Michael Mechling on SoundBetter

Michael is a mix engineer located in Nashville, TN.

Currently assisting mix engineer Reid Shippen

Currently working out of three studios:
• Forty-One Fifteen
• My personal mix suite

I love what I do, and the diversity of music I'm fortunate to work on. I imagine you feel similar about your music, I'd love to hear it and see if I could be a good fit for you!

Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.

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Interview with Michael Mechling

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: The upcoming Dierks Bentley (2018) record. I was an assistant engineer for the week of tracking.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: probably a country EP
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Not yet
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both, because the argument is moot. Huge advantages to both, I tend to think the combination works pretty well.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I want to make you happy
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: its what I love, and the variety of music
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Why isn't it as loud as the radio...... Listen to the "HEATED" file ---- it also has to be mastered
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: that its easy
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Can you clean up your edits?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Lets have a conversation constantly, the more I know you and you me, the better the result
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: I guess if we're limiting ourselves to analog audio gear: My blue stripe Retro 176 Thermionic Culture Vulture PURE 2 ProAcs (computer obvi)
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: School, intern / assistant all while freelancing studio and live gigs repeating the post school process.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: BOLD
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Kacey Musgaves, because Kacey Musgraves. Really because its always amazing songs, with amazing musicians tracked at amazing studios, with amazing people the whole way around.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: think less, listen more, and guitars are always green
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Indie Rock with a heavy dose of Pop-Country
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Listening
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I typically pickup where the producer left off. This varies widely in genre. For example, with rock music I bring a long of harmonic distortion and aggression that the band/producer wouldn't normally have at their disposal. With pop and country mixes, its a lot of the same plus maybe some production elements that the producer missed or ways to make sections hit a lot harder etc.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Setup the song, mix the song
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have three: Forty-One Fifteen is a modern home studio on the east side of Nashville. All outboard gear, great conversion, great mics, smaller rooms: Fortyonefifteen.com The ShoeBox is more your typical commercial Nashville studio, with a ton of vibe. Cage The Elephant just recorded here. Vintage mics and instruments, Neve VR, Burl Convertors, Atomic Instrument Co. speakers. My mix suite at my house is a hybrid: Great monitor conversion, vintage UREI, dbx, api, pultec equipment on inserts for Pro Tools, with an analog 2-bus chain and Burl A/D.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Reid Shippen Vance Powell Michael Brauer
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Most of my clients hire me to mix. The other percentage of my work comes a lot from live band tracking