Mixing Music | Music Production, Audio Engineering, & Music Business

Episode 356 is a reality check for engineers building their career and their room. DK and Lou talk about the stuff that never gets glamorized: studio aesthetics, acoustic panels, learning basic treatment principles, and measuring your space with free tools like Room EQ Wizard. They also dig into the cost of doing business, including overhead, subscriptions, consumables, and even the personal cost of working nights and weekends, and why all of that has to be considered when you set your prices.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mixing-music-music-production-audio-engineering-and-music/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Join a lively discussion on the year's top mixing plugins. The hosts highlight tools like Goodhertz Vulf compressor and FabFilter Pro-Q that made a mark in their workflow. Discover the surprising performance of Sonnox Oxford Drum Gate for clean tom sound. They explore plugin hosting options for live rigs and share tips on purchasing plugins for better deals. The conversation wraps up with insights on API 2500, Soothe, and vocal isolation techniques. Perfect for music enthusiasts looking to enhance their mixing game!

Dive into the fascinating world of tube versus tape saturation! The hosts break down even- and odd-order harmonics, revealing how tubes create musical sounds while transistors provide punch and aggression. Learn about practical uses for drums, clippers, and how to make sounds pop. They also explore plugin modeling and how software can compete with hardware. Packed with humor and technical insights, this discussion will enhance your understanding of audio production!

This conversation tackles the often-ignored fears of slow seasons for creatives, discussing financial anxiety and holiday spending. The hosts advocate for a mindset shift from consumer to producer, suggesting creative, low-cost gift ideas. They emphasize learning new skills like content creation and highlight how unstructured time can reignite creativity. Discussion also covers health, community service as a way to combat isolation, and the importance of setting boundaries to prevent burnout during quieter months.

In Episode 353, Dee Kei and Lu break down how to communicate timelines like a pro, even when you’re booked out. They talk about setting clear expectations for V1 delivery, revisions, and approvals, why daily updates can change everything, and how “underpromise and overdeliver” builds trust long term. They also warn against a common trap in mixing: thinking more plugins, more automation, or more hours automatically equals more value, and why your pricing should not be tied to effort or session complexity.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON FOR EXCLUSIVE CONTENT!⁠SUBSCRIBE TO YOUTUBE⁠Join the ‘Mixing Music Podcast’ Discord!HIRE DEE KEIHIRE LU⁠HIRE JAMES⁠Find Dee Kei and Lu on Social Media:Instagram: @DeeKeiMixes @MasteredbyLu @JamesParrishMixesTwitter: @DeeKeiMixes @MasteredbyLuThe Mixing Music Podcast is sponsored by ⁠Izotope⁠, ⁠Antares (Auto Tune)⁠, Sweetwater, ⁠Plugin Boutique⁠, ⁠Lauten Audio⁠, ⁠Filepass⁠, & ⁠Canva⁠The Mixing Music Podcast is a video and audio series on the art of music production and post-production. Dee Kei, Lu, and James are professionals in the Los Angeles music industry having worked with names like Odetari, 6arelyhuman, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole, Benny the Butcher, carolesdaughter, Crying City, Daphne Loves Derby, Natalie Jane, charlieonnafriday, bludnymph, Lay Bankz, Rico Nasty, Ayesha Erotica, ATEEZ, Dizzy Wright, Kanye West, Blackway, The Game, Dylan Espeseth, Tara Yummy, Asteria, Kets4eki, Shaquille O'Neal, Republic Records, Interscope Records, Arista Records, Position Music, Capital Records, Mercury Records, Universal Music Group, apg, Hive Music, Sony Music, and many others.This podcast is meant to be used for educational purposes only. This show is filmed and recorded at Dee Kei's private studio in North Hollywood, California. If you would like to sponsor the show, please email us at ⁠deekeimixes@gmail.com⁠.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mixing-music-music-production-audio-engineering-and-music/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Dive into the dynamic world of loudness with insights from mastering engineer Will Borza. Discover why chasing a single LUFS target can be misleading and how genre influences loudness decisions. Hear Dee Kei's take on loudness as an aesthetic choice that impacts emotional resonance. They also discuss the importance of trusting streaming normalization to maintain the true essence of your mix. Plus, fascinating anecdotes reveal the pitfalls of misguided loudness choices, making for an engaging listen!

In this episode of the Mixing Music Podcast, Dee Kei and Lū wrestle openly with one of the hardest and most misunderstood ideas in creative life: commitment. Not hustle. Not motivation. Not blind discipline — but the deeper question of why committing feels so heavy, especially in a world full of options, anxiety, and burnout.The conversation moves between mixing, relationships, career choices, and philosophy, contrasting Western goal-driven culture with Eastern ideas of alignment, duty, and craft. Dee Kei explores why overthinking and outcome-clinging create paralysis, how burnout often comes from committing to the wrong reasons, and why meaning in art and life emerges through commitment, not before it.They discuss the paradox of choice, perfectionism, nihilism, and why there is never a “perfect time” to make art, choose a path, or finish a mix. Drawing on personal stories, Japanese craftsmanship, sports analogies, and cultural contrasts, this episode isn’t about giving rules — it’s about helping listeners think differently so committing feels less terrifying and more natural.This one is for creatives who feel stuck, burned out, or afraid to choose — and for anyone who suspects that the answer isn’t more thinking, but committing anyway.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON FOR EXCLUSIVE CONTENT!⁠SUBSCRIBE TO YOUTUBE⁠Join the ‘Mixing Music Podcast’ Discord!HIRE DEE KEIHIRE LU⁠HIRE JAMES⁠Find Dee Kei and Lu on Social Media:Instagram: @DeeKeiMixes @MasteredbyLu @JamesParrishMixesTwitter: @DeeKeiMixes @MasteredbyLuThe Mixing Music Podcast is sponsored by ⁠Izotope⁠, ⁠Antares (Auto Tune)⁠, Sweetwater, ⁠Plugin Boutique⁠, ⁠Lauten Audio⁠, ⁠Filepass⁠, & ⁠Canva⁠The Mixing Music Podcast is a video and audio series on the art of music production and post-production. Dee Kei, Lu, and James are professionals in the Los Angeles music industry having worked with names like Odetari, 6arelyhuman, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole, Benny the Butcher, carolesdaughter, Crying City, Daphne Loves Derby, Natalie Jane, charlieonnafriday, bludnymph, Lay Bankz, Rico Nasty, Ayesha Erotica, ATEEZ, Dizzy Wright, Kanye West, Blackway, The Game, Dylan Espeseth, Tara Yummy, Asteria, Kets4eki, Shaquille O'Neal, Republic Records, Interscope Records, Arista Records, Position Music, Capital Records, Mercury Records, Universal Music Group, apg, Hive Music, Sony Music, and many others.This podcast is meant to be used for educational purposes only. This show is filmed and recorded at Dee Kei's private studio in North Hollywood, California. If you would like to sponsor the show, please email us at ⁠deekeimixes@gmail.com⁠.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mixing-music-music-production-audio-engineering-and-music/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

JOIN OUR PATREON AND GET ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE CONTENT: https://mixingmusicpodcast.com/exclusiveI WRITE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN: https://deekeiandkayoko.comHIRE DEE KEI: links.deekeimixes.comHIRE LU: https://soundbetter.com/profiles/1419...Hire James: https://www.jamesparrishmixes.com/Find Dee Kei and Lu on Social Media:Instagram: @DeeKeiMixes @masteredbyluTwitter: @DeeKeiMixes @masteredbyluJoin the ‘Mixing Music Podcast’ Discord:   / discord  The Mixing Music Podcast is sponsored by ⁠Izotope⁠, ⁠Antares (Auto Tune)⁠, Sweetwater, ⁠Plugin Boutique⁠, ⁠Lauten Audio⁠, ⁠Filepass⁠, & ⁠Canva⁠The Mixing Music Podcast is a video and audio series on the art of music production and post-production. Dee Kei, Lu, and James are professionals in the Los Angeles music industry having worked with names like Odetari, 6arelyhuman, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole, Benny the Butcher, carolesdaughter, Crying City, Daphne Loves Derby, Natalie Jane, charlieonnafriday, bludnymph, Lay Bankz, Rico Nasty, Ayesha Erotica, ATEEZ, Dizzy Wright, Kanye West, Blackway, The Game, Dylan Espeseth, Tara Yummy, Asteria, Kets4eki, Shaquille O'Neal, Republic Records, Interscope Records, Arista Records, Position Music, Capital Records, Mercury Records, Universal Music Group, apg, Hive Music, Sony Music, and many others.This podcast is meant to be used for educational purposes only. This show was filmed and recorded at Dee Kei's private studio in North Hollywood, California. If you would like to sponsor the show, please email us at mixingmusicpodcast@gmail.com.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mixing-music-music-production-audio-engineering-and-music/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this solo episode of the Mixing Music Podcast, Dee Kei breaks down why loudness is part of the mix, not an afterthought for mastering. He explains why you should never send clients an unlimited mix as the main reference, even if a separate mastering engineer is involved, and why your job as a mixer is to deliver something that already feels like a finished record.DK talks through how to limit with intention, using loudness as an emotional dimension of the record instead of just cranking LUFS. He gets into the illusion of dynamics, sidechain feel, clipping, multiple limiters, and how different genres (jazz versus hyper-loud pop) demand different loudness philosophies. He also explains why mastering engineers would rather receive a well-intentioned, fully limited mix than an unintentional “safe” premaster that forces them to guess what you wanted.To close, DK rants a bit about Dolby Atmos and spatial audio: how strict loudness specs in Atmos remove an entire emotional dimension for music, why it makes sense for film and games, and why spatial formats are pushed in music mostly to sell headphones, not to make records sound better.What you will learn:Why you should always send clients a limited mix or “reference master”How to think about loudness as part of tone, impact, and emotionIllusion of dynamics, sidechain feel, clipping, and multi-stage limiting in loud mixesHow intentional rough mixes and stems reduce guesswork for mixers and mastering engineersWhy Atmos loudness standards remove a creative dimension for music and are better suited for film and TV SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON FOR EXCLUSIVE CONTENT!⁠SUBSCRIBE TO YOUTUBE⁠Join the ‘Mixing Music Podcast’ Discord!HIRE DEE KEIHIRE LU⁠HIRE JAMES⁠Find Dee Kei and Lu on Social Media:Instagram: @DeeKeiMixes @MasteredbyLu @JamesParrishMixesTwitter: @DeeKeiMixes @MasteredbyLuThe Mixing Music Podcast is sponsored by ⁠Izotope⁠, ⁠Antares (Auto Tune)⁠, Sweetwater, ⁠Plugin Boutique⁠, ⁠Lauten Audio⁠, ⁠Filepass⁠, & ⁠Canva⁠The Mixing Music Podcast is a video and audio series on the art of music production and post-production. Dee Kei, Lu, and James are professionals in the Los Angeles music industry having worked with names like Odetari, 6arelyhuman, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole, Benny the Butcher, carolesdaughter, Crying City, Daphne Loves Derby, Natalie Jane, charlieonnafriday, bludnymph, Lay Bankz, Rico Nasty, Ayesha Erotica, ATEEZ, Dizzy Wright, Kanye West, Blackway, The Game, Dylan Espeseth, Tara Yummy, Asteria, Kets4eki, Shaquille O'Neal, Republic Records, Interscope Records, Arista Records, Position Music, Capital Records, Mercury Records, Universal Music Group, apg, Hive Music, Sony Music, and many others.This podcast is meant to be used for educational purposes only. This show is filmed and recorded at Dee Kei's private studio in North Hollywood, California. If you would like to sponsor the show, please email us at ⁠deekeimixes@gmail.com⁠.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mixing-music-music-production-audio-engineering-and-music/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this solo episode, Dee Kei thinks out loud about what keeps creatives going when outcomes are uncertain. He unpacks a hard truth many avoid: results are not guaranteed, and tying your identity to them creates desperation and bad decisions. Instead, build a career around love of the craft, alignment, and service to the song. Along the way, DK contrasts winning vs loving the game through Michael Jordan and Shohei Ohtani, explores ikigai and Japanese craftsmanship, pokes holes in hustle without purpose, and explains why the illusion of control shows up in studio superstitions. The practical takeaway is simple and difficult at once: enjoy the work, separate from the outcome, and your best mixes follow.What you will learnHow detaching from results reduces fear and improves decisionsWhen grit helps and when to keep your head down and take the hitWhy “use your ears” remains the only answer that mattersThe role of ritual and superstition in performance psychologyWhy craft comes first and money follows as a consequence SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PATREON FOR EXCLUSIVE CONTENT!⁠SUBSCRIBE TO YOUTUBE⁠Join the ‘Mixing Music Podcast’ Discord!HIRE DEE KEIHIRE LU⁠HIRE JAMES⁠Find Dee Kei and Lu on Social Media:Instagram: @DeeKeiMixes @MasteredbyLu @JamesParrishMixesTwitter: @DeeKeiMixes @MasteredbyLuThe Mixing Music Podcast is sponsored by ⁠Izotope⁠, ⁠Antares (Auto Tune)⁠, Sweetwater, ⁠Plugin Boutique⁠, ⁠Lauten Audio⁠, ⁠Filepass⁠, & ⁠Canva⁠The Mixing Music Podcast is a video and audio series on the art of music production and post-production. Dee Kei, Lu, and James are professionals in the Los Angeles music industry having worked with names like Odetari, 6arelyhuman, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole, Benny the Butcher, carolesdaughter, Crying City, Daphne Loves Derby, Natalie Jane, charlieonnafriday, bludnymph, Lay Bankz, Rico Nasty, Ayesha Erotica, ATEEZ, Dizzy Wright, Kanye West, Blackway, The Game, Dylan Espeseth, Tara Yummy, Asteria, Kets4eki, Shaquille O'Neal, Republic Records, Interscope Records, Arista Records, Position Music, Capital Records, Mercury Records, Universal Music Group, apg, Hive Music, Sony Music, and many others.This podcast is meant to be used for educational purposes only. This show is filmed and recorded at Dee Kei's private studio in North Hollywood, California. If you would like to sponsor the show, please email us at ⁠deekeimixes@gmail.com⁠.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mixing-music-music-production-audio-engineering-and-music/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy