Music Production and Mixing Tips for Beginner Producers | Inside The Mix

Year-end victory laps are more fun when they belong to all of us. We gathered standout wins from the Inside the Mix community and stitched them into a guided tour of what real progress looks like in music: narrative albums released one single at a time, a premiere on a tastemaking YouTube channel, the first vinyl in decades, live shows rebooted, and a charity compilation that rallied more than 56 artists and topped Bandcamp charts.We kick off with Year of the Fall’s Love on a Dying Planet, a story-driven release rolled out over three years with visuals to match, proof that serial storytelling can build anticipation without sacrificing cohesion. Valley Lights shares the strategy behind pairing a high-energy track with an “epic” video and aiming at a niche platform where the audience actually lives. From there, we read wins from makers who finished EPs, returned after long hiatuses, and found their voice again through disciplined routines, remote collaborations, and careful channel selection.Community power runs through every segment. Aisle9’s 'Outrun the Sun' shows how curation and cause can galvanise a scene while delivering real impact. We spotlight live momentum from Dream Commander, a Berserk-inspired remix from Typherian, and the sharpening of craft from Jay Cali, whose focus on foundation and consistency unlocked better writing and vocal work. I also share personal milestones, YouTube monetisation, a surge in monthly listeners, and 600+ first-week podcast downloads, to unpack what sustained output and simple marketing rhythms can do.If you’re planning 2026 goals, this is your blueprint: ship small and often, collaborate with intent, and choose channels where your genre thrives. Subscribe, share this with a producer friend, and leave a review with your biggest win of 2025. What are you building next?Send me a messageSupport the showWays to connect with Marc: Listener Feedback Survey - tell me what YOU want in 2026 Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips Book your FREE Music Breakthrough Strategy Call Follow Marc's Socials: Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering Thanks for listening!! Try Riverside for FREE

A single take can now become a gospel run, a country croon, or even a convincing female lead, and it happens in seconds. Justin and Rich of the Face Your Ears podcast unpack how AI jumped from pitch correction to “auto-sing,” the cost breakthroughs behind engines like DeepSeek, and what tools such as ACE Studio mean when 80-plus virtual singers sit inside your DAW. It’s a fascinating leap for producers and a gut-check for vocalists whose instrument is their body.They talk through real use cases: typing lyrics, drawing melodies, stacking instant harmonies, and round-tripping audio between ACE Studio and Logic or Ableton. Then we get honest about the trade-offs. If voices are trained from real singers, who gets credit and compensation? When sync teams can generate polished vocals in-house, how do independent artists compete? And as synthetic vocals become indistinguishable to casual listeners, does trust in what we hear erode, or do we simply recalibrate our norms as we did with autotune?Beyond workflow, they go deeper into culture and craft. There’s a difference between pleasing audio and human expression shaped by effort, failure, and growth. The paradox of hedonism warns that chasing instant results can drain long-term meaning. They explore the risk of cultural flattening when machines remix the past at scale, and we argue for a practical middle path: use AI for drafts, demos, harmonies, and accessibility, while doubling down on live presence, story, and the messy soul of performance. That’s where artists can still shine brighter than any model.Got thoughts on AI vocals—tool or takeover? Share your take.Links mentioned in this episode:Listen to Face Your EarsSend me a message Support the showWays to connect with Marc: Listener Feedback Survey - tell me what YOU want in 2026 Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips Book your FREE Music Breakthrough Strategy Call Follow Marc's Socials: Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering Thanks for listening!! Try Riverside for FREE

If your mixes keep fighting you, the problem likely started before the DAW ever opened. In this podcast takeover, Mike Indovina (Master Your Mix) digs into a source‑first mindset with London engineer and mixer Will Purton (RAK Studios), unpacking the practical decisions that make recording faster, mixing smoother, and translation far more reliable. From choosing the right instrument and tuning it properly to mic selection, placement, and preamp saturation, they explore how each link in the signal chain shapes the end result, and how to make those choices with intention.Will explains why ambience is a tool, not a garnish. He breaks down room miking that works in world‑class spaces and home studios alike: close‑spaced omni pairs that capture a coherent stereo picture without lopsided lows. They also dive into overhead strategy, using darker mics and adding top end with sweet EQ, to get shimmer without harshness. Throughout, the focus is emotion first: record sounds that make the room light up, then protect those decisions by committing on the way in so the mix becomes a matter of presentation, not repair.Translation gets its own deep dive. Learn how open‑back headphones serve as a portable reference across unfamiliar control rooms, why acoustic treatment beats bigger speakers, and how to build a reference playlist that exposes strengths and flaws you can trust. They touch on quick genre ear training from TV sessions, the realities of large studios, and the discipline of sending pared‑down sessions that communicate vibe clearly to the mixer.If you want mixes that travel from studio to car to earbuds without falling apart, start with better ingredients and intentional choices. Links mentioned in this episode:Listen to Master Your MixFollow Will PurtonSend me a message Support the showWays to connect with Marc: Listener Feedback Survey - tell me what YOU want in 2026 Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips Book your FREE Music Breakthrough Strategy Call Follow Marc's Socials: Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering Thanks for listening!! Try Riverside for FREE

What if the best mix isn’t the cleanest, but the truest? In this podcast takeover, Lij Shaw (Recording Studio Rockstars) dives into a standout conversation with engineer, songwriter, and producer-in-the-making Abby Griffin to explore how “being the weird girl” can be a creative superpower, and why the moments you capture now may matter more than perfection later. From choir training and vocal anatomy to tape love and AI stems, Abby brings a sharp, generous lens to making music that feels alive.The conversation starts with foundations you can use today: training your ear with tools like Pink Trombone, choosing mics for the job (vintage U87 clarity vs 414 warmth), and recording drums the simple way, two mics, tight kit, one great bar, and tasteful overdubs for fills and transitions. Abby maps out a low-stress workflow for song-first productions, where loops carry pocket, and a click becomes optional. Along the way, we swap gross mic tales and gig-life realities with a wink and a wince.Songwriting sits at the heart of everything. Abby’s “song seeds” method, notes app phrases, moleskin pages, and free-writing, pairs with alternate tunings to break muscle memory and unlock lines you can’t play in standard tuning. They unpack “show vs tell” with Taylor Swift’s plain-spoken detail, Shakespeare’s sonnets, and the poem Two-Headed Calf. The aim isn’t to prescribe feelings; it’s to stage scenes so the listener writes their own. A moving centrepiece: Abby’s family recording made days before her grandmother passed, a time capsule that proves how capturing the chapter can matter more than polish.Tech doesn’t replace taste; it supports it. AI stem separation shines in pre-production and post, voice-memo overdubs turn ideas into demos, and tape, hardware or plugin adds character where it counts. Pat Metheny’s advice threads through it all: be yourself from day one and let the work find its people over time. Abby’s take is simple and brave: match your freak, protect your rituals, and put the moment first.Links mentioned in this episode:Listen to Recording Studio RockstarsFollow Abbie GriffinSend me a message Support the showWays to connect with Marc: Listener Feedback Survey - tell me what YOU want in 2026 Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips Book your FREE Music Breakthrough Strategy Call Follow Marc's Socials: Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering Thanks for listening!! Try Riverside for FREE

What does it really take to go from invisible intern to trusted, Grammy-winning mastering engineer? The Sound Discussion Podcast sit down with Dan Millice to unpack the habits, choices, and honest work that shaped his journey, from cleaning bathrooms and taking cheques to the bank at MasterDisc, to building a client list one late-night venue at a time, to mastering records for artists across genres and continents.Dan explains why he chose to specialise in mastering and why he ultimately moved fully in the box. The answer isn’t dogma, it’s service. Faster recalls, instant fixes, and reliable delivery matter when a label needs a longer fade today or a track order change by this afternoon. He breaks down his no-template approach, starting albums from a blank session, picking a reference track, and selecting EQs, de-essers, and limiters for each song’s needs. We compare popular limiters, FabFilter Pro L2, Ozone Maximizer, and talk about why default settings rarely cut it, how genre changes limiter behaviour, and when subtlety beats shine.You’ll also hear how Dan handles mixes that aren’t ready. He shares the quick QC process, the value of a phone call to align on vision, and the ethics of pushing back so the final record wins. Beyond tools and taste, the throughline is human: relationships, trust, and responsiveness. Recognition and nominations follow the reps, wet Tuesday nights at shows, genuine conversations, and consistent delivery. For artists and engineers, this conversation is a roadmap: specialise with intent, keep learning, meet people in the real world, and above all, serve the song.Links mentioned in this episode:Listen to the Sound Discussion PodcastFollow the Sound Discussion PodcastFollow Dan MilliceListen to episode 197 (Nate Kelmes)Send me a message Support the showWays to connect with Marc: Listener Feedback Survey - tell me what YOU want in 2026 Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips Book your FREE Music Breakthrough Strategy Call Follow Marc's Socials: Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering Thanks for listening!! Try Riverside for FREE