Friendly mixing engineer. I don’t have any credits but I will work hard for you and your project.
I’m a budding mixing engineer, recording engineer and drummer. I’ve been working everyday on top of my full time job to hone my craft as a mixer and so I want to bring that same dedication to your current or next project.
Send me a note through the contact button above.
Interview with Mike Talkovich
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I haven’t done any projects as of late but hearing my mixes sound good on all devices is a thrill.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: My favorite music depends on the mood that I am in but currently it's ambient country; William Tyler, Luke Schneider, Andrew Tuttle and the like.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Clarity.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Releasing solo dance material that’s been sitting on my hard drive for ages. Practicing mixing on stems from the Telefunken website.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both, analog can be finicky and digital can be cold but with digital you can recall a specific setting that would be difficult with analog yet with analog you get the warmth and imperfections that could set your mix apart.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: Consistency, honesty, transparency and professionalism.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Hopefully, the freedom of working at home and in a field that I absolutely love being in.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That I am doing nothing all day but sitting in front of a screen.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What musicians do you draw inspiration from? Favorite albums? Favorite sounding albums? What’s the time frame?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Open communication is key. Be as clear as you can so we both get lost in the music together.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Drumsticks, Ludwig Supraphonic, Iron Cobra kick pedal, Ludwig 22” Lick drum
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I’ve been a musician for all my life and I’ve gotten into mixing over the last year.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Clean and weird,
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: An artist that is pushing their limits as a songwriter. Someone always honing their craft.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Always check phase.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Rock, country, bluegrass, singer-songwriter, instrumental, experimental
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Drumming and it’s music theory
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Organizing the files, checking the bit rate, tempo and key of song. Open up my mixing template, then organizing, grouping and routing them to the correct mix bus. Checking phase, editing drums (if needed), Get to a rough mix of all the songs, then compare them to each other, checking tones for a consistent mix. Check out references in that genre. Work with the client to get to the desired result.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Acoustically treated, Kali 6” LP, Avantone Mix Cube (mono), UAD Apollo Twin, Audient ASP 800, iMac 2015, 16 input snake, Shure Beta 92a, Beta 52a, SM57, Rode nt-1a, Oktavia SDC, Arturia KeyStep Pro.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Eric Valentine, Zach Hill, Haroumi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, YMO,
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Mixing
I was the Producer, mixer, drummer in this production
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $400 per song
- Dialogue EditingAverage price - $100 per minute
- Live drum trackAverage price - $70 per song
- Podcast Editing & MasteringAverage price - $75 per podcast
- I love to crash my K Sweet Ride.
