Mix Secrets

In his second career in the music business, Jaycen Joshua has become one of the USAs top mix engineers. With child star Justin Bieber, the brief was to bring urban grit to pop production.

Whats the best way to make a classic rock album? For producer Eric Valentine and guitarist Slash, there was only one answer — use classic recording techniques and vintage gear.

Sometimes the simplest-sounding music takes the most work to get right, and so it was with Johnny Cashs posthumous hit album American VI: Aint No Grave. Engineer and mixer David R Ferguson was on hand at every stage of Rick Rubins production.

In Contra, Vampire Weekend have made one of the more unlikely US hit albums of recent years. Guitarist Rostam Batmanglij and engineer Justin Gerrish explain how they wowed American audiences with African influences.

In a rare interview, legendary engineer and producer Humberto Gatica explains how he and singer Michael Bublé breathed new life into big-band swing music — with stunning results.

Flying the flag for a distinctively British sound, and scoring some huge hits in the process, Cenzo Townshend is one of the UKs hottest mixers. He gives us the inside track on Florence and the Machines hit Youve Got The Love.

Britains biggest name in mixing, Mark Spike Stent has achieved international success in almost every genre. With Muses latest album, The Resistance, he was dealing with rock at its most epic.

When French DJ David Guetta and American singer Kelly Rowland combined to produce one of the biggest crossover hits of 2009, the hands on the faders belonged to Veronica Ferraro.

Behind every rap megastar, theres a very talented engineer. Young Guru was at the desk throughout the recording and mixing of Jay-Zs latest smash-hit album, The Blueprint 3.

Producer and songwriter Fraser T Smith has made the unlikely journey from prog rock to grime. With Tinchy Stryder, his broad experience has paid off in the shape of three massive hit singles.

Recorded and mixed in a modest home studio, Day n Nite has made stars of singer/rapper Kid Cudi and producer Dot Da Genius.

John Fields and Paul David Hager have a very modern working relationship — and with the Jonas Brothers, theyve delivered a string of old-fashioned hits.

Take one Bollywood soundtrack, add a Pussycat Doll and a heap of new instruments, and you have a recipe for a big mix. Peter Mokran was the engineer who cooked up an international hit with Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny).

For their fifth album, The END, Black Eyed Peas main man will.i.am took the band — and their long-serving mixer Dylan Dresdow — in a new direction, with stunning success.

The sessions for U2s No Line On The Horizon took the idea of spontanaeity in the studio to new levels. Engineer Declan Gaffney was the man charged with creating order from apparent chaos...

Looking for a follow-up to her smash-hit debut album, Lily Allen ditched her many other collaborators to work mostly with LA-based producer and musician Greg Kurstin on Its Not Me, Its You.

When Seal decided to pay tribute to classic soul records on his album Soul, he turned to legendary producer David Foster — and his right-hand man, Jochem van der Saag, who was responsible for mixing and much more.

Transatlantic number one Just Dance was not only a breakthrough for Lady Gaga, but also for her producer RedOne and mix engineer Robert Orton.

Bob Clearmountain has been the worlds premier mix engineer for three decades — but Martin Scorsese still managed to challenge him with his ideas about how the Rolling Stones in concert should be presented.

How do you capture the essence of pure rock & roll? For Mike Fraser and AC/DC, the answer was simple: get the sound right at source, track to analogue tape, and don't mess about with the results!

For the recording of their fourth album Only By The Night, Kings Of Leon and co-producer Jacquire King decided to aim high. The result: a worldwide smash and a long-awaited breakthrough in the band's native US.