Leonardo S. on SoundBetter

Mixing engineer

I’m a mixing engineer born into a multicultural and multiethnic family with Indian classical music on one side and Italian folk, pop and western classical music on the other, and growing up with a great admiration for hip hop music. Music has been an integral part of my life since infancy and continues to be to this day.

Sound engineering and electronic music production graduate with professional certification at the Nut Academy, Naples, Italy.

Within mixing, my objective is to polish each element within your productions or songs and make them work together in order to make the mix greater than the sum of its parts and to represent and enhance your vision as an artist.

Tools: Pro Tools, UAD, Melodyne, Autotune, waves, Softube, Branworx, izotope, Fabfilter, Soundtoys etc.

I have worked with independent artists locally and internationally and built lasting professional relationships in the process as a recording engineer and as a mixing engineer.

Would love to hear from you. Click the contact button above to get in touch.

Languages

  • English
  • Italian

Interview with Leonardo S.

  1. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  2. A: My studio is built around Pro Tools Studio working in a M1 Max MacBook Pro, 64GB RAM 4TB SSD with additional drives for back ups. D/A conversion is done by the Benchmark DAC3 HGC feeding the Audeze LCD-X reference headphones and Yamaha HS5 near field monitors that I deem as a modern replacement of the NS10's. Most of the detailed quality control and mixing is done on the headphones, taking the room out of the equation entirely, and I use the monitors to check the levels, sense of depth, how wet or dry the mix is in terms of effects, the distribution of sounds in the stereo field and the vibe at high volumes.

  3. Q: What's your typical work process?

  4. A: Upon receiving the files from the client I start by creating a session file and saving it in a folder dedicated to that particular client or artist. I keep all sessions and files organised and backed up. I drag all the files into the RX10 advanced editor and start by checking all the files for any clipping. In case of clipping, I will contact the client and inquire whether that was intended or an error during the recording and make a decision whether to continue with the clipped file or have the client re-record that particular track. The session is then organised and all the audio is routed and bussed through my starting template after which all tracks are gain staged with plugins bypassed. I don't listen to any audio during session setups and keep my hearing fresh for when the mixing starts. Once the set up is done, I will take a break after which I mix primarily the central or key elements of the song first and then bring in the rest, checking for balances, tone, timbre, volume and sense of space between all elements in random pairs, small groups and all together. One the main tonal work is done I check the rough mix provided by the client to compare and contrast and interpret the direction they want to go in and make creative or technical decisions to best represent their vision

  5. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  6. A: For mixing I draw a lot of philosophical inspiration from engineers such as Bob Power, Jaycen Joshua, Dave Pensado, Derek Ali, Andrew Scheps.

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Dancin by Guisdx

I was the Mixing Engineer in this production

Terms Of Service

3 revisions.
Turn-around time: 3-5 days which could extend depending on the complexity and length of the track.

Additional revisions: $50 per revision

Gear Highlights
  • Audeze LCD-X
  • Benchmark DAC3 HGC Mastering D/A Converter
  • Weiss ADC2 Mastering A/D Converter
  • Yamaha HS5
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