Stokes Sound

Podcast Summary

In this episode, we bring you Leslie Brathwaite, 18x Grammy Award-Winning Mix Engineer, to talk about work-life balance.

Leslie’s credits include Pharrell Williams, Outkast, Björk, TLC, Jay Z, Madonna, Ludacris, Young Jeezy, Akon, T.I., Monica, Michael Jackson, Cher, Mary J. Blige, 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G. Beyonce, Jack Harlow, David Guetta, and Cardi B. He holds GRAMMY Awards for Best R&B performance by Duo or Group - Brandy and Monica, The Boy Is Mine (1999), Best R&B Album – TLC, FanMail (2000), Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group – TLC, No Scrubs (2000), Best Rap Album – OUTKAST, Stankonia (2002), Best Urban Contemporary Album – Pharrell Williams, GIRL (2015), and Best Pop Solo Performance – Pharrell Williams, Happy (2015).

Today, you’ll hear about how Leslie manages his day-to-day life on the go, how he mixed Cardi B’s WAP in the back of his truck, the productivity boost of working from home, how mixing is like surgery, how overthinking can unravel a mix, the pressure of working with A-listers, the revision process, Leslie’s non-template approach, learning from other mixers, how Leslie got to where he is now, the narrowing production quality gap, getting credit for the work, networking and competition, the function of management, and the three things that Leslie wishes he’d known earlier.

Episode Timestamps

• [01:06] A bit about Leslie.
• [02:33] Leslie’s day-to-day.
• [05:20] Mixing Cardi B in the back of a truck.
• [07:54] Productivity working from home.
• [13:01] Mixing like surgery.
• [14:32] Overthinking.
• [21:04] The pressure of working with A-listers.
• [22:32] The revision process.
• [27:19] Stress vs success.
• [30:22] Working without templates.
• [31:45] Leslie’s mix bus.
• [32:30] In-the-box limitations.
• [34:55] Learning from other mixers.
• [39:20] Transitioning from recording to mixing.
• [42:30] Learning is learning.
• [45:58] The production quality gap.
• [52:14] Minimal processing on the mix bus.
• [55:20] Hearing a record that he’s mixed.
• [60:10] Mixing credits.
• [61:53] Would Leslie’s approach be different now?
• [64:27] Competition.
• [65:56] Having a manager.
• [68:33] What Leslie wishes he’s known earlier.

Notable Quotes

• “If you’ve got the right tools, you can mix records on the go.”
• “As a professional, you have to be able to do your job, no matter the content.”
• “Everybody has the tools now.”
• “The people who need to know will find out.”
• “Never give up.”

Connect with Leslie

Website:Leslie Brathwaite.

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Podcast Summary

In this episode, we bring you Jon Blass, Grammy Award-Winning Mix Engineer, to discuss his process and perspective for successful mixes.

Jon Blass is a GRAMMY award-winning mix engineer. His mix work has garnered 11 additional GRAMMY nominations, multiple Dove and Stellar awards, and frequently lands atop the Billboard Gospel charts. His mix credits include India.Arie, Naomi Raine Gene Moore, Maranda Curtis, Tweet, Marvin Sapp, Donnie McClurkin, Todd Dulaney, Jason Nelson, Brian Courtney Wilson, Melvin Crispell, Donald Lawrence, Shirley Caesar, Fisk Jubilee Singers, and many others.

Jon works in both stereo and Dolby Atmos from his private, Atmos-enabled Limn Sound Studio in Nashville. He has recently served on the Nashville chapter Producers & Engineers Wing and Diversity Outreach Initiative committees for the Recording Academy and the Audio Engineering Society’s local executive committee. Jon is an alum of the GRAMMY NEXT program as well as the Society of Leaders In Development (SOLID).

Today, you’ll hear about how Jon approaches a mix in multiple different genres, automation and compression, using real faders, his Dolby Atmos setup, Jon’s transition to independence, and hear the three things that Jon wishes he’d known sooner.

Episode Timestamps

• [01:00] About Jon.
• [02:08] Jon’s multi-genre approach to mixing.
• [06:17] Automation.
• [09:51] Adding or replacing samples.
• [12:32] Compression.
• [20:40] Jon’s go-to parallel compressors.
• [25:14] Mixing vocals.
• [27:01] Real faders.
• [28:09] Jon’s Dolby Atmos setup.
• [29:39] Switching to Dolby Atmos mixing.
• [34:11] The future of Atmos.
• [37:44] How long does a mix take?
• [38:36] Jon’s average day.
• [44:01] Production quality.
• [47:58] Transitioning into independence.
• [51:28] 3 things Jon wishes he’d known earlier.

Notable Quotes

• “Mixing is feeling.”
• “If it sounds good, it is good.”
• “Don’t overthink it.”
• “What’s meant to be will be.”
• “This is not a gig where you get a job.”
• “Relationships are crucial.”
• “Be open to things you don’t know.”

Connect with Jon

Website:www.jonblass.com.

Instagram:@jonblass.

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Podcast Summary

In this episode, we bring you Bao Pham, Owner of Mixology Studios Online, to talk about finding clients and maintaining positive working relationships.

Bao Pham is a Vietnamese-American producer, engineer, songwriter, and owner of Mixology Studios Online, where he has worked with prominent artists and producers, including Glenn Thomas, Busta Rhymes, Shek’spere, Joell Ortiz, Future, Christina Milian, Nicki Minaj, Nikki Grier, and more.

Today, you’ll hear about how Bao finds clients, how the pandemic has affected mixing quality, using social media, understanding the client’s needs, how to deal with tricky clients, vocal tuning, taking payments upfront, and the three things that Bao wishes he knew earlier.

Episode Timestamps

• [00:34] About Bao.
• [03:04] Bao’s process for finding and dealing with clients.
• [05:30] The quality of mixes since going online.
• [08:55] Prioritizing social media.
• [15:13] Bao’s schedule.
• [17:08] Understanding what a client wants.
• [22:15] Dealing with tricky clients.
• [25:38] Vocal tuning.
• [30:14] When clients don’t notice problems.
• [31:44] Upfront payments.
• [34:15] Crediting mixing engineers.
• [35:20] Adding production.
• [40:22] Making revisions.
• [43:41] Three things Bao wishes he knew earlier.

Notable Quotes

• “No one is going to come to you unless you put out stuff that’s going attract them.”
• “The communication at the start is so important.”
• “An ounce of prevention weighs more than a pound of cure.”
• “Do whatever you need to do to make it the best record possible.”
• “Your environment is going to help you understand what you need to do.”
• “Don’t overthink. Don’t try to overdo.”
• “You’ve got to approach things genre-wise.”

Connect with Bao

Website:mixologystudios.online.

Twitter:@turnmeupbao.

Facebook:Turn Me Up Bao.

Twitch:@turnmeupbao.

Instagram:@turnmeupbao.

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Podcast Summary

In this episode, we bring you Max Smith, Vocal Producer at Numen Studios, to talk about vocal editing and tuning.

Max Smith, Jordan Timms, and Liam Dean form the songwriter/producer trio, Spacemen, working out of Numen Studios. They have worked with major artists, including Dua Lipa, Sigrid, and Dermot Kennedy.

Today, you’ll hear about Max’s recording and editing process, compressing vocal breaths, using Melodyne, Max’s workflow, and get Max’s advice to his younger self.

Episode Timestamps

• [01:30] Max’s process.
• [09:29] The recording/editing process.
• [14:09] Compressing vocal breaths.
• [16:10] Timing.
• [17:16] Using Melodyne.
• [20:18] Tuning.
• [25:32] Backing vocals.
• [35:25] Max’s workflow.
• [40:08] Quirky recording mics.
• [49:33] Max’s advice.

Notable Quotes

• “If you have great production but a bad song, it’s not going to do well.”
• “If you’re using autotune for the sound, then that’s what you’re going to get.”
• “You could record a No.1 record on a potato nowadays.”
• “The moment someone walks into the room, your job starts.”
• “Don’t overthink it.”

Connect with Max

Instagram:@maxsmithproductions.

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Podcast Summary

In this episode, we bring you Edoardo “EdgMixing” Ghigo, Tennessee-based Dolby Atmos Certified Mixing Engineer, to talk about mixing different genres.

EdgMixing is a Dolby Atmos Certified Mixing Engineer, and. His career credits include prominent artists, such as Wale, Big. K.R.I.T. , PRICE, Ponce De Leioun, ELHAE, and Jiaaní. He is currently a Senior at Belmont University in Nashville, TN, majoring in Audio Engineering and Technology with a Minor in Music Business.

Today, you’ll hear about EDG’s mixing techniques for different genres, his workflow, how he treats gain staging, mixing and mastering tracks, EDG’s go-to plugins, and hear the three things that EDG wishes he’d known earlier.

Episode Timestamps

• [00:34] About Edoardo.
• [04:53] Mixing techniques.
• [05:59] EDG’s mixing workflow.
• [07:41] Saturation plugins.
• [13:14] Boosting and cutting with EQ.
• [18:12] Receiving a track to mix.
• [20:08] Gain staging.
• [23:14] Mixing different genres.
• [28:42] EDG’s mixing sound.
• [29:24] Mixing with a production background.
• [31:16] EDG’s approach to mastering.
• [35:37] Changing the mix bus.
• [37:24] EDG’s go-to plugins.
• [40:33] Reverbs.
• [44:14] Three things EDG wishes he knew earlier.

Notable Quotes

• “If you can’t hear it, it’s fine.”
• “If you’re relying on plugins, that’s risky.”
• “Go forward, one step at a time. Don’t focus on the money at all, and you will be able to make a career off of it.”
• “If you can understand the fundamentals of how audio works, that’s going to help you out in the long run.”

Connect with EDG

EngineEars:engineears.com/edgmixing.

YouTube:EDG Mixing.

Spotify:Mixed by EDG.

Apple Music:Mixed by EDG Mixing.

TikTok:@edgmixing.

Instagram:@edgmixing.

LinkedIn:Edoardo Ghigo.

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