Mixing / Production

With no budget to hire a studio, Jacob Golden decided to record his album anywhere and any way he could. The resulting sound is a unique exercise in the use of ambience.

When different parts compete in a mix, it isn't always easy to decide what's most important. We take you through some strategies to achieve better separation of parts for a clutter-free mix.

For our newsstand magazine buyers who do not have access to the subscribers-only eSub version of Mix Rescue, here are the URLs for the Audio files that accompany September 2008's instalment of MIX RESCUE.

Whether you're acclimatising to a new room or speakers, or seeking benchmarks for your mix, a CD of good reference material is an indispensable tool — and it pays to think hard about what you put on it.

Even when you're mixing completely 'in the box', a small analogue mixer can still prove really useful in the home studio, for both recording and monitoring duties...

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.

Links to Audio files mentioned within AUGUST 2008's Mix Rescue article.

A track from Dutch band Awash gets the benefit of fixes for tightening up backing vocals, creating a bigger drum presence and making a DI'd guitar sound more natural.

From humble beginnings, Diane Warren has gone on to write hundreds of hit songs. Her secrets? Hard work, good titles... and no time wasted cleaning her writing room!

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.

In a departure from the norm, we take Mix Rescue on location and get back into the swing of mixing on hardware!

From PIL and Kate Bush to Nick Cave and Arcade Fire, Nick Launay has built a career working with artists who like to explore the outer limits.

When Grammy-award winning producer Liam Watson met country-folk singer Pete Molinari, they discovered a shared love of '50s country music, and decided to make an album that would hark back to the glory days of Nashville recording.

Links to Audio files mentioned within JULY 08's Mix Rescue article.

All of my mixdowns start with a list of all the tracks involved, then each one is introduced and blended into the mix...

The 'vintage' sound of artists like Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and Amy Winehouse has little to do with super-expensive valve gear. Instead, it's the minimalist approach of house engineer Gabriel Roth that sets the tone.

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.

The up-and-coming Two Spot Gobi are great on stage. Can we give their live recording the same spirit?

Links to Audio files mentioned within JUNE 2008's Mix Rescue article.

From their roots as a drum & bass act, Pendulum have transformed themselves into a dance-rock powerhouse.

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...