Every great song lives or dies in the details. From the way a vocal sits in the mix to the balance between analog warmth and digital precision, the difference between a track that connects and one that falls flat often comes down to choices made behind the console. It's time to fix your mix—because if the end user can’t enjoy it with ease, the work isn’t finished.

In this episode, we bring you Miles Walker, a Grammy-winning mix engineer and producer based in Atlanta, to discuss mixing, balance, compression, hybrid mixing, and what it takes to thrive in today’s music industry.

Miles is a Berklee College of Music graduate whose career spans from Nashville’s Music Row to studios in Los Angeles and beyond. He has worked with some of the world’s biggest artists, including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher, Katy Perry, and Britney Spears. From his early role as Usher’s staff engineer to Grammy-winning collaborations with Stargate, Miles has been behind numerous chart-topping, platinum-selling records.

Today, you’ll hear about Miles’ journey, his career before and after moving to Atlanta, and his insights on hybrid mixing, mix bus processing, balancing syntax, vocal doubling, automation, and techniques for riding and compressing vocals for energy and performance impact.

Episode Timestamp:

[01:14] A bit about Miles’ career journey

[08:38] Approaches to mixing vocal delays

[10:22] Balancing vocal syntax in a mix

[15:27] Mix bus processing

[19:27] Multi-band compression on the master bus

[23:05] Hybrid mixing: combining digital and analog models

[34:49] Vocal arrangement and achieving consistent balance

[41:48] Static vs. dynamic automation depth

[44:02] Producer-driven vs. production vocal effects

[46:44] Reverb and vocal doubling techniques

[50:09] Compression for energy and performance impact

[54:10] What Miles wishes he knew when he started out

Notable Quotes

• “Sometimes the fun ear candy that works in mixes only works if the songwriter has left the space for other producers.”
• “There’s no right or wrong way to do records.”
• “The more you put on your mix bus, the less you can do on the multi-track level.“
• “Multi-band is the most dangerous component to put on your master bus if you haven’t thought about the general levels.”
• “Feeling different is part of being different. “
• “Use your technical tools, but leading with the technical approach is not going to be better than doing something that is natural and feels good for the soul.”

Connect with Miles

Website: https://www.mixedbymiles.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mixedbymiles/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mixedbymiles

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In this episode, we bring you Tony Maserati, a legendary mixing engineer based in LA, to discuss mixing, collaboration, the industry, and thriving under pressure.

Tony is a Grammy Award–winning record producer and audio engineer. With billions of streams and credits with artists such as Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, Adam Lambert, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato, Tony stands among the most successful mixing engineers in the world. He has been nominated for 12 Grammy Awards, including four for Best Engineered Album, and most recently won a Latin Grammy Award for Best Engineer.

Sound is more than just a technical craft—it’s an emotional translation of an artist’s soul. When you step into the studio, you’re not just adjusting faders or plugins; you’re stepping into someone’s talent and helping bring it to life. It takes humility, skill, and a deep respect for the creative process to craft a mix that not only sounds good but also feels authentic.

Today, you’ll hear about Tony’s journey, his career before and after moving to LA, and his insights on reference mixing, collaboration, mix bus processing, automation, and how to ride and compress vocals for more impact.

Episode Timestamp:

[01:10] A bit about Tony

[03:14] Tony’s move from New York to LA

[06:39] Collaboration in production

[11:06] Tony’s approach to reference mixing

[19:38] Tony’s mix bus processing

[23:22] Automation depth and dynamics

[29:37] Riding and compressing vocals manually

[35:15] The power of mono listening

[40:44] Reverb, delay, and space

[48:22] Mixing loud vocals and vocal focus

[50:29] Handling the pressure and the mixing

[01:01:21] Tips for lifelong learning

[01:06:04] Advice to upcoming mixing engineers

[01:09:13] What Tony wishes he knew when he started out

[01:11:46] Tony’s turning point

Notable Quotes

• “A great song has space in between the words.”
• “You’re the captain of the ship, you’re controlling the vibe in the room, and you’ve to be at the top of your game.”
• “Putting your face on Instagram and talking is worthless because nobody who hires Mixers is looking; they're listening to records,”
• “Find people you like and that you can gel with and make great records.“
• “You have to have that attitude, that every artist and creative person has a gift and you're allowed in the room to help that expression blossom and come alive.”

Connect with Tony

Website: https://tonymaserati.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/tonymaseratiofficial

Facebook: http://facebook.com/tonymaseratiofficial

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In this episode, we bring you Joshua Riley, Manchester-based Mixing Engineer, to talk about mixing, content creation, and social media.

Joshua is an experienced mixer, lecturer, and public speaker, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sound Production from SAE Institute South Africa.

Today, you’ll hear about Joshua’s newly built mixing setup, his to-do list after getting a mix, filtering and clipping, mixing vocals, using automation, getting into content creation, the power of social media, convincing artists about the importance of a mixing engineer, and the three things that Josh wishes he’d known sooner.

Episode Timestamps

• [00:38] A bit about Josh.
• [04:17] Josh’s mixing setup.
• [09:10] Josh’s workflow.
• [14:13] Mix bus processing.
• [17:07] Filtering and clipping.
• [19:54] Mixing backing vocals.
• [22:45] Automation.
• [27:33] VCAs vs buses.
• [29:41] Content creation.
• [52:25] Mixing and mastering.
• [55:29] Solving problems with RX.
• [59:58] The importance of having a mixing engineer on the team.
• [65:02] Three things Josh wishes he knew sooner.

Notable Quotes

• “There’s no right or wrong way to do these things.”
• “If you just sit all day waiting for that phone to ring, it isn’t going to happen.”
• “It’s not an easy industry to be in.”

Connect with Joshua

Website:www.mixedbyjoshua.com.

Instagram:@joshjriley.

TikTok:@mixedbyjoshua.

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In this episode, we bring you Matthew Weiss, Grammy-nominated audio engineer, to talk about his mixing setup and process.

Matthew Weiss is a Grammy nominated engineer and audio mentor who has worked with countless chart-topping artists, such as Dizzee Rascal, Juicy J, MURS, and Royce Da 5’9″. In addition to his engineering, Matthew has appeared as a guest speaker at Cornell University, ProStudio Live, SXSW, and SUNY Fredonia. His audio education tutorials are among the most highly regarded resources in the field of music production.

Today, you’ll hear about Matt’s approach to vocals, how he maintains an efficient workflow, his use of autotune, the importance of getting the timing right, gain staging and plugins, how Matt approaches the mix bus, and the three things Matt wishes he’d known earlier.

Episode Timestamps

• [01:16] A bit about Matt.
• [02:19] How Matt approaches vocals.
• [10:24] How to be more efficient.
• [12:50] Tracking with or without autotune.
• [18:45] Getting the timing right.
• [21:52] Matt’s session workflow.
• [29:52] Gain staging.
• [35:10] Matt’s approach to the mix bus.
• [37:17] Matt’s go-to vocal plugin chain.
• [41:27] Using reverbs.
• [47:44] Delays and doublers.
• [49:31] Processing backing vocals.
• [53:42] Clipper plugins.
• [56:32] What three things Matt wishes he’d known sooner.
• [60:33] Matt’s advice to new engineers.

Notable Quotes

• “I’m not a fan of booths.”
• “It’s not just about being fast. It’s about being very transparent.”
• “Everybody’s job is to do the best they can with the skills that they have.”
• “There’s a difference between knowing something and truly understanding something.”
• “This business is a people business.”
• “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

Connect with Matt

Email:Matt@weiss-sound.com.

Website:weissadvice.com.

promixacademy.com/course/matthew-weiss-mixing-bundle.

Instagram:www.instagram.com/weisssound.

TikTok:www.tiktok.com/@weisssound.

YouTube:Weiss Advice.

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In this episode, we bring you Jerome Renard, Belgian-Born Mixing Engineer, to talk about his mixing setup and process.

As a mixer he believes that every song deserves to have an engineer who understand the deepest needs and connections you have with your music.
As someone who has lived, experienced and engineered pop music internationally, he’s able to bring a multicultural perspective to each project, helping to emphasize with goals of every artist he works with.

His experience working alongside John Metcalfe brought him to Real World
Studio, Universal Music in Studio La Grande Armee in Paris, and his sessions with Simon Phillips were the catalyst for bringing him to Los-Angeles.

Today, you’ll hear about Jerome’s mixing process and setup, his use of parallel compression and gain-staging, his views on vocal tuning, automation, what an average mixing week looks like for Jerome, getting more work in the industry, and hear the three things Jerome wishes he’d known earlier.

Episode Timestamps

• [00:45] A bit about Jerome.
• [02:55] Jerome’s mixing process.
• [07:41] Mixing acoustic drums.
• [09:20] Parallel compression.
• [10:34] Gain-staging.
• [13:09] Jerome’s mix bus.
• [19:31] In the box mixing.
• [23:43] Vocal tuning.
• [26:05] Jerome’s day-to-day.
• [29:52] Automation.
• [34:43] Jerome’s monitoring setup.
• [37:34] Mixing in a studio vs at home.
• [41:42] Jerome’s advice for getting more work.
• [48:06] Three things Jerome wishes he’d known earlier.

Notable Quotes

• “Being comfortable is more important than knowing your room.”
• “Mixing is all about feel.”
• “Reputation is everything.”

Connect with Jerome

• Website: jerome-renard.com.

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Podcast Summary

In this episode, we bring you Leslie Brathwaite, 18x Grammy Award-Winning Mix Engineer, to talk about work-life balance.

Leslie’s credits include Pharrell Williams, Outkast, Björk, TLC, Jay Z, Madonna, Ludacris, Young Jeezy, Akon, T.I., Monica, Michael Jackson, Cher, Mary J. Blige, 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G. Beyonce, Jack Harlow, David Guetta, and Cardi B. He holds GRAMMY Awards for Best R&B performance by Duo or Group - Brandy and Monica, The Boy Is Mine (1999), Best R&B Album – TLC, FanMail (2000), Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group – TLC, No Scrubs (2000), Best Rap Album – OUTKAST, Stankonia (2002), Best Urban Contemporary Album – Pharrell Williams, GIRL (2015), and Best Pop Solo Performance – Pharrell Williams, Happy (2015).

Today, you’ll hear about how Leslie manages his day-to-day life on the go, how he mixed Cardi B’s WAP in the back of his truck, the productivity boost of working from home, how mixing is like surgery, how overthinking can unravel a mix, the pressure of working with A-listers, the revision process, Leslie’s non-template approach, learning from other mixers, how Leslie got to where he is now, the narrowing production quality gap, getting credit for the work, networking and competition, the function of management, and the three things that Leslie wishes he’d known earlier.

Episode Timestamps

• [01:06] A bit about Leslie.
• [02:33] Leslie’s day-to-day.
• [05:20] Mixing Cardi B in the back of a truck.
• [07:54] Productivity working from home.
• [13:01] Mixing like surgery.
• [14:32] Overthinking.
• [21:04] The pressure of working with A-listers.
• [22:32] The revision process.
• [27:19] Stress vs success.
• [30:22] Working without templates.
• [31:45] Leslie’s mix bus.
• [32:30] In-the-box limitations.
• [34:55] Learning from other mixers.
• [39:20] Transitioning from recording to mixing.
• [42:30] Learning is learning.
• [45:58] The production quality gap.
• [52:14] Minimal processing on the mix bus.
• [55:20] Hearing a record that he’s mixed.
• [60:10] Mixing credits.
• [61:53] Would Leslie’s approach be different now?
• [64:27] Competition.
• [65:56] Having a manager.
• [68:33] What Leslie wishes he’s known earlier.

Notable Quotes

• “If you’ve got the right tools, you can mix records on the go.”
• “As a professional, you have to be able to do your job, no matter the content.”
• “Everybody has the tools now.”
• “The people who need to know will find out.”
• “Never give up.”

Connect with Leslie

Website:Leslie Brathwaite.

Support the show

Podcast Summary

In this episode, we bring you Mixed By Jocelin, Award-Winning Engineer and Producer, to talk about his approach to Mixing and Mastering.

Jocelin has worked as a recording, mixing, and mastering engineer for over a decade. After making a name in the industry working at Relentless Energy Studio, Jocelin became a prominent engineer in London’s rap scene, having worked with artists including JME, AJ Tracey, Headie One, and Not3s.

Today, you’ll hear about how Jocelin approaches a mix, his producing and mastering, switching between DAWs, AI mixing, the importance of creativity, being more accessible as a mixer, doing the final print offline, and taking on every opportunity in the industry.

Episode Timestamps

• [00:51] A bit about Jocelin.
• [02:43] Pro Tools vs Logic.
• [06:08] Approaching a mix.
• [10:58] Processing vocals.
• [14:15] AI mixing.
• [16:01] Being creative.
• [18:27] Mixers being accessible.
• [22:24] Mixing and producing.
• [27:46] Parallel processing.
• [35:12] Mixing and mastering.
• [41:01] Mastering Aladdin in Logic.
• [49:56] Doing the final print offline.

Notable Quotes

• “It’s more important to be creative.”
• “Anyone can start engineering.”
• “There are loads of different ways to get to the same destination.”
• “You will be scared, but don’t let that stop you.”

Connect with Jocelin

• Website: engineears.com/mixedbyjocelin.
• Instagram: @mixedbyjocelin.
• @mixed_opinionspodcast.

Support the show

Podcast Summary

In this episode, we bring you Jon Blass, Grammy Award-Winning Mix Engineer, to discuss his process and perspective for successful mixes.

Jon Blass is a GRAMMY award-winning mix engineer. His mix work has garnered 11 additional GRAMMY nominations, multiple Dove and Stellar awards, and frequently lands atop the Billboard Gospel charts. His mix credits include India.Arie, Naomi Raine Gene Moore, Maranda Curtis, Tweet, Marvin Sapp, Donnie McClurkin, Todd Dulaney, Jason Nelson, Brian Courtney Wilson, Melvin Crispell, Donald Lawrence, Shirley Caesar, Fisk Jubilee Singers, and many others.

Jon works in both stereo and Dolby Atmos from his private, Atmos-enabled Limn Sound Studio in Nashville. He has recently served on the Nashville chapter Producers & Engineers Wing and Diversity Outreach Initiative committees for the Recording Academy and the Audio Engineering Society’s local executive committee. Jon is an alum of the GRAMMY NEXT program as well as the Society of Leaders In Development (SOLID).

Today, you’ll hear about how Jon approaches a mix in multiple different genres, automation and compression, using real faders, his Dolby Atmos setup, Jon’s transition to independence, and hear the three things that Jon wishes he’d known sooner.

Episode Timestamps

• [01:00] About Jon.
• [02:08] Jon’s multi-genre approach to mixing.
• [06:17] Automation.
• [09:51] Adding or replacing samples.
• [12:32] Compression.
• [20:40] Jon’s go-to parallel compressors.
• [25:14] Mixing vocals.
• [27:01] Real faders.
• [28:09] Jon’s Dolby Atmos setup.
• [29:39] Switching to Dolby Atmos mixing.
• [34:11] The future of Atmos.
• [37:44] How long does a mix take?
• [38:36] Jon’s average day.
• [44:01] Production quality.
• [47:58] Transitioning into independence.
• [51:28] 3 things Jon wishes he’d known earlier.

Notable Quotes

• “Mixing is feeling.”
• “If it sounds good, it is good.”
• “Don’t overthink it.”
• “What’s meant to be will be.”
• “This is not a gig where you get a job.”
• “Relationships are crucial.”
• “Be open to things you don’t know.”

Connect with Jon

Website:www.jonblass.com.

Instagram:@jonblass.

Support the show