Barny Barnicott on SoundBetter

Barny is one of the UK's top mixers. Credits with ArcticMonkeys, Kasabian, Sam Fender, Coldplay, 1975, MIA, Jungle, Temper Trap, Stereophonics, Placebo, Amy MacDonald and many more.

Barny works from his own private residential studio in Kent, Blue Bell Hill Studios, which has become one of the most in demand studios in the UK.

The daylit control room is based around a 48 Channel SSL G Series, and the 50 sq m live room has an adjacent 10 sq m booth which can double up as a programming room.
He has recently upgraded the live area into a full speced Dolby Approved Atmos mix room, and is now mixing in Atmos as well as Stereo.

The studio is fully residential and has 8 beautifully refurbished bedrooms within a private luxury house, all immersed in the stunning countryside of South East England.

Barny is currently mixing albums for Palaye Royale, Gia Ford and Jungle, among many others, in both stereo and atmos formats.

Protools is our DAW, and the mixes will start on there and depending on the client and type of music / mix, then move to the G Series SSL console, and then back into the box for final tweaking. We have an array of plugs-ins, but the SSL UC-1 is our main in the box mixing tool. Please have a look at Blue Bell Hill Studios for a full gear list.

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Credits

26 Reviews - 5 Repeat Clients

Endorse Barny Barnicott

13 days ago by June
Verified
had a really complex track with a lot of layers and sounds. I wanted a polished mix that still retained a live energy without feeling overproduced. I picked Barney based on his showreel's organic, energetic sound — and he absolutely nailed it. The mix captures the band's energy perfectly while sounding balanced and detailed.Barney was also super patient with each recall request and really went the extra mile to make sure the song sounded stellar.

I honestly couldn’t recommend him more highly.
about a month ago by Punz
Verified
Barny is fantastic at what he does. He really takes the time to listen and understand the artist’s vision and will not stop until he succeeds in achieving that vision. Sometimes, that vision is difficult to convey, but he is very quick to understand the nuances that make all the difference in a project. He is also incredibly patient and is always very quick to respond to changes, but you never feel rushed by him. I highly recommend Barny and will be sure to work with him in the future.
about a month ago by Laurent M.
Verified
My fourth time working with Barny. Always a pleasure. He did an amazing job mixing my songs. Wonderful communication, patience and skills. Looking forward working with him again soon! Highly recommended!
2 months ago by Paul F.
Verified
It was a pleasure working with Barny, he went above and beyond with getting my song mixed and I look forward to using his services again.
3 months ago by Jay Z.
Verified
Amazing to work with!
5 months ago by Eric C.
Verified
Barny did a fantastic job mixing a song that came together in an unusual way. Wonderful collaborator, great communicator, skilled technician.
6 months ago by Eduard A.
Verified
I had an amazing experience working with Barny. I never felt rushed and was confident throughout about the direction. I really appreciated Barney's honest feedback which helped us make better decisions. I absolutely love the end result on a song which was really tricky and nuanced.
8 months ago by nick o.
Verified
Barny worked some kind of magic on my recording, I sent him a track I got overwhelmed by and didn’t really even finish editing and he went above and beyond the role of mixer doing an amazing job arranging vocals making it sound beautiful. I got a bit emotional when I first heard the finished mix it was that good. Worth every penny this here Barny is.
9 months ago by Christian S.
Verified
Seriously, Barny is one of the best on here. Your mix will sound emotional, natural, and professional. You will have gain all of the professional shine and warmth and lose absolutely none of the emotion of the song. He is super professional and amazing at what he does. Mixes usually take 5 or 6 revisions for my band Frantic Memories but he just nailed it on the 2nd mix. Work with Barny! He’s friendly and easy to work with. Can’t recommend him enough.
11 months ago by Riley W.
Verified
Barny was incredible to work with. An absolute class act.
11 months ago by Matthew D.
Verified
Barny was incredible!!! Went so above and beyond in an extremely labor intensive and tedious editing job. So thankful for him, he took these tracks from unusable to great!
12 months ago by Adrian S.
Verified
It was a pleasure working with Barny: straightforward and friendly communication, professional and swift workflow. While applying his expertise and bringing his own ideas, he was committed to move the song towards our vision, which he achieved. Among others, he managed to smoothly embedd the vocals into the instrumental mix while also keeping them crisp and upfront - a balance that is very difficult to strike. We'd love to work with him again!
about a year ago by Alexander
Verified
Barny was amazing! Really took the time to make sure we were happy with the mix. Was open to suggestions and feedback, and mix revisions were done in a timely manner. From the rough mix, he was able to the song to another level. His discography speaks for itself, would highly recommend
about a year ago by Carlos L.
Verified
Barny is not only a great mixer but also has the virtue of patience. He listens to what you are looking for and executes it.

I'm sure I will work with him again!
about a year ago by Mats S.
Verified
What a delight to work with a pro like Barny! Great intuition for what the song needs and all the experience, knowhow and gear to see it done. On top of that a very humble and no-nonsense person that works until you get where you want to go with the mixes.
about a year ago by Quiana
Verified
How can I describe the ways I love working with Mr. Barnicott. They are wonderful to communicate with in terms of vision, and revisions. Mr. Barnicott gave great suggestions and used his extensive knowledge and experience to mix the track to its best potential. What a wonderful ear they have. I will forever be in love with the sound of the kick in my track after they mixed it. I can highly recommend. Looking forward to working with them in the future.
about a year ago by Connor
Verified
Barny did a fantastic job at mixing my track. He paid close attention to every detail, making sure my project sounded perfect. Whenever I needed revisions, he was very quick to deliver without compromising quality. Working with Barny was a breeze, and I highly recommend him for anyone looking for great mixes done fast. 5 Stars!
about a year ago by James l.
Verified
Barny elevated my track with his mix and it was an absolute pleasure to work with him. hope to work with him again in the future.
about a year ago by Kelly Appleton
Verified
I'd like to extend a massive thank you to Barny for going above and beyond to help bring my songs to life and being so patient throughout the process. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a mix engineer.
2 years ago by Jay Kim
Verified
Even if you don't know who Barny is, I'm sure you're already a huge fan of his work. If you don't believe me, take a look at his credits!

The whole process took a long time due to time difference and communication, but his patience and kindness was beyond measure, and I am 1000% satisfied with his work.

The most amazing thing was that if I wasn’t satisfied, he wasn't satisfied either. He will only stop working when you are ultimately satisfied. If you work with him, you will never regret it

Interview with Barny Barnicott

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I am proud of the first Arctic Monkeys record, and also the first few Kasabian records. That was early days for me, so was a buzz to be recording engineer and mixer on those as they really kick started my career.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Emeli Sandi. We are dong the Dolby Atmos mixes on her new album.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Im new to this, so im afraid no, but I will update this the more i work here.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both, doesnt matter at all. It's about the song, the performance and the feeling. Its not technical.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: To work hard, sometimes it's so easy, but other times it takes ages to get it right. You just keep going till it gets there.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: When I make a mix and cant stop listening to it.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: People always ask me what I do, and how I do it, is there some massive secret to mixing, and the answer is no. Its all about the song and the recording, if you are happy with that, than its going to sound great.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That I can turn something not very good into a great record. I cant, you have to love what you make, then I can make it great.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I ask for music references, so I understand what they are into. Also any mix notes or notes on the recording and what they want from the mix. The more info I have the more I can understand where I should be going with the mix.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Be happy with your song and recording. Make a good honest monitor mix. Dont work on the rough mix too much, if it's good, just balance and panning is all you need. Dont use too many plugins. Keep it simple and honest.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Speakers, Desk, Computer, some cables and a table to put it all on. Ive worked in all types of studios, and all kinds of gear. to me the equipment isn't that important. Its the music and the people that make it.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: Im now 48, I started at 19, left school and went to work in London as an assistant. I was tea boy, car washer, sandwich collector for years, and gradually made my way to head engineer. That took 7 years. then I teamed up with a producer I met and went freelance. I was very lucky and have worked all over the world and have worked on some amazing records over the last 30 years. I set up my studio 16 years ago, and have mainly worked from here since then.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Im a mixer, so I dont have a style. I want to make your style shine, it's not my job to impart my options on your music. I will give you suggestions, and that will be in my first draft, but if you dont like it, then thats fine with me, and im always happy to go back to get it how you hear it.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Neil Young, or Prince, because they have both made so many amazing effortless records.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Keep working until you love what you are hearing. Then stop. You can do too much and ruin the beauty of music by forcing it to be something that it isn't.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I work on music I like. if its not something im into, I won't work on it, as thee will be some who is, and will do a better job.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Patience and understanding of what you want to achieve.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I think a good rough mix is the key. If you are happy with the general sound, then I can work on bringing out the best of what is recorded. Opening it up and enhancing the dynamics, whilst keeping the personality and integrity of the recording. Its your song, and your vision, so im just the guy who wants to make that happen for you.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Firstly is about getting the stems right. Sometimes they need to be very close to the monitor mix, so including all the processing you have already made, but other times the raw files are best, so it varies depending on the track. We will go through the best way to stem your project together. After that I'll work on the mix and send you the first draft. There is no limit to the revisions, and will always work until you are totally happy with the mix.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have run a very successful residential recording studio now for 16 years, based in Kent, UK. We have recently refurbished the house and accommodation at Bluebell Hill Studios. We have a 56 channel G series SSL, and seperate Dolby Atmos mix room. Please have a look for us online to find out more.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I love and work on all kinds of music, and like most professionals have a broad range of projects I like to work on.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I am primarily a mixer. I can offer additional production along the lines of any tuning / timing / editing to get the track mix ready and help you out if that is needed. I do not provide mastering.