Do you need your track to be more defined? More thump? More sheen? Give me a shout...
I started my career in Soho’s early 90’s studio boom by cutting teeth on all things sample based and beat orientated. A great time for Hip-Hop and Dance music, the beginnings of our current flavours. In the late 90’s, after spending almost 18 months moving between London, New York and Jamaica,I decided to plant my feet firmly in Brixton, South London, where I went on to produce and mix a whole host of ground breaking UK Garage and Hip-Pop artists. A multi platinum Mixer/Producer with credits that span from Coldcut to So Solid Crew and Omar to MIA. With over 25 years experience I've mixed various multi platinum selling records. How can I help you?
Would love to hear from you. Click the contact button above to get in touch.
Credits
210 Reviews - 49 Repeat Clients
Endorse Roy Merchant
check_circleVerifiedRoy was great to work with - communicative and professional throughout. I’m happy with the end result and appreciate the care he put into the track.
check_circleVerifiedAnother fantastic collab with Roy. This song had a little more polish coming in and he tweaked the elements just right to get it sounding cohesive with the rest of the songs on the album.
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Another great job from Roy - he kills it every time!
check_circleVerifiedRoy is so patient and is able to adjust to any specific needs!
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This song was our first collaboration with Roy as part of a larger album project. We wanted to find a mix engineer who could help us craft a unique sound and would take feedback well. We chose 3 different engineers to mix the same song and worked through the process with each. In the end, Roy's mix really stood out for its balance and clarity and we decided to hire his services for the rest of the project. Would absolutely recommend working with Roy!
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There were some important parts on this track that we needed to get just right for an Inuktitut speaking audience, which is no easy task when you don't understand the language. Despite the challenge, Roy was very accommodating and worked hard with each revision to get everything sounding perfect. The response to the song has been overwhelmingly positive and our team was super pleased with the mix he provided.
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Roy is a pleasure to work with. He takes feedback well and works collaboratively to get the mix sounding just right. I appreciate his attention to detail and ability to craft a unique sound for each track while keeping the consistency required for an album.
check_circleVerifiedRoy is very Patience , talented and always pushes to exceeed to match the vision ! happy with the end product always ! he is defiantly a master in craft
check_circleVerifiedRoy is an awesome mixer, he always brings the sound to the next level and is very easy to work with - a total pro. Really happy with the mixes he provided, looking forward to the next one!
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the best engineer I've work with in a long time, happy with end product , hope to work roy more in the future .5 star !!!
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Another great mix from Roy! He is very good at understanding your feedback and making impactful changes to the mix. Would highly recommend!
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Roy did an excellent job, he understood what the song needed straight away and the mix sounds amazing! Would highly recommend!
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Roy was an efficient communicator, he delivered the project on the deadline we set, and tracks he mixed sounded great. Would definitely work with him again.
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Great working with Roy again. Process and result as expected and I'm happy with it. Look forward to working again in the future.
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The whole process was smooth and Roy is really easy to work with. He added a fullness and professional sheen to the track but still very faithful to the initial sound of the reference and demo mix. He also took care of some minor issues with the source track that I can no longer hear. Would be very interested in working with Roy again.
check_circleVerifiedRoy must have the patience of a Saint doing this with people like me, can't recommend him enough.
check_circleVerifiedwe just finished mixing my next EP. another great collaboration with Roy.
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I really enjoyed working with Roy. He is easy to work with and very talented!
check_circleVerifiedRoy has an amazing ear and really polished my track from a muddy idea to something very presentable. What's more is he was incredibly patient which is detrimental to such an emotional and finicky process as song mixing. I thoroughly recommend him for your project and
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Roy's expertise really amazed us. The project was complex as it is but Roy was very diligent and receptive of what we wanted from the project and delivered above our expectations.
Interview with Roy Merchant
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use Protools as my mixing DAW and Ableton for programming. Hardware includes a N16 summing amp fed by an Apogee Symphony and AD/DA 16X. I have a few racks of analogue gear I like to process parts through.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Import all the files at 48k then get a tempo and strip the audio so I can actually see the arrangement. Then I'll AB the balance with the ref mix so I'm starting where the producer left off, that's really important. I have some nice bits of gear, so sometimes I'll bounce things around to play with their harmonics and dynamics. There's a Phoenix N16 summing mixer that sits at the backend of my Tools session and returns via either an Alansmart C2 or Avalon 747.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I love woking with Omar, he's such a great talent. Saying that, the material he hands over can be in a pretty bad shape sometimes. His "The Man" album was mostly recorded in his back garden and hearing what we managed to pull out of the sessions makes me smile. When I mixed that project we really captured his unique vibe.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I'll put everything I can into your project.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Mac, ATC 25a, Apogee Symphony, U87, DRS-Q4. Shame there's no power on the island...
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started making tea in a studio when I was 16. Watched and learnt from many different engineers and producers. I was in-house at a studio in Soho, London, for 4-5 years then went out to Jamaica to record and mix a few albums. After that I engineered for a range of different dance producers and signed to a management company. This led to engineering and mixing for major labels. 25 years later and about 10 million records later... Here I am.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Electronic.... Pop/Soul/Dance/Indi
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: SOOOO many.. Massive Attack were and still are a huge inspiration. Mobb Deep had a great vibe and so did Dr Dre. Armand Van Helden's done a few decent tracks in his time too. Beck and the Dust Brothers have probably inspired many people without knowing. More recently, you can't knock Calvin Harris for consistency and pop sensibility. As far as mixers go Mark Stent and Tony Maserati have done some of my favourite mixes. As I said.. SOOOO many...
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love hearing new tracks, hearing new ideas and new sounds. That said, the best part is seeing people stretch their creativeness.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both... Analogue can add a harmonic richness and digital is quick easy and convenient.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Beck.. I've always loved his vibe. Folk hop? The dirt, groove and colourful lyrics.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Patience.
I was the Mix Engineer in this production
- Swiss - Like This
- Kianja - I Appreciate You
- Omar - The Man
- SoundBetter Electronica Mixes
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $400 per song
- ProducerAverage price - $1000 per song
- Mastering EngineerAverage price - $100 per song
- Vocal TuningAverage price - $50 per track
- Beat MakerContact for pricing
- RemixingContact for pricing
- Vocal compingContact for pricing
Mixing: 2 revisions;
Stems: $20 per stem
Mastering: 2 revisions
- Avid Pro Tools Ultimate
- Apogee Symphony mk II
- ATC SMC25a
- Neve 1073
- Audioscape OptoComp
- Urei LA4
- Wes Beta76
- Avalon 747
- Smart C2
- Manley ELOP+
- Phoenix N16
- Moog
- MPC 3000
Free mastering with every mix. SB clients only
- Gear upgradeFeb 03, 2025
Finally upgraded the Apogee Symphony and 16X's to the Symphony MkII, long time coming. Also waved goodbye to the Neve 2254/E, which just wasn't getting used, and replaced it with an Audioscape OptoComp (LA2A); proudly sitting on the lead vocal track.
- Over a Billion streamsDec 16, 2023
Muso.AI just released the figures for 2023 and WOW, 1.1 billion streams. Mega happy, let's push for the second BILLION. See picture inserts.
- Joe Meek???Jan 28, 2022
On a whim I got a SC2.2 off Ebay... Why I hear you ask. Well, it's different I give you that.
I bussed a drum kit and put the LA 4 over it, not bad. Then used the Joe Meek SC2.2 as a parallel and WHACK. This thing will come in handy...!!!!!
- New gearAug 17, 2021
Just added the Wes Audio Beta76 to the studio. A fantastic rework of the classic Urei 1176. A beauty..!!!!!
