Mix Secrets

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.

Coldplay's recent album Viva La Vida was one of the most high-profile releases of the year, and an impressive showcase for Michael Brauer's unique approach to mixing.

Some mix engineers work entirely 'in the box', while others treat Pro Tools as little more than a tape recorder. Kevin 'KD' Davis employs the best of both worlds, as his work on Ne-Yo's recent hit 'Closer' shows.

With Sara Bareilles' massive worldwide hit 'Love Song', producer Eric Rosse had to strike a delicate balance between preserving the artist's integrity and achieving mass appeal.

Flo Rida and T-Pain scored a massive worldwide hit with 'Low' — but only after it received the attention of Miami's star mixer, Fabian Marasciullo.

Madonna's popularity shows no sign of flagging, thanks in part to her ability to seek out cutting-edge production talent. Producer and mixer Demo Castellon explains how he shaped her latest chart-topper.

OneRepublic's route to the top has been tortuous, and their massive hit 'Stop & Stare' was actually recorded more than three years ago. Engineer and mixer Joe Zook recalls the sessions.

Jack Johnson is living proof that you don't need Auto-Tune, Beat Detective or a million overdubs to record a hit album. In fact, as engineer Robert Carranza explains, he didn't even need mains electricity...

Aided by its memorable video and starring role in an iPod ad, Feist's '1234' has been a refreshingly different worldwide hit. Renaud Letang was behind the (vintage) desk during the recording and mixing sessions.

Iconic rockers The Foo Fighters had a worldwide smash with their record-breaking track 'The Pretender'. Rich Costey was the man behind the mix faders.

The unrivalled status of producer Timbaland is built on a hand-picked team of engineers, mixers and producers. For the mix of his hit single 'The Way I Are', he turned to Marcella Araica.

The unsung production hero behind Fall Out Boy, described as “emos first superstars”, tells us how he shaped the lead single from 2007s smash hit album, Infinity On High.