schneider, Marcus Miller, Aretha Frankiln, Wynton Marsalis, Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, Juan Luis Guerra, Herbie Hancock, Lady Gaga, Woody Allen, Philip Glass, Christian McBride, Cassandra Wilson, Sufjan Stevens, Regina Spektor, Train, Punch Brothers, My Brightest Diamond, Loudon, Martha and Rufus Wainwright, John Patitucci, Hildur Guonadottir, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mark Ronson, Carter Burwell and many others.

Besides working on records and Broadway cast albums, he’s also been very involved in various movies and tv shows such as “Joker,” “Barbie”, “A Dog’s Purpose,” “Mother,” “The Revenant,” “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” “Fosse/Verdon,” “Little Voice" and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Studying the techniques of other productions
- The role of a producer vs engineer in the modern-day
- Making organic-sounding mixes
- Not overdoing your processing
- Hearing small mix details in an untreated toom
- How to optimize your home studio on a budget
- Focusing on frequency balance, rather than on the instruments
- Getting the groove of a song right in a mix
- Setting up ambiance to make your audience feel like they’re in a specific environment with the artist
- Determining what effects to use
- Should you use pre-delay on reverb?
- How to approach room micing for size and frequency balance

Check out the episode here: https://masteryourmix.com/podcastep216alexvenguer/