Creative Edge Music

Common Issues with Audio Mixes from a Mastering Engineer's Perspective (and how to fix them) All Types of Audio Mixes Since I began Mastering at the beginning of 2008, I have had just about every kind of music and mix you can imagine come across my desk. Some songs were produced with big budgets at expensive studios with knowledgeable engineers, some were made entirely on a laptop with headphones, and everything in between.  I’ve heard fantastic mixes come from both ends of the spectrum and I’ve seen some issues that can plague mixers of all types. Occasionally these issues cause problems that a mastering engineer simply can’t address without doing the song more harm than good.  That’s when I (politely) request a mix engineer for a do-over.  It’s not always possible, but when it is, the results are always better - because remember; the perfect mix needs very, very, very, very little adjustment in mastering.  There are three mix issues that I find t...

This past Thursday, I had the pleasure of seeing Rise Against as they toured the US in support of their new album “The Black Market.” I saw them with a friend at the RIMAC Arena on the UC San Diego campus with a friend. On tour with Rise Against was Touché Amoré and Radkey, two bands I’d never heard of before this tour was announced. First up on stage was Radkey , a three piece band of brothers, Dee Radke (Guitar/Vocals), Isaiah J. Radke III (Bass/Vocals), and Solomon Radke (Drums). The music itself was pure punk, high tempo songs made up largely of power chords, though several songs included some impressive solos from Dee. As lead vocalist, Dee’s lines were quite melodic for a punk band, though it was difficult to hear brother Isaiah’s backing vocals. These guys clearly practice together often, as they were incredibly tight musically, and the stringsmen did a great job playing off of each others’ presence on stage. All in all, they put on quite a performing show, and I would happi...