I mix records the way a good live sound engineer works a room—listening first, then shaping. Every song has a center that wants to be found, and my job is to clear the path to it. I've worked across rock, americana, folk, and indie pop, tracking and mixing albums for artists who care about how their music feels in a car, on headphones, through a blown-out bluetooth speaker at a house show.
I started in Nashville session rooms as an assistant, learned tape from engineers who'd worked with Willie and Cash, and spent the last decade building a room of my own. I still track to 2-inch when the budget and the song call for it, but my mix desk is entirely in the box—custom-tuned analog emulations, a pair of ATCs I trust more than most people, and a quiet room in East Nashville where the phone doesn't ring.
what i do
full album mixing
From raw multitracks to mastered-ready stereo. I work in Pro Tools HDX with a hybrid chain: Neve-style pres into an 1176 clone, then into UAD, Soundtoys, and a handful of custom Brainworx EQs I've dialed in over years. Two rounds of revisions included. $800–1,200 per song depending on track count and timeline.
stem mixing & mastering
Already tracked but need a fresh pair of ears? Send me your stems. I'll balance, compress, and master to your reference tracks. Quick turnaround—48 hours on most singles. $400 per song, $350 each for EPs of 4+.
production & co-writing
I produce from the ground up—arrangement, instrumentation, vocal production, and mix. I keep a live room with a 1950s Steinway upright, a Ludwig kit that's been on twenty records, and a mic locker that includes a U 67, a pair of Coles 4038s, and a Sony C-37A I found at a flea market in Franklin. Hourly or per-project.
vocal tuning & editing
Melodyne 5, Vocalign, and manual comping. I don't tune the soul out of a performance—I fix the pitch drift on the long notes and leave the breath in. $150 per song, $100 for additional songs on the same project.
recent work
the room
My studio lives in a converted 1920s storefront on McFerrin Avenue in East Nashville. The live room is 18′ × 24′ with 12-foot ceilings and a floating oak floor. The control room is tuned to a 38 Hz null with 6-inch OC703 broadband traps in every corner. I track and mix on ATC SCM45A Pro monitors through a Crane Song Avocet II. Headphone checking on Audeze LCD-X and a pair of old NS-10s with a Hafler amp—because every mix has to survive the NS-10 test.
Signal chain highlights: API 3124+ • Neve 1073LB • UA 1176LN • Retro Instruments Sta-Level • Empirical Labs Distressor • Bricasti M7 • Lexicon 224 • UAD Apollo x16 • Pro Tools HDX. I also keep a 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb and a Silvertone 1484 in the tracking room for amp tones that plugins still can't touch.
what artists say
"Mike heard what the song was trying to be before I did. He pulled a vocal take out of me I didn't know was on the tape. The mix came back and I cried in my truck."
— Madi Stokes
"We tracked the whole record live in his room in three days. The floor sound alone is worth the drive to Nashville. He made us sound like a band, not a Pro Tools session."
— Deacon Ford, The Lost Pines
"I'd sent my stems to three other mixers before Mike. Everyone made it louder. He made it feel like something. That's the difference."
— Juno Valentine
work with me
I take on 2–3 outside projects per month. If you've got songs that need a mix, a production partner, or a room to track in, send me a note. I'll reply within 48 hours with rates and availability.
or reach me direct at mike@mikesmixes.com
McFerrin Ave • East Nashville, TN 37206