Inside Track

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Ruadhri Cushnan

Mumford & Sons have dragged acoustic music out of the folk clubs and straight to the top of the charts, with a sound sculpted by producer Markus Dravs and mix engineer Ruadhri Cushnan.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Nathan Chapman & Justin Niebank | Taylor Swift's Speak Now

Inside Track

Taylor Swift has become country music's biggest mainstream star, thanks in part to a stellar production team. Producer Nathan Chapman and mixer Justin Niebank lift the lid on Swift's latest hit album, Speak Now.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Yvan Bing & Phil Collins | 'Going Back'

Inside Track

Phil Collins began recreating the classic Motown sound as a form of therapy. With the help of engineer Yvan Bing, the results gave Collins his first number one album in 17 years.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Mike Poole | Angel Dance

Inside Track

Thirty years after Led Zeppelin ended, Robert Plant has reached a second career high. His latest hit album was tracked and mixed by Mike Poole, using a mouth-watering selection of vintage equipment.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Craig Silvey | Arcade Fire

Inside Track

Despite self-imposed limitations, the multitrack sessions for Arcade Fire’s latest album grew to epic proportions. Craig Silvey nevertheless mixed it on a vintage desk with no automation...

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Mike Strange Jr

Inside Track | Eminem

Eminem’s Recovery has been one of the biggest hit albums of the year, spawning two number one singles — all recorded and mixed by Eminem’s long-term engineer, Mike Strange.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Kevin Churko

Inside Track | Ozzy Osbourne: Scream

Legendary Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne is still rocking in his sixties. The musical powerhouse behind his latest hit album Scream is producer, engineer, songwriter and instrumentalist Kevin Churko.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Jaycen Joshua

Inside Track: Justin Bieber (feat. Ludacris) 'Baby'

In his second career in the music business, Jaycen Joshua has become one of the USA’s top mix engineers. With child star Justin Bieber, the brief was to bring urban grit to pop production.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Eric Valentine

Recording Slash

What’s the best way to make a classic rock album? For producer Eric Valentine and guitarist Slash, there was only one answer — use classic recording techniques and vintage gear.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: David R Ferguson

Inside Track: Johnny Cash | American VI: Ain’t No Grave

Sometimes the simplest-sounding music takes the most work to get right, and so it was with Johnny Cash’s posthumous hit album American VI: Ain’t No Grave. Engineer and mixer David R Ferguson was on hand at every stage of Rick Rubin’s production.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Justin Gerrish & Rostam Batmanglij

Inside Track: Contra by Vampire Weekend

In Contra, Vampire Weekend have made one of the more unlikely US hit albums of recent years. Guitarist Rostam Batmanglij and engineer Justin Gerrish explain how they wowed American audiences with African influences.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Humberto Gatica

Inside Track: Michael Bublé ‘You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You’

In a rare interview, legendary engineer and producer Humberto Gatica explains how he and singer Michael Bublé breathed new life into big-band swing music — with stunning results.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Cenzo Townshend

Inside Track | Florence and the Machine: ‘You’ve Got The Love’

Flying the flag for a distinctively British sound, and scoring some huge hits in the process, Cenzo Townshend is one of the UK’s hottest mixers. He gives us the inside track on Florence and the Machine’s hit ‘You’ve Got The Love’.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Mark ‘Spike’ Stent

Inside Track: Muse 'The Resistance'

Britain’s biggest name in mixing, Mark ‘Spike’ Stent has achieved international success in almost every genre. With Muse’s latest album, The Resistance, he was dealing with rock at its most epic.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Veronica Ferraro

Inside Track: ‘When Love Takes Over’

When French DJ David Guetta and American singer Kelly Rowland combined to produce one of the biggest crossover hits of 2009, the hands on the faders belonged to Veronica Ferraro.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Young Guru

Inside Track: Jay Z's The Blueprint 3

Behind every rap megastar, there’s a very talented engineer. Young Guru was at the desk throughout the recording and mixing of Jay-Z’s latest smash-hit album, The Blueprint 3.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Fraser T Smith

Inside Track: Tinchy Stryder

Producer and songwriter Fraser T Smith has made the unlikely journey from prog rock to grime. With Tinchy Stryder, his broad experience has paid off in the shape of three massive hit singles.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Dot Da Genius

Kid Cudi: ‘Day ’n Nite’

Recorded and mixed in a modest home studio, ‘Day ’n Nite’ has made stars of singer/rapper Kid Cudi and producer Dot Da Genius.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: John Fields & Paul David Hager

Jonas Brothers

John Fields and Paul David Hager have a very modern working relationship — and with the Jonas Brothers, they’ve delivered a string of old-fashioned hits.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Peter Mokran

Track: Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)

Take one Bollywood soundtrack, add a Pussycat Doll and a heap of new instruments, and you have a recipe for a big mix. Peter Mokran was the engineer who cooked up an international hit with ‘Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)’.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Dylan ‘3D’ Dresdow

Black Eyed Peas

For their fifth album, The END, Black Eyed Peas main man will.i.am took the band — and their long-serving mixer Dylan Dresdow — in a new direction, with stunning success.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Declan Gaffney

U2 : 'No Line On The Horizon'

The sessions for U2’s No Line On The Horizon took the idea of spontanaeity in the studio to new levels. Engineer Declan Gaffney was the man charged with creating order from apparent chaos...

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Greg Kurstin

Lily Allen: 'The Fear' — It’s Not Me, It’s You

Looking for a follow-up to her smash-hit debut album, Lily Allen ditched her many other collaborators to work mostly with LA-based producer and musician Greg Kurstin on It’s Not Me, It’s You.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Jochem van der Saag

Seal: Soul 'A Change Is Gonna Come'

When Seal decided to pay tribute to classic soul records on his album Soul, he turned to legendary producer David Foster — and his right-hand man, Jochem van der Saag, who was responsible for mixing and much more.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Robert Orton

Lady Gaga 'Just Dance'

Transatlantic number one ‘Just Dance’ was not only a breakthrough for Lady Gaga, but also for her producer RedOne and mix engineer Robert Orton.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Bob Clearmountain

Rolling Stones 'Shine A Light' DVD

Bob Clearmountain has been the world’s premier mix engineer for three decades — but Martin Scorsese still managed to challenge him with his ideas about how the Rolling Stones in concert should be presented.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Mike Fraser

AC/DC Black Ice

How do you capture the essence of pure rock & roll? For Mike Fraser and AC/DC, the answer was simple: get the sound right at source, track to analogue tape, and don't mess about with the results!

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Jacquire King

Kings Of Leon: Sex On Fire

For the recording of their fourth album Only By The Night, Kings Of Leon and co-producer Jacquire King decided to aim high. The result: a worldwide smash and a long-awaited breakthrough in the band's native US.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Michael Brauer

Coldplay Viva La Vida

Coldplay's recent album Viva La Vida was one of the most high-profile releases of the year, and an impressive showcase for Michael Brauer's unique approach to mixing.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Kevin Davis

Ne-Yo: 'Closer'

Some mix engineers work entirely 'in the box', while others treat Pro Tools as little more than a tape recorder. Kevin 'KD' Davis employs the best of both worlds, as his work on Ne-Yo's recent hit 'Closer' shows.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Eric Rosse

Sara Bareilles 'Love Song'

With Sara Bareilles' massive worldwide hit 'Love Song', producer Eric Rosse had to strike a delicate balance between preserving the artist's integrity and achieving mass appeal.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Fabian Marasciullo

Flo Rida and T-Pain: 'Low'

Flo Rida and T-Pain scored a massive worldwide hit with 'Low' — but only after it received the attention of Miami's star mixer, Fabian Marasciullo.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Demacio 'Demo' Castellon

'4 Minutes' by Madonna, Timbaland, Marcella Araica

Madonna's popularity shows no sign of flagging, thanks in part to her ability to seek out cutting-edge production talent. Producer and mixer Demo Castellon explains how he shaped her latest chart-topper.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Joe Zook

OneRepublic

OneRepublic's route to the top has been tortuous, and their massive hit 'Stop & Stare' was actually recorded more than three years ago. Engineer and mixer Joe Zook recalls the sessions.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Robert Carranza

Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson is living proof that you don't need Auto-Tune, Beat Detective or a million overdubs to record a hit album. In fact, as engineer Robert Carranza explains, he didn't even need mains electricity...

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Renaud Letang

Feist: '1234'

Aided by its memorable video and starring role in an iPod ad, Feist's '1234' has been a refreshingly different worldwide hit. Renaud Letang was behind the (vintage) desk during the recording and mixing sessions.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Rich Costey

The Foo Fighters: 'The Pretender'

Iconic rockers The Foo Fighters had a worldwide smash with their record-breaking track 'The Pretender'. Rich Costey was the man behind the mix faders.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Marcella Araica

Inside Track: ‘The Way I Are’

The unrivalled status of producer Timbaland is built on a hand-picked team of engineers, mixers and producers. For the mix of his hit single ‘The Way I Are’, he turned to Marcella Araica.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Neal Avron

Inside Track: 'This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race'

The unsung production hero behind Fall Out Boy, described as “emo’s first superstars”, tells us how he shaped the lead single from 2007’s smash hit album, Infinity On High.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Manny Marroquin

Inside Track: Kanye West's 'Stronger'

Eleven mix engineers tried their hand at Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’ before Manny Marroquin finally turned it into a record. He was rewarded with one of the biggest hits of 2007.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: JJ Puig

Inside Track: Fergie's ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’

The role of the mix engineer is becoming ever more creative. Jack Joseph Puig explains how his imaginative approach helped shape Fergie’s smash hit ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Joe Chiccarelli

The White Stripes

When they hired Joe Chiccarelli to record their latest album, the White Stripes set him a stiff challenge: to create a modern, punchy, heavily edited sound, without leaning on modern digital tools.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Mark Endert

Maroon

Producer and engineer Mark Endert not only mixed the lead single from Maroon 5’s second album: he also co-produced it and programmed many of the parts.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Tom Elmhirst

Amy Winehouse: 'Rehab'

For her second album, Back To Black, Amy Winehouse and producer Mark Ronson crafted a heavily retro sound. Mix engineer Tom Elmhirst describes how he massaged their '60s soul vibe to create a radio-friendly hit in 'Rehab'.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Jimmy Douglass

Inside Track: Justin Timberlake's Sexyback

Megastar Justin Timberlake shot back into the charts last year with 'Sexyback', a hugely successful — and highly unusual — collaboration with hot-shot producer Timbaland. Jimmy Douglass was behind the desk.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Serge Tsai

Sound Workshop

'Hips Don't Lie', by Shakira and Wyclef Jean, is indisputably the biggest single of the 21st Century so far. Engineer Serge Tsai was the man who brought together many diverse elements to create a colossal hit.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Chris Lord-Alge

My Chemical Romance

With its 150-plus tracks encompassing everything from a marching band to a children's choir, it took a special talent to craft a hard-hitting, radio-friendly mix from My Chemical Romance's 'Welcome To The Black Parade'. Enter Chris Lord-Alge...

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Jason Goldstein

Beyoncé's 'Déjà Vu' and 'Irreplaceable'

Beyoncé's second solo album, B'Day, has yielded two of the biggest singles of the year. Jason Goldstein shows us how he put together hit mixes for 'Déjà Vu' and 'Irreplaceable'.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Tony Maserati

John Legend's 'Save Room'

John Legend's silky, R&B-tinged sound has revitalised soul music. Mix engineer Tony Maserati explains how he crafted that sound for Legend's hit 'Save Room'.

Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Phil Tan

Inside Track

Phil Tan, one of the leading mix engineers specialising in urban music, dissects his mixes for two worldwide hit singles from Rihanna: the apty-named 'SOS' and 'Unfaithful'.