Mix Secrets

From sketches to final mixes, engineer Jonathan Low spent 2020 overseeing Taylor Swift’s hit lockdown albums folklore and evermore.

Bruce Springsteen’s latest album was an international hit last year, but the console it was mixed on was made a quarter of a century ago. Mixing legend Bob Clearmountain was at the controls.

When rapper Machine Gun Kelly enlisted the help of producer and Blink‑182 drummer Travis Barker on his latest album, a shift to pop‑punk seemed inevitable. Who better to mix it than punk/hip‑hop crossover engineer Adam Hawkins...

The lead single from Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut album was stitched together from two demos in different keys. Mix engineer Jess Jackson turned it into a piece of pop magic.

Kevin Grainger has developed a unique approach to dance mixing — and, as Joel Corry's 'Head & Heart' proves, a highly successful one. We break down this hit track.

Haim's latest album was made with a mix of old-school and modern techniques and equipment.

Lady Gaga's latest album was two years in the making, and marked a return to her electronic roots.

Doja Cat's 'Say So' was already a worldwide hit when a new version featuring Nicki Minaj rocketed to the top of the charts. One man mixed them both.

In just seven years at hip-hop label Quality Control, Thomas 'Tillie' Mann has helped shape the sound of Atlanta rap.

Dua Lipa's mega-hit 'Don't Start Now' grew out of a writing session in Wyoming to achieve world-wide chart domination. Producer Ian Kirkpatrick was there from the start.

Working with ace mixer Tony Maserati taught producer Sir Nolan that hit-making is as much about what you take away as what you add...

The minimal arrangement of Ellie Goulding's unlikely New Year number one was underpinned by a rather less minimal mix...

Luke Combs' anthemic songs have crossed over from the country world to top mainstream charts. We talk to the production team behind his massive hit singles.

After unknown busker Tones and I teamed up with unknown producer Konstantin Kersting, she soon became very well known indeed!

Modern rap might be minimalist, but that doesn't mean it's easy to mix — especially when, as on DaBaby's Kirk album, the vocals were tracked in a hotel room.

Joe Colmenero hit the big time with Lil Tecca — and one of the smallest mixes he's ever done!

NF's The Search has revitalised hip-hop with its cinematic textures and arrangements. Longstanding producer Tommee Profitt was at the controls...

With 32 songs and more than two hours of music, mixing Chris Brown's album Indigo demanded stamina as well as talent!

Lil Nas X's novel mash-up of trap and country provided an unexpected showcase for the talents of a leading vocal producer and mixer.

Innovative production can be made or broken by the mix — and in Rob Kinelski, Billie Eilish's team found the perfect foil.

Manon Grandjean not only recorded and mixed the chart-topping debut by UK rapper Dave — she also mastered it!