How do you approach working with new clients? Do you listen to a lot of their previous music, or do you focus more on the vision through discussions with the artist, label, or A&Rs?

The first question I always ask when working with a new artist is, “How much do you love the demo?” Do you want the mix to sound like it, or do you hate it? That’s the starting point because a song can go in so many directions. Imagine getting a demo the artist doesn’t even like, but you don’t ask anything. You just go straight into mixing, A/B it against the demo, and deliver something that sounds similar. Then they tell you, “Yeah, I didn’t really like the demo,” and now you’ve wasted time. So for me, communication is everything. Understanding what the artist likes or dislikes about the demo is step one.

Sometimes I’ll check out their past work, especially if I’m unfamiliar with the artist. I might quickly skim their last few releases just to get a feel for their sound. That helps me tell whether the demo fits their usual style or if it’s something rough or different. I also like to let the artist or their team know a bit about my mixing style, which leans more pop: loud, upfront, and punchy. If that’s not what they’re looking for, I adjust. There have been artists who preferred their mixes to feel softer and closer to the demo. In those cases, I’ll mix it my way first, then dial back the drums, reduce brightness, and tone it down to better fit their taste.

It always starts with a conversation. You’ve got to understand the artist’s vision first. It’s like being hired to build a house—you don’t just show up and start building. You have a meeting, go over their ideas, figure out the size and style, then draw up the plans. Mixing is the same. The first version you deliver isn’t final. It’s more like a template. They listen, give feedback, and you make adjustments: maybe the vocals are too bright, or they want tighter drums. That back-and-forth is part of the process. It’s always about the client and what they want.

Of course, we all have our own sound as mixers, but we also know how to deliver what we’re asked for. If someone wants a mix that’s duller or less dynamic, I can absolutely do that. I just need that communicated up front. Otherwise, I’ll go with my instincts. So it’s always a balance between my taste and their vision. That push and pull leads to the best result.

How do you know when a song is finished on the mixing side?

You don’t ever really know a song is finished until it’s actually released. It’s definitely not finished when I print the first mix, and it’s not even done when the artist signs off. Even after approval, changes still come in all the time. I’ll print the master, deliver the stems, and then get a call like, “Hey, can you actually tweak this one thing?” That could be two days before release. Maybe they want an ad-lib turned up or a vocal pulled back. So I’ll jump in, make the change, and reprint.

Even if the song is already uploaded to digital platforms like iTunes and Spotify, we can still make changes using something called a “swap.” For example, let’s say we deliver the track on a Friday and it’s scheduled to release the following Friday—it’s already in the system. If changes come in midweek, we just upload the new version, and it gets swapped in so the corrected mix goes live on release day.

Sometimes the song is already out, and we still make changes. I’ve had cases where a record drops, and someone says, “Can you turn the snare up?” We’ll adjust it, remaster it, re-upload it, and within 24 hours, the streaming platforms swap in the new version. Most people won’t even notice unless they’re really listening for that snare. But that just shows—songs are never truly done. Maybe after three months of streaming with no feedback, then it’s done.

There was even a recent case with a Travis Scott song. Fans noticed a few days after release that some ad-libs were removed. It’s never truly finished. It’s a rolling, living piece of art that can keep evolving.

Are there any underrated mixing techniques people should be using?

I think one of the biggest things is not getting too caught up in every new plugin that comes out or whatever’s trending on YouTube. A lot of the best work still gets done with the basics, like the Pro-Q, Pro-C 2, or C6 Multiband Compressor. You don’t need ten new plugins to make a good mix.

A lot of new mixers watch tutorials and then try to apply every technique they see to every sound. They’re like, “Okay, I’ve got to put saturation on the hi-hat, distortion on the snare, delay and reverb on the open hat,” just because someone else did. But they’re not really listening to what the song actually needs.

The reality is, most producers today are already doing a lot to their beats before they send them off—there’s saturation, EQ, filters, all built in. The kick probably already has a clipper on it. The snare is EQ’d how the producer wants it. So if you go in and start applying what you saw in a tutorial without actually assessing the record, you’ll end up changing the sound completely, often in a way that doesn’t match what the artist intended.

Instead, just ask yourself: What does this mix need? That’s it. Sometimes I’ll get a piano that sounds flat or dull, so I’ll add some saturation and maybe take out a little low end to help it cut through the mix. But if that same piano already came in sounding right, I wouldn’t touch it. You have to treat everything on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes elements don’t need much—maybe just a little EQ and compression. Other times, it needs more. The key is knowing when to do what.

That’s honestly one of the strongest traits a mixer can have—having the instinct to do the right thing at the right time. There’s no strict formula, no single right or wrong way, but there is a method to it. Finding that balance between keeping things simple and getting the job done right is tricky.