Episode 126

Rafa Sardina: Calibrating Your Ears & Emotions for Mixing

Rafa Sardina is a Los Angeles-based 18-Time Grammy and Latin Grammy-winning producer/engineer and mixer. He has built an impressive list of clients over the years, from D’Angelo & The Vanguard, Elvis Costello And The Roots, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Placido Domingo, Camila Cabello, Miguel, Lady Gaga, Clare Fischer Big Band, Alejandro Sanz, Calle 13, Natalia Lafourcade, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Bublé, Arturo O’Farrill with The Afrocuban Jazz Big Band Orchestra & Chucho Valdes, Tim McGraw and many more.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

  • Working as an intern to get into the industry
  • The importance of constantly learning
  • Diversifying your musical genres
  • Taking inspiration from multiple styles of music
  • Calibrating your ears and emotions for mixing
  • Using intuition to guide your mixes
  • What to do when you’re feeling stuck with your tracks
  • Battling self-doubt
  • Building naming systems for your sessions to keep organized and inspired
  • Working with Michael Jackson
  • Creating depth and width in a mix
  • Why you should start your mixes with a focus on the center channel
  • Using automation early in your process
  • Automating compressors to create movement throughout a song
  • Using multiple EQs on a single signal chain
  • Learning to hear the differences between different plugins/hardware

To learn more about Rafa Sardina, visit: https://rafasardina.com/

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About the Podcast

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About your host

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Mike Indovina

Mike Indovina is a recording, mixing, and mastering engineer who has worked with hundreds of artists in multiple genres ranging from acoustic, pop/rock, hip hop, and more. In his time, he's been fortunate to work alongside artists such as KISS, Collective Soul, Ed Robertson (Barenaked Ladies), David Usher, and many more.

He's also the author of two Amazon #1 Bestsellers on music production, "The Mixing Mindset" and "The Recording Mindset.