Author: Eyal Levi

In this brutally honest episode of Mix Crit Monday, host Eyal Levi and guest host John Maciel dive into a stack of subscriber mixes for Amaranth’s “365” and Discarnate’s “Iron Strengthens Iron.” They give their unfiltered feedback, referencing the killer original mixes by Jacob Hansen, to help everyone learn what separates a decent mix from a pro-level crusher.

In This Episode

Eyal and John kick things off by analyzing several takes on Amaranth’s synth-heavy track “365.” They praise one mix for its solid foundation while suggesting subtle tweaks to tighten the low end and add punch, but other attempts highlight common pitfalls like an overpowering low end that forces harsh, fatiguing highs in a desperate attempt to compensate. The discussion gets into the nitty-gritty of why a mix might sound “scooped,” the danger of unbalanced spot mics, and how your listening environment could be sabotaging your low-end decisions. The second half shifts to the brutal death metal of Discarnate, where the critiques focus on genre-inappropriate drum sounds, mastering that’s pushed so hard it’s painfully pumping, and the importance of knowing when to scrap a mix and start over. It’s a super practical episode about the foundational skills that make or break a heavy track.

Products Mentioned

• Sonarworks
• URM Academy Low End Fast Track
• URM Academy Balance Fast Track
• URM Academy Mixing Real Drums with Chris Crummett

Timestamps

• [5:39] The importance of getting the low end “almost there”
• [6:55] Why bass clarity in the center image is crucial
• [7:46] The danger of unbalanced cymbal spot mics
• [10:08] How out-of-control low end can destroy an entire mix
• [11:35] The “hearing compression” phenomenon with excessive low end
• [12:22] Why you should check your low end before boosting highs
• [14:15] Could your listening environment be lying to you?
• [16:06] Resources in the URM community for fixing room acoustics
• [18:38] Analyzing a mix that lacks power and drum impact
• [19:53] Why every mix is ultimately an exercise in balance
• [21:16] Mixing without a vision vs. mixing with intent
• [26:45] Critiquing mixes for Discarnate’s “Iron Strengthens Iron”
• [28:44] Identifying an “overcooked” mix with painful high end
• [30:38] Why it’s okay (and sometimes necessary) to scrap a mix and start over
• [33:05] Why a natural snare isn’t always the right snare (and how to fix it)
• [35:21] The myth of being obligated to use only raw, natural drum sounds
• [39:09] How to spot a mix that’s been mastered way too loud
• [41:02] How low end movement makes limiters work overtime
• [42:54] Why mixing low-budget recordings is a valuable real-world skill

JF Dagenais is the long-time guitarist for Canadian death metal titans Kataklysm and a JUNO Award-winning producer. From his own studio, he has been the force behind the board for all of Kataklysm’s records, as well as landmark albums for bands like Despised Icon, Malevolent Creation, Misery Index, and Ex Deo.

In This Episode

Kataklysm’s JF Dagenais hangs out to talk about his 30-year journey balancing two full-time careers as a touring musician and a producer. He gets into the entrepreneurial mindset that has fueled both the band and his studio work, explaining how one career path has consistently opened doors for the other. JF also shares some seriously practical wisdom on modern production, discussing how he’s adapted to the rise of remote mixing and why a player’s picking hand is way more important than their gear when it comes to getting a killer guitar tone. He breaks down his methodical approach to tracking monstrous-sounding guitars that still feel organic, his technique for making the bass deliver the punch without fighting the guitars, and how he blends samples with real kicks to get that perfect death metal drum sound. It’s a great look into the strategy and mindset required to build a sustainable life in the music industry.

Products Mentioned

• Peavey 5150
• Mesa/Boogie Cabinets
• Maxon Overdrive
• Kemper Profiler
• Fractal Audio Axe-Fx
• Guitar Pro

Timestamps

• [4:00] Balancing a band and a production career
• [5:04] Eyal on being intimidated by JF’s Misery Index guitar tone
• [9:19] How remote work allows producers to keep clients after moving cities
• [11:52] Adjusting from producing A-to-Z to focusing on mixing and mastering
• [14:14] The satisfaction of helping younger bands with songwriting and arrangements
• [18:34] Learning that simplicity is often better than technical complexity
• [25:27] Using word-of-mouth instead of advertising to get production work
• [28:14] The entrepreneurial mindset within Kataklysm
• [38:15] From renting a studio out of the Yellow Pages to becoming an assistant engineer
• [41:27] Using Kataklysm’s recording budgets to buy gear for his own studio
• [42:40] The dynamic of being the producer for your own band
• [49:22] Why the player’s picking hand is more important than the gear
• [51:01] Why pre-made Kemper profiles often fall short
• [1:02:04] A methodical approach to tracking tight, organic guitars
• [1:04:00] Playing slightly behind the beat to make riffs sound heavier
• [1:07:12] How bass fits into the mix as the “punch in the middle”
• [1:11:12] The importance of having a pro tech set up guitars before tracking
• [1:21:34] Blending real kicks with multi-samples for a natural yet powerful drum sound
• [1:25:31] How to balance a family, a band, and a home studio career

Seth Munson is a producer, mixer, and instrumentalist who made a name for himself in the rock and metal world before successfully transitioning into pop. He’s worked with a diverse range of artists including Drake Bell and the late Christina Grimmy, and plays guitar in the band Seon Alters. His story is one of pushing through adversity to build a sustainable career on his own terms.

In This Episode

This week, producer Seth Munson drops by to share his incredible journey from being burned out on metal to carving out a career in the pop world. Seth gets real about what it actually takes to make a major genre switch, breaking down the importance of strategic free work, networking with the right people, and completely re-prioritizing his mix approach—placing the vocal performance above all else. He offers a transparent look at his pop vocal production process, from tracking dozens of takes to comping live with the artist to get the perfect result. Beyond the technical, Seth opens up about the intense personal challenges he’s overcome, including a serious illness that forced him to drop out of high school and the emotional task of mixing Christina Grimmy’s posthumous album from raw demos. It’s a heavy dose of real-world perspective on resilience, career strategy, and what it means to commit to your craft.

Timestamps

• [3:58] Why he felt his life was going nowhere recording rock and metal
• [4:41] What burned him out on producing metal
• [6:18] How he aligned himself with pop producers to make the transition
• [7:14] Why “always charge for your work” is bad advice
• [9:28] The chance encounter on tour that kickstarted his pop career
• [12:35] Moving to LA after a publisher said they wouldn’t work with him otherwise
• [16:20] The mindset shift from a metal mix to a pop mix
• [18:29] A typical pop vocal tracking session and why it involves 20-30 takes
• [22:14] Why he vets every artist before agreeing to work with them
• [25:21] The “stress to money ratio” and using a “fuck off rate”
• [27:32] Why he prefers the term “artist” over “client”
• [30:00] Dealing with label revisions and the conflict between art and business
• [55:49] The real story of why he dropped out of high school
• [59:08] The stigma of being a high school dropout and how he overcame it
• [1:01:51] Touring while dealing with a serious, undiagnosed illness
• [1:12:13] Advice for producers who want to move to a major music city like LA
• [1:13:39] The emotional challenge of mixing Christina Grimmy’s posthumous album
• [1:15:13] Working with demos recorded on a MacBook mic for a major label release

Tim Palmer is a Grammy-nominated producer, mixer, and songwriter who got his start in the London studio scene of the early ’80s. With four decades of experience, he’s had a hand in some of rock’s most iconic albums. His incredible discography includes mixing Pearl Jam’s groundbreaking album Ten, and working with a massive range of artists like David Bowie (on the Tin Machine records), U2, Robert Plant, Ozzy Osbourne, Tears For Fears, and Porcupine Tree.

In This Episode

Tim Palmer sits down for a wide-ranging chat that bridges the gap between the old-school analog world and today’s digital workflow. He shares some awesome stories about coming up in the industry, from learning studio etiquette the hard way to getting his first production credit on a KajaGooGoo B-side. The conversation gets deep into the evolution of the music industry, contrasting the era of artist development and radio gatekeepers with the modern landscape. For producers, the real gold is in Tim’s philosophy on technology. He explains why he initially resisted Pro Tools but now sees it as an essential creative tool, emphasizing that the producer—not the software—is always in control. He offers some killer, practical insights on why chasing trends is a mistake, how to create “size” by avoiding perfect grid alignment, and why the sterility of perfect tuning can kill a track’s emotion. It’s all about serving the song and performance, a timeless lesson from a dude who’s seen it all.

Products Mentioned

• Pro Tools
• Auto-Tune
• Neve Consoles

Timestamps

• [0:04:15] Starting as a studio apprentice in the 80s
• [0:05:46] The importance of learning studio etiquette (the hard way)
• [0:10:28] The pressure of being a tape op and punching in manually
• [0:12:30] Getting his first engineering break with Sting
• [0:15:41] How he got his first co-production credit on a KajaGooGoo B-side
• [0:18:02] Why a hit record requires more than just a great song and production
• [0:28:25] The importance of artist development and how labels used to invest in it
• [0:39:07] How the home recording revolution was a necessary evil that saved careers
• [0:40:50] The “conflict of interest” when producers have to work within a fixed budget
• [0:46:14] The pros and cons of mixing remotely vs. having the artist in the room
• [0:50:19] His initial resistance to Pro Tools and why he eventually embraced it
• [0:54:00] Why you are the boss of the technology, not the other way around
• [0:58:38] The song is king: Why technology is secondary to the song and performance
• [1:03:15] The story behind mixing Pearl Jam’s “Ten”
• [1:09:57] Why you can’t go back and “Photoshop your haircut”: leaving records as a snapshot in time
• [1:18:39] Asking for a co-production credit when mixing involves heavy lifting
• [1:22:35] Why perfectly aligning tracks to the grid can make them sound smaller
• [1:24:18] The “thick line” of analog tuning vs. the “thin line” of digital perfection

Shan Dan Horan’s path to the music industry is a bit different from most. He started out in corporate marketing, working on campaigns for massive clients like McDonald’s and even Barack Obama, before jumping into the metal world. He spent about five years at Century Media working on releases for In This Moment, Arch Enemy, and Suicide Silence. He went on to become the president of Artery Recordings, where he worked on records for Slaves and I Wrestled A Bear Once, and also served as president of Outer Loop Records. In addition to his label work, he’s a director who has helmed music videos for artists like DevilDriver, Exodus, and John Mellencamp, and is currently developing a TV show called Musician Rescue.

In This Episode

Shan Dan Horan brings a unique perspective from the label side of the desk, and he’s not afraid to get real about how the industry actually works. He breaks down why relationships and professionalism are so crucial in the often-chaotic music business and explains why it’s basically impossible to predict what will take off. For producers, he lays out exactly what a label head looks for when hiring someone for a record: stability, hitting deadlines, and the ability to act as a mediator and co-writer to nail those crucial hooks. He also offers some killer, no-bullshit advice for both new producers trying to get a foot in the door (hint: managers are your friends) and for the bands you work with on how to stand out and create the “ammunition” they need to get noticed. This is a super practical look at the business side of making records.

Timestamps

• [5:45] Moving from corporate marketing (Obama, McDonald’s) to music
• [9:27] The “wild west” nature and lack of professionalism in the music industry
• [12:50] Why it’s impossible to predict which bands will be successful
• [19:13] The value of being a musician before joining the business side
• [23:26] The importance of developing younger bands to sustain the scene
• [27:50] Why you should treat everyone with respect (the sound guy you dissed might be a label head 10 years later)
• [29:50] Shan Dan’s mission to help developmental artists
• [35:19] Carving out a niche helping people in a selfish industry
• [39:46] The value of real-world experience vs. a formal education
• [45:55] Lessons learned from working in the corporate world
• [51:15] Why self-taught people often have more drive than those from recording schools
• [56:27] What a label president looks for in a producer (stability, deadlines, hooks)
• [59:44] The importance of word-of-mouth for getting production work
• [1:08:12] How a new engineer can get a chance with a label
• [1:13:21] How a band can stand out from the millions of others
• [1:17:34] The “fake it ’til you make it” trap for local bands
• [1:22:24] A publicist is only as good as the “ammunition” (story) you give them
• [1:25:29] Why bands should build momentum before seeking a label or manager
• [1:34:19] How the business relationship between an engineer and a label actually works (budgets, invoicing, points)