Mark Needham is a producer and mix engineer that works in both LA and Nashville. He has worked in the music industry for over 3 decades, mixes between 300 and 500 songs year and is responsible for developing “A-list” talent like the Killers and Imagine Dragons.
Mark has always been on the cutting edge of changes in the audio industry. He was one of the first mix engineers that I knew to go completely “in the box” mixing on a Pro Tools HD rig with an Avid Icon series mixer. There is a fearlessness that is evident in his attitude toward technology. He doesn’t mind making changes to both his rig, or way that that he approaches mixing. Mark says making changes is what helps him to stay fresh and keep from getting bored. Today he has a dual screen 40” Slate Raven setup and he uses 4 UAD “Octo” cards to run plugins inside of his mixing sessions.
Mark’s fearlessness is also what has made him successful with developing artists. He talks about having an artist come to him to make an EP. They already had 4 songs finished and she brought him a 5th song that he says had a better sound that was more in line with who the artist actually was. So he scrapped the 4 previous songs that were finished and started over from scratch writing and recording 4 more new songs that matched the artist’s newest work.
As producer’s and mixers we must be have a solid foundation built on consistent quality work. But taking a note from Mark Needham, we also need to be ready to make changes, even if they seem as drastic as changing up your entire mixing platform, or replacing 4 finished songs, with 4 new songs. Be fearless, ready to change and adapt to the ever changing music industry and always be willing to work hard.
Please enjoy watching my interview with my friend Mark Needham.