who are todays most individual mixers

[stealthbalance]

hi slutz !
just wondering who you guys feel today are the mixing engineers
who have their own unique style. although most mixing engineers
have their own vibe , there are very few mixers who are truly doing their
own style. the guy that comes to mind for me is andy wallace. his stuff
truly sounds only like his stuff. perspectives, tones , dynamics,
everything - its even difficult to copy his style - most other mixing
guys you can copy fairly easily - at least i think so.
any thoughts ??

[thethrillfactor]

If I played you a record mixed by Andy Wallace and Terry Date could you tell the difference?

They work with a lot of the same bands and sometimes the sounds are similar.

I like Andy Wallace,TLA, Dexter Simmons,Mick Guzauski/Humberto Gatica,Dave Oglivie/Alan Moulder,JJP and Bob Clearmountain. I think they are the best at what they do.

Some strong consideration goes to Brendan Obrien,Mike Shipley,Tchad Blake and Kevin Killen.

[Wiggy Neve Slut]

Here's My Faves:

Bob Clearmountain--> Crowded House 'Together alone'

Nigel Godrich--> Diving comedy 'Regeneration' Radiohead, Travis & Beck

'Spike Stent'-- massive attack's 'protection & Mezzanine' Bjork Vespertine & Homegenic

TLA & CLA ==> squish city but kinda suits heaps bands and radio?grudge

Dave Bianco

Dave bascombe

Wayne Connolly (Australian indie dude)

JJP- Black Crowes 'Amorica'

Chris Potter -- The Verve 'Urban Hymns'

Ken Nelson -- any Gomez record.

Flood-- U2 , Depeche Mode, Smashin Pumpkins

Alan Moulder - JESUS & MARY CHAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ..lol, RIDE!!!!, smashing pumpkins, NIN

Steve Albini.... so many to choose from! even tho many pay out on his lofi and homely textures he still kiks ass and for better or worsehas the balls not to be part of the 'machine' .. i still love The Pixies 'Bossanova' and Nirvana's 'In Utero'.

Andy Wallace.. where do you start. I think he mixes a lot of shit bands these days cos the $$$ are there etc but some of my faves have been 'Nevermind' cos it still kiks MFA after 12 yrs and it set a sonic blueprint for the 90's, At the Drive In's 'Relationship Of Command' cos he made it pump and rock like MOFO.

Jerry Boys -- Buena Vista Social Club, and Everything But The Girls 'Amplified heart' which is as AMG described self pitty set to music... im not sure if he's a down sort of dude but the captured and mixed the record in the spirit of the songs so well and its very 'twee' in that english way which i loved on this record so much. Nice string and piano and Vocals.... well i spose it helps that Tracy Thorn can sing pretty well!

im sure i could go on for ever but this will have to do!

PEACE
Wiggy

[stealthbalance]

hi thrillfactor

i could absolutely tell the difference between a wallace or a date mix-
they are totally different - although they do work with the same style of
heavy bands. thrill, i must say that you have great taste in mixers -
however how many of them on your list are truly unique in their style
and sound? not all of them IMHO. many are just very successful...
but not really THAT good. or maybe they used to be great, but now just o.k.
also some just keep doing the same mix over and over again.
I love signitures - but i dislike formulas. some of these
guys are locked into a formula i think. wallace does the same mix over and over
again but for some reason with him it still is amazing. IMVHO.
also my very fav mixers are really producers ( mutt , trevor horn, george martin).
their records would be mixed nothing like they turned out if they in fact
were not all over the mixing process.

[e-cue]

Andy Wallace, Dave Pensado, Bob Power, Dexter Simmons, Mike Shipley, Tony Maserati, TLA (where would he be without compression?), Andy Wallace, Jean-Marie Horvat, Tchad Blake, Steve Albini, Brian Springer, Jack Joseph Puig, Dave Way, and Andy Wallace.

[jazzius]

who mixes Dr Dre?.........his mixes are always bangin'

[Lindell]

Originally posted by jazzius
who mixes Dr Dre?.........his mixes are always bangin'

He´s doing he´s own mixes.

How much does the "SuperMixer" guys charge for a mix? TLA, Andy W, Mick G,....

[juniorhifikit]

Originally posted by Lindell
He´s doing he´s own mixes.

How much does the "SuperMixer" guys charge for a mix? TLA, Andy W, Mick G,....

I've heard from several people that TLA gets $10K and up per song. Not too shabby. When you consider the rumor that radio station programmers are more likely to add a song if it was mixed by one of "those guys", labels are probably paying that much - like an investment with a guarantied return. Kinda makes it tough for us little folks to convince the labels to take a chance on us. The only way in seems to be by being attached to an unknown but breaking band. Some things never change

[stealthbalance]

junior hifikit-

so true. many people in the industry ( whats left of it ) listen with
their eyes. as far as $10K a mix for TLA , maybe now after the
avril album. he at least earns that anyway because of his audio
equipment he rents to the client for the day's mix.
he also has a five song minimum. as far as
andy wallace goes , i think its $5K & 1 point , or $10K with no point
per song. not a bad day's take anyway you slice it.
wallace also forces himself ive heard to only work 2 weeks on and 2
week off during the summer months. he has a family and about
50 cars he enjoys - old classics and stuff. why not get grampa
wallace to be guest moderator here soon - i can't imagine that he
would be too guarded about his thoughts being he is so unshakable
in his privileged position. he has been doing this since the seventies.
it still kills me that the oldest guy on the mixing block is one of the
strongest at what he does. ....or maybe that's why he is so good.

[jpaudio]

What do you guys think of Rich Costey? Fiona Apple's When the Pawn..., Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, a handful of nu/ozzfest-metal, etc. I'm a big fan of what i've heard by him thus far.

[BattleAngel]

I'm with you again JP, I think a lot of his stuff is great. Not a big Audioslave guy at all though- but that could just be the music sucking the life out of me whenever I try to listen critically (not that I can ever listen for fun with those songs) ;-)

[e-cue]

Originally posted by jazzius
who mixes Dr Dre?.........his mixes are always bangin'

Richard "Segal" Huredia... Give that dude some API eq's and it's all over.

[Deja V.U.]

TLA, Mick Guzowski, Dave Pensado, Jimmy Douglas, Dylan Dresdow, JJP, Nigel Godrich, Andy Wallace, Mike Shipley, Dave Reitzas, Duro, Kevin Davis, and Manny Mariquin.

[Neve Sucks!]

I see you guys likes Dave Pensado among others. I think he kindá suck. (I´m sure he´s a nice guy) The latest Christina sounded really horrible! Harsh, thin, bla-bla-bla..... ( In my ears those mixes are worth ´bout $ 150 each). The same concerning Dave Way. He did really **** up the Savage Garden album. He ****ed up one of my productions real good as well.... I mean "KD" or Manny M are sooo much better in the RnB/PoP genre.... And there´s no one like Mr. Guzauski or Humberto when it´s coming to reverbs, they really know how to make those trax WET!
TLA also did some nice work on Avril´s album.....

dfegad Just my thoughts, please ignore ém!

[Wiggy Neve Slut]

ooh a few more that i forgot to mention...

Tchad Blake.... Dude is a tone freak!

more Aussies...

Victor Van Vugt --> Beth Orton, PJ Harvey

Tony Cohen --> Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Saints, The Go-Betweens.

Cheers
Wiggy

[Deja V.U.]

Originally posted by Neve Sucks!
I see you guys likes Dave Pensado among others. I think he kindá suck. (I´m sure he´s a nice guy)

and the P!NK record? and the Destiny's Child records? and the KC and JOJO records? and the Brian McKnight records? and the Bell Biv Devo records? and the Cameo records?

Not many mixers have been around as long as Pensado and still manage to say on top of the game. (Where's Bruce Swedien been? Doing J-Lo?!) If you think "Dirrty" was harsh and thin, then we just disagree on what sounds good. Anytime I've been in a club or cranked it on my loudspeakers, I haven't had to cover my ears.

I also disagree about Dave Way. I don't like his mixes, but he's not even CLOSE to being harsh. The Macy Grey record ws one of the dulliest sounding records to come out during that time. KD is hit or miss. Manny is consistantly good.

[thethrillfactor]

Originally posted by stealthbalance
hi thrillfactor

i could absolutely tell the difference between a wallace or a date mix-
they are totally different - although they do work with the same style of
heavy bands. thrill, i must say that you have great taste in mixers -
however how many of them on your list are truly unique in their style
and sound? not all of them IMHO. many are just very successful...
but not really THAT good. or maybe they used to be great, but now just o.k.
also some just keep doing the same mix over and over again.
I love signitures - but i dislike formulas. some of these
guys are locked into a formula i think. wallace does the same mix over and over
again but for some reason with him it still is amazing. IMVHO.
also my very fav mixers are really producers ( mutt , trevor horn, george martin).
their records would be mixed nothing like they turned out if they in fact
were not all over the mixing process.

Stealth,

I think they are all amazing and they can take the mixes to the next level.

That's why they get hired so much.

I think when you mix a lot of records its impossible not to have a formula.

But your "sound is your sound' , formula or not is who you are.

TLA is probably the most copied now, but that's because he is good at what he does. He knows how to get things "exciting".

I could play you something like OMD,TKA,The System,Black Grape,Steve Winwood,Hanson,Marilyn Manson,Sarah Mclalachlan,Dave Mathews and they were all mixed by TLA and they all sound "emotional and exciting". I like TLA's stuff(even back in the big 80's) and I like A Wallace also(he also did Public Enemy back in the day).

And Trevor Horn does not mix his stuff.

He produced two of my all time favorite records(Seal I and Seal II), but he didn't mix them. He wasn't even responsible for the sound as much(it was more Wendy and Lisa). But he is great at what he does(Art of Noise,Yes,Frankie Goes to Hollywood,ABC).

[paterno]

Originally posted by thethrillfactor
I think when you mix a lot of records its impossible not to have a formula.

But your "sound is your sound' , formula or not is who you are.

'Your sound is your sound'. Well put, Thrill. I'm not sure if I'd call it a 'formula' as much as an 'approach', although i can only speak about the guys who I've been around -- based on their mixing of my recorded tracks. I have heard the formula stories as well...
Cheers,
John

[Wiggy Neve Slut]

Thrill....

Those 2 Trevor Albums by Seal are pure Magic..

Listening to them on a bitchin set of speakers.. like i imagine u would have is an experience and they are SO HIFI and almost audiophile and just plain awesome... Trevor is a consumate perfectionist and his group 'The Buggles' made 2 VERY cool albums which dont get enuff recognition ... im allways in awe of Trevor and his productions... and YES Frankie still kiks MFA on a club system and i heard it on radio the other day as i was driving into town and i instinctively just turned it up and had an instant hit of power and 'road rage' lol

PEACE
Wiggy

[faeflora]

Hey I didn't know TLA did Marilyn Manson's "Mechanical Animals".

****ing good job!

[NathanEldred]

Nigel Godrich...he's the master of ambience.

[thethrillfactor]

Originally posted by Wiggy Neve Slut
Thrill....

Those 2 Trevor Albums by Seal are pure Magic..

Listening to them on a bitchin set of speakers.. like i imagine u would have is an experience and they are SO HIFI and almost audiophile and just plain awesome... Trevor is a consumate perfectionist and his group 'The Buggles' made 2 VERY cool albums which dont get enuff recognition ... im allways in awe of Trevor and his productions... and YES Frankie still kiks MFA on a club system and i heard it on radio the other day as i was driving into town and i instinctively just turned it up and had an instant hit of power and 'road rage' lol

PEACE
Wiggy

Totally agree Wiggy!!

I love "Crazy" and "Killer"(originally mixed by Spike Stent actually).

Those two albums along with Soundgarden's "Superunknown" are on my list of best albums in the last 15 years.

For every great record Trevor has, he has a couple of misses(Tina Turner for eg).

I still respect his work highly.

[thethrillfactor]

Originally posted by paterno
'Your sound is your sound'. Well put, Thrill. I'm not sure if I'd call it a 'formula' as much as an 'approach', although i can only speak about the guys who I've been around -- based on their mixing of my recorded tracks. I have heard the formula stories as well...
Cheers,
John

Well said John,

Approach is the perfect word.

Or maybe"inner audio"philosophy?

[Drumsound]

I'm always attracted to Brendan O'Brien. There's a very "real" sound in his records. I had the Jayhawks "Hollywood Town Hall" on at the studio this morning. I didn't realize he did it. I was just thinking, "I love the sound of this record." I looked at the liner notes and, sure enough Brendan O’Brien mixed it. I've got a ton of his stuff, and none of it was bought based on his involvement. I was always attracted by the music. I'd love to see him mix something someday.

Tchad Blake is also a hero of mine. I really love some of the things he and Mitchell Froom have done. Colossal Head by Los Lobos is wonderful, as are their collaborations with Richard Thompson.

Thrill,
I think you hit it on the head with TLA. His mixes are exciting. Whenever I put on the Weezer green record I get juiced up. I could never put my finger on in until you said that, thanks. People like to rip on him for some reason, but i dig him.

[stealthbalance]

thrill-
i love all those TLA albums - i really like his stuff , his bros. chris
is good too. check out the owsley album- tla did it.
as far as horn goes - guys like him or mutt are all over the frequencies,
ddls, verbs etc. frankie goes to hollywood "relax" took them one month to mix.
also trevor was way early in the SSL game and while just using board
eq only and a sony 24track dig was able to get some unreal rich tones.
ann pigalle , propoganda, art of noise, yes, frankie, seal..............etc.
when i first heard "crazy" i was driving and i almost swerved of the highway.
grace jones "slave to the rhythm" kicked my ass. i take nothing away from
his engineers like langan , mendelsohn , and the guys back then.
steve lipson was more than just an engineer though.
we are talking early series E ssl desk - you would look at the eq knob and it was
too much eq already. early pagham was the same - even earlier ssl B
console at townhouse - and he did that lillywhite stuff like XTC and 2nd
peter gabriel album and it was amazing. good talent you could say with
those artists. anyway those producers were all over the mixers .
and as far as plastic hair-band posers go, mutt mixed def lep "pyromania"
great. ( i think im starting to date myself at the end of the day (what a
dumb saying ) the best mixers not only understand tone, but they also
know what things to make pop in a record. and who maintain the ability to
hear the song. for me , not only does a record have to have greatness in
tonality , it must also be an emotional and all encompassing journey with
g spots , payoffs , tension, drama....i think i should have directed films.
all this MHO.
pensado did a great job on pink. man she does it for me

[thethrillfactor]

Originally posted by stealthbalance
thrill-
i love all those TLA albums - i really like his stuff , his bros. chris
is good too. check out the owsley album- tla did it.
as far as horn goes - guys like him or mutt are all over the frequencies,
ddls, verbs etc. frankie goes to hollywood "relax" took them one month to mix.
also trevor was way early in the SSL game and while just using board
eq only and a sony 24track dig was able to get some unreal rich tones.
ann pigalle , propoganda, art of noise, yes, frankie, seal..............etc.
when i first heard "crazy" i was driving and i almost swerved of the highway.
grace jones "slave to the rhythm" kicked my ass. i take nothing away from
his engineers like langan , mendelsohn , and the guys back then.
steve lipson was more than just an engineer though.
we are talking early series E ssl desk - you would look at the eq knob and it was
too much eq already. early pagham was the same - even earlier ssl B
console at townhouse - and he did that lillywhite stuff like XTC and 2nd
peter gabriel album and it was amazing. good talent you could say with
those artists. anyway those producers were all over the mixers .
and as far as plastic hair-band posers go, mutt mixed def lep "pyromania"
great. ( i think im starting to date myself at the end of the day (what a
dumb saying ) the best mixers not only understand tone, but they also
know what things to make pop in a record. and who maintain the ability to
hear the song. for me , not only does a record have to have greatness in
tonality , it must also be an emotional and all encompassing journey with
g spots , payoffs , tension, drama....i think i should have directed films.
all this MHO.
pensado did a great job on pink. man she does it for me

Very true Stealth.

Also Trevor was one of the earliest "digi"power users(StudioVision actually). A lot of Seal's second album was recorded and edited on it(as well as the Euphonix).

Also don't forget Steve Fitzmaurice.

Also he was one of the first guys to mix the vocals upfront and with no reverb("Crazy"suggested by his wife) when everyone at the time was swimming their vocals in efx(nothing wrong by the way).

Now its almost a standard thing when mixing vocals.

He is definitely a perfectionist.

[alphajerk]

dave fridmann is the tops.
nigel godrich for mutations.
paul leary cause most here probably dont know who he even is.
andrew weiss cause i said so.

[Anonymatt]

I'm with Alphajerk on Friddman and Godrich. Those guys kill. I listen to a record by either one of those guys at least twice a day. As a matter of fact, I'm such a little Godrich loser fanboy, I could probably go a week only listening to his albums.

Adam Kasper kicks ass. He's done a bunch of rock and roll stuff that makes me feel phenomenal.

[Renie]

Thrill

I'd love to hear some of your work. Some production and some mix work.

Would you suggest some?

thanks

Renie

[Fat Cat]

Keep in mind that stunt mixers get to choose their projects so if the songs are good, they look that much better. Great songs are easy to mix.