Unne Liljeblad - Mix Engineer & Vocal Producer

So, what does a mix engineer do?

A mix engineer (also known as a mixing engineer) controls how all the different elements in a recording (such as drums, vocals, bass, effects and so on) are combined, and how they blend together into one fluid, beautiful sounding song. In other words, I take your recordings and make them sound professional!

Who needs a mixing engineer?

The music industry is changing, and today, more music than ever before is recorded in small project studios or even at home by the artists themselves, rather than in major studios by experienced engineers. While this can be very liberating for artists because they get to spend all the time they need without the clock ticking, the sound quality often suffers. That is where I come in.

Why not let the recording engineer mix my music as well?

Recording engineers sometimes do end up mixing their own recordings, and occasionally the result is ok, especially if the music was recorded in a great acoustic environment by someone who also happens to be a descent mix engineer. However, having a real mix engineer mix your music brings the sound quality up a notch to the level of major label acts, who almost always separate the process and take their recordings to get mixed by professionals who provide a fresh outside perspective and a set of highly experienced ears.

Are you expensive?

No. Most mix engineers are older people with tons of gear and huge mixing consoles, working out of big studios, so they have to charge a lot to afford the overhead. I, however, don’t need all that equipment, as I get better results using software and plugins. You can learn more about my approach to audio and technology on my Audio Philosophy page.

What does a vocal producer do?

A vocal producer can do three things:

1. *Coach singers by, for example, helping them enhance melodies or come up with additional harmonies.
   

2. *Perfect the vocal delivery of the artist in the mix through the use of comping (compiling the best parts of multiple takes), as well as various forms of editing such as affecting the pitch and musical timing with tools like Melodyne so that the performance sounds really smooth and tight, the way it was meant to sound.
   

3. *Make the vocals (whether singing or rap) sound really cool and interesting, for example, through the use of various effects, creating harmonies and doubles, and mixing them in an interesting, original, and musical way.
   

Even though you might have heard songs where the engineers and producers overused editing tools such as Autotune with very artificial sounding results (which is sometimes desirable), I also know how to use them in natural and organic sounding ways. By the way, it’s interesting to know that editing and processing tools are used for all kinds of music and genres, even where you wouldn’t expect it. For example, one of the most edit-heavy genres is classical music.

Can you mix in surround?

Yes, absolutely. Surround is one of my specialties, and my studio is fully equipped for 5.1 surround sound mixing. You can read about my Multi-Stereo approach to Surround (MSS) on my Audio Philosophy page if you’re interested.

What about recording?

If it turns out your project needs additional recording and/or overdubs, my studio is setup to record vocals and anything that can be recorded direct (like Electric Bass or Electric Guitar using Amp Simulation plugins). And in case you require a large recording session, I have great connections and can set you up with the right recording studio and with excellent recording engineers.

Can I contact you?

Of course! I’d love to hear from you. I’ll be happy to help and am always available with advice and answers about anything you’d like to know.

The best way to contact me is via email. Just write a little something about

yourself and your project, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.