Learning mixing from the legendary Bruce Swedien

LA-based mix engineer Sam Sherbin spent time honing his skills under the mentorship of the late, great Bruce Swedien at his home studio in Florida.

"My experience learning under Bruce Swedien was amazing. One of my mentors, Ramsees Mechan, picked me from thousands in the world to be one of the ten students selected to be at Swedien's masterclasses in 2010. It was a unique experience at his home studio in Florida. Also in attendance was Bernie Grundman, who mastered Bruce's mixes.

We had private mixing time with Bruce, and he would critique our mixes on his Harrison console. Bruce was very selective over the processing he used on songs because he recorded the instruments. He would 'mix at the microphone first.' When the song was at unity, it would already sound amazing. He chose each microphone with great care; his prized possession was his microphone collection. He told us to take care of our equipment!

The Harrison's EQ, as well as the filters, were the best. You can carve frequencies like no other with those filters. Bruce did have LA2As and 1176s but used them very lightly.

I learned that no matter how good the gear is, you need to have a fantastic production, arrangement, and vocal performance to get the best results. The critical element is balance; get the arrangement up and listen first. Go with your gut reaction!

People tend to think of mixing as technical, but it is an emotional process. You're trying to bring a perspective to the song, which is why you're hired as a mixer. It's about taste and your unique individual thoughts on the music."