My Hybrid Console Mix Versus Ken Sluiter’s In The Box Mix
One of the most valuable parts of this course is the chance to hear two professional mixers take the exact same multitracks and create two completely different final mixes. Ken Sluiter mixes entirely in the box. I mix in a hybrid fashion using the SSL console and some choice outboard. Same song, same source material, completely different perspectives. This makes the course incredibly powerful because you can compare our decisions side by side and understand why mixers choose the paths they do.
Download the multitracks here: https://producelikeapro.lpages.co/ken-sluiter-mixing-poprock-in-the-box-free-multitracks/
Watch Ken Sluiter’s In The Box Mixing Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lnoYyEL9zE&feature=youtu.be
Ken approaches City Lights with a fully digital workflow. His tools are plugins and automation inside the DAW. My approach is to send stems out through the console, shape the tone using the SSL EQs, and then combine that with key pieces of hardware like the dbx 120, the API 560s, and the Tegeler bus compressor. The result is a more organic sound that leans into the room tones from Sunset Sound and the live performances. Ken’s mix focuses on precision, punch and control inside the session.
Because you get both full mixes plus all the raw files, you can listen for the contrasts. Ken might favour a tighter kick while I let the live drum ambience breathe. He might use plugin saturation while I tap into the natural harmonic weight of the console. I push the vocal into a combination of console EQ, compression, and my printed vocal thickening trick while Ken might sculpt it entirely inside Pro Tools. Neither approach is right or wrong. They simply reflect two different ways professionals work.
What makes this course so useful is that you can A B everything. You can listen to my hybrid mix then switch straight to Ken’s in the box mix and ask yourself what decisions were made and why. How is the snare presented. How is the low end balanced. How does the vocal sit in the mix. This is exactly what mixers do every day when referencing roughs, finished albums, and their own previous work.
If you have ever wondered how two mixers can take the same song and end up with two completely different emotional statements, this is the perfect case study. It is also a great reminder that tools are only part of the story. The mixer’s taste, instincts, and experience shape the result far more than the equipment ever could. And with both mixes available to you, you can learn from both philosophies and bring the best elements into your own workflow.
Have a marvellous time recording and mixing.
Download the multitracks here: https://producelikeapro.lpages.co/ken-sluiter-mixing-poprock-in-the-box-free-multitracks/
Watch Ken Sluiter’s In The Box Mixing Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lnoYyEL9zE&feature=youtu.be
