Matt Wallace (Faith No More, Maroon 5, Train)

Producer and mixer, Matt Wallace, is widely known for his work with Faith No More, Maroon 5, The Replacements, and Train. Wallace produced most of Faith No More's most iconic recordings, including their debut , We Care a Lot, and their breakthrough album, The Real Thing, which featured the mega-hit, ‘Epic.’ Wallace also produced and mixed Songs About Jane, the debut album for Maroon 5, which has sold over 10 million copies.

How do you stay excited about working on new music every day?

I’m inspired by up-and-coming artists as well as established artists who continue to push boundaries, dig deep emotionally, and create compelling soundtracks of our lives.

Tell us about your current studio setup.

I’m set up for traditional stereo mixing and, as of this week, will also begin Dolby ATMOS/immersive mixing. I use Pro Tools, analog outboard gear for recording, digital processing for mixing, and my room is a large-ish, open room, with multiple isolation rooms. There are no parallel walls and quite a bit of treatment to have a room that is relatively flat-ish.

How do you typically approach a mix?

Mixing is intuitive and I don’t really think about anything other than trying to help make the song come alive for the listener. I tend to mute instruments that get in the way of the singer as everything must support her or him and anything that obscures the story has to be quiet or muted. I don’t do any editing unless the artist or band has requested it. But I do a lot of ‘editing’ in terms of muting instruments and parts that get in the way of the singer.

What's one piece of advice you can pass on to aspiring mixers and producers looking to get better at their craft?

The writing and arranging of the song, before and during recording (and prior to mixing) will have the biggest impact on successful mixing. And, of course, the more often you mix, the more abilities you tend to eventually have to be able to bring out the best in songs that you mix.