Kevin Churko (Five Finger Death Punch, Ozzy Osbourne)

Canadian-bred, Las Vegas-based producer and mix engineer Kevin Churko works out of his private studio, The Hideout. Having learned the art of music production under the tutelage of world-renowned producer, Mutt Lange, Churko’s credits include Ozzy Osbourne, Papa Roach, Modern Science, Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed, In This Moment, Shania Twain, and Hellyeah. He has been nominated for eight Juno Awards (Canadian Grammy) and has won four times.

Tell us about your current studio setup.

I typically work on ProTools in my SSL 9k room (CRB at the Hideout). I usually monitor through the M&K 2510s or the ATC SCM45s. My vocal chain is generally a UTA pre through the UTA Unfairchild and then an LA-3A. My ITB EQ is generally the Fab Filter Q3.

Having worked on so many songs over the past few years, how do you stay fresh and excited about making music these days?

It’s not hard to stay engaged. Music and technology are constantly in a state of change. There’s always a fun new piece of gear or artist that inspires.

How do you typically approach the mixing of a song.

I get the ‘lay of the land’ very quickly. I just bring the tracks up one at a time before doing any real sculpting or processing to make sure I know the intent of the production. Then I dig in a little more getting general music bed sounds, enough so I can dial in a great sounding vocal ASAP. Once I have the vocal, I work my way back from there.