R. Walt Vincent (Liz Phair, Pete Yorn, Tommy Keene)

Los Angeles-based producer and mix engineer R. Walt Vincent has worked on seminal recordings for indie rock icons Pete Yorn, Liz Phair, and Tommy Keene. His collaborations with Yorn included mixing and co-producing Yorn's 2001 debut musicforthemorningafter, which was also co-produced by Brad Wood and featured the hits Life on a Chain and Strange Condition. Other notable credits include Liz Phair, Alanis Morissette, Gush, and Crosstide.

Tell us about your current studio setup.

Studio Equipment I regularly use includes Pro Tools Ultimate w/ OMNI HD interface; Dynaudio Acoustics BM6A 'Mosfet' Monitors with Klipsch subwoofer; Manley VOXBOX Mic Pre; Distressor EL-8 Compressor; Manley SLAM Mic Pre/Compressor; and Vintage Pultec EQP-1A EQ.

Plugins: Slate Virtual Mix Rack; Waves Platinum Series; Waves Sheps Omni Channel; Air Transfuser Rhythm plugin; Fab Filter Pro Q EQ plugin Maag EQ; SPL Iron compressor plugin; and Waves L2.

How do you approach the mixing of a song?

I approach every song as a bit of a movie or a story that needs to be told. Since no two stories are the same, I am always looking for the most unique, emotionally engaging way to tell the story of that song.

This is a unique and different process every time, so it never gets boring for me as I am always trying to find new and interesting ways to express the emotional story of that particular song.

I feel like I am "always mixing," even during the arranging and tracking process. I am always trying to blend the sounds and find out the best way they work together.

When I begin the final mix, I am not "looking" for the song's soul, but rather "finishing" the process emotionally and sonically that we have been working toward the entire time.

I begin the mix by examining each track individually, but I am looking for those parts of the particular track that play the proper emotional role in the entire picture of the mix.

Usually, by the time I add the vocal, I feel I have "set the stage" both emotionally and sonically that I want the singer to inhabit.

From there, it is simply a matter of shaping the experience of the performance over time or shaping the dramatic flow of the "little movie" I am trying to create.

I am rarely making big editing decisions once I begin the process of the final mix as I am very focused on the balance and shape of the arrangement during the pre-production and tracking phases of the process, and make sure the song flows structurally and emotionally before I begin making critical sonic decisions.