Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio is the best-selling primer for small-studio enthusiasts who want chart-ready sonics in a hurry, and this extensively updated third edition now contains sections on DSP phase-linearization, loudness normalization, oversampling, mixing from stems, frequency shifting, and analog summing.

Discover how to achieve release-quality mixes even in the smallest studios by applying power-user techniques from more than 200 of the world’s most successful producers. This entertaining and down-to-earth guide leads you step-by-step through the entire mixing process, and along the way you’ll unravel the mysteries of every type of mix processing, from simple EQ (equalization) and compression through to advanced spectral dynamics and “fairy dust” effects.

• Learn the subtle editing, arrangement, and monitoring tactics that give industry insiders their competitive edge, and master the psychological tricks that can protect you from all the biggest rookie mistakes.
• Find out where you don’t need to spend money, as well as how to make a limited budget really count.
• Pick up tricks and tips from leading engineers working on today’s multi-platinum hits, including Michael Brauer, Cirkut, Tom Elmhirst, Serban Ghenea, Jacquire King, the Lord-Alge brothers, Tony Maserati, Manny Marroquin, Finneas

Tom Elmhirst, Serban Ghenea, Jacquire King, the Lord-Alge brothers, Tony Maserati, Manny Marroquin, Finneas O'Connell, Laura Sisk, Mark “Spike” Stent, Andy Wallace, Young Guru, and many, many more...

User-friendly explanations introduce technical concepts on a strictly need-to-know basis, while the book's chapter summaries, assignments, and massive library of audio/video examples are perfect for school and college use.

Acknowledgments

This third edition is largely a response to direct feedback from readers, so I’d like to thank all those who have queried, heckled, and generally peppered me with thorny mixing questions ever since the first edition appeared back in 2011. The hundreds of updates and clarifications that you’ve inspired enhance the clarity and usefulness of each new edition immeasurably.

In addition, I’d like specifically to thank all the interviewers who have done an immense service to us all by shedding so much light on top‑level studio practice: Tony Bacon, Michael Barbiero, Matt Bell, Bill Bruce, Richard Buskin, Dan Daley, Tom Doyle, Jillian Drachman, Maureen Droney, Sonal D’Silva, Tom Flint, Keith Hatschek, Sam Inglis, Simon Langford, Dave Lockwood, Howard Massey, Bobby Owsinski, Andrea Robinson, Simon Sherbourne, William Stokes, and Paul Tingen. Paul Tingen deserves special praise for his dogged pursuit of the hottest current hitmakers for Sound On Sound’s “Inside Track” series. I’m grateful as well to Russ Elevado, John Hanes, Warren Huart, Roey Izhaki, Sylvia Massey, Jason Moss, Roger Nichols, Eric “Mixerman” Sarafin, and Mike Stavrou for their own insightful teachings on the subject of mixdown, and I’m indebted to Matt Boudreau, Lij Shaw, Dave Pensado, and all the guests who so graciously share their expertise on the splendid Working Class Audio and Recording Studio Rockstars podcasts and on the Pensado’s Place web TV series. Many thanks are also owed to Philip Newell, Keith Holland, and Julius New‑ ell for permission to reproduce the results of their superb NS10M research paper; to Phil Ward for alerting me to the perils of speaker porting; and to Simon‑Claudius Wystrach, Roberto Détrée, and Munich’s Mastermix Studios for allowing me to photograph their speakers.

In developing previous editions of this text for publication, I was assisted a great deal by Simon Gordeev, Matt Houghton, Matt Leigh, Daniel Plappert, Preethi Shankaran, Geoff Smith, Raghav Venkatesan, Simon‑Claudius Wystrach, and the editorial department at Sound On Sound magazine. In preparing the new edition, I’m very grateful to Kit Evans for clerical support; to my wonderful Cambridge‑MT Patrons Autoclavebeats, BJ Mora, Ciarán O’Rourke, Marcelo Trannin, and especially Matt Helm for their fastidious help in updating Appendix 3; and to Evie Evans, Emily Tagg, and the whole team at Taylor & Francis for their patience and expertise in bringing this project to fruition.

What I could not have predicted back in 2011 was that the book’s associated web site (www.cambridge‑mt.com/ms3‑intro.htm) would take on such a life of its own as an independent educational resource for learners and tutors worldwide. Indeed, its current health and continued expansion are only possible because of ongoing technical assistance from Indigo Technologies (www.indigo‑tech.co.uk/), and through the generous financial support of the site’s public‑spirited Cambridge‑MT Patrons. (If you’d also like to help fund the site, as well as gain access to hundreds of my own in‑depth tutorial videos, podcasts, and posts, surf over (www.cambridge‑mt.com/support.htm.)

Above all, I’d like to thank my wonderful wife and daughters for their unwavering love and support—and for steadfastly refusing to take me too seriously!