What I Learned About Mix Engineering by Being the Artist Again
After spending years coaching mix engineers on how to run their businesses, I finally stepped back into the artist's chair. My album Better comes out this Friday (stream it everywhere November 14th), and the experience of working with my best friends: mixer Jon Castelli, producer Dave Weingarten, and mastering engineer Nathan Dantzler further emphasized some core concepts I teach to my coaching clients.
Here's what I learned that every mix engineer should know.
Some Mixes Lock In Faster Than Others: And That's Normal
Lesson: Some songs nail it first pass, no notes. Others take a second. That doesn't make you a better or worse engineer.
We had tracks that Jon nailed on the first pass. I listened, smiled, and said "approved." Zero rounds of revisions. Done.
Other tracks went through multiple rounds. The longest took three rounds. Not because Jon missed something, but because those particular songs needed more exploration to find their voice. Each song is its own beast with its own needs.
Our final round (round three on those trickier tracks) we did in person at Jon's studio with Dave Weingarten and me there. Being in the room together for that final polish made all the difference.
Don't beat yourself up when a song takes longer to lock in. The artist sees each track as having its own unique voice, and sometimes that voice reveals itself immediately, sometimes it takes patience. Neither scenario reflects on your skill.
The Timeline Contrast
Lesson: We spent a year and a half recording, but only a few weeks mixing. That creates a different mindset.
Dave and I lived with these songs for 18 months during tracking and production. We built them slowly, layer by layer, sitting with decisions for weeks at a time.
Then we got to mixing, and suddenly everything accelerated. A few intense weeks to make critical choices about how these songs would sound forever.
That shift in pace is jarring. As an artist, you've been marinating in these songs. As a mixer, you're hearing them fresh and making quick, confident decisions. Understanding that gap in time and perspective helps both sides communicate better.
Empathy as the Core
Lesson: Playing the role of the artist gave me deeper clarity on what my clients experience.
This is really the heart of everything. I coach mix engineers for a living, so I understand what artists go through. But stepping back into that chair myself (after years focused on the business side) gave me a level of clarity I didn't have before.
Sitting on the other side of the desk, waiting for mixes, second-guessing my feedback, worrying about being "that client"...experiencing all of that firsthand deepened my understanding of the emotional weight every artist carries. They're not just making decisions about EQ and compression. They're carrying the weight of their vision, their budget, their timeline, and their vulnerability.
If you're a mixer reading this: here's a technique to try. Write one song and have it mixed by someone else. You don't have to release it. Just experience what it feels like to hand your creation to another person and wait for them to interpret it. The empathy you gain from that one experience is invaluable and will change how you work with every client after.
The Power of Presence
Lesson: In-person attended sessions shortcut the back-and-forth.
We did attended mix sessions with Jon and Dave. Being in the room together meant we could communicate nuance that would've taken ten emails to explain. A head nod, a furrowed brow, playing something back at a different volume...these micro-communications saved us days of revision cycles.
I know remote work is the norm now, and it works. But when possible, especially for critical tracks or when starting a new working relationship, invest in that in-person time. It pays dividends.
Silence Doesn't Mean Dislike
Lesson: No response to a mix you sent isn't someone not liking it. It's them living with it.
I'm guilty of this. Jon would send a mix, and I wouldn't respond for days. Not because I didn't love it, but because I needed to hear it in different contexts.
Case in point: I got one round of mixes right after a show, on vacation, at 11pm EST while I was out with friends. I listened to them drunk on my subway ride home. Then again the next morning over coffee. In my car. On a walk. I needed my team to hear them. I needed Dave to weigh in.
That silence? It's not rejection. It's respect for the process.
As a mixer, don't panic when the client goes quiet for a few days. They're not ghosting you. They're doing the work of actually listening, not just hearing.
The Tools Matter
Lesson: The experience of listening, commenting, and tracking revisions...use the right platform.
We used Samply for mix review, and it was a game-changer for several reasons:
A/B different versions easily
Keep everything in one place with timestamp comments
Share with friends and my team for feedback
Hear the spatial audio applied to tracks
If you're not using a professional review platform (Samply, Listento, AudioMovers, whatever), you're making both your life and your client's life harder than it needs to be. Invest in the right tools.
Communication Architecture
Lesson: Get everyone on a thread for fast decision-making. Tag your team. Include assistants.
We had Dave (producer), Jon (mixer), Brad (mix assistant), Nathan (mastering engineer), and me all on the same thread. When someone had a note, everyone saw it. No game of telephone. No duplicated messages.
Set Expectations Early
Lesson: Make it clear as a mixer what the producer needs to deliver.
Jon has clear documentation of what to send over, which made Dave's job easy. He knew exactly what to deliver, and Jon knew exactly what to expect. No surprises, no delays.
This seems obvious, but I see it go wrong constantly. Have that conversation upfront. Document it. Refer back to it when needed.
The Rough Mix Conversation
Lesson: Always clarify if the rough mixes are what to go off of, or if the artist wants complete reinvention, or something in between.
This was the only place we stumbled (if I could even call it that).
Jon based his first pass on the rough mixes Dave and I had been living with. Smart move, except we actually wanted something more bold, more reinvented. We just hadn't communicated that clearly.
Here's the thing: Dave's roughs were awesome in their own right. But they were just bounces I had him make after every session because I was excited and wanted to hear what we'd done. They weren't meant to be the template for the final mixes.
Once we named it ("we want you to reimagine this, not just refine it"), everything clicked. Jon's creative instincts could finally breathe.
Don't assume. Ask explicitly: "Are we polishing what's here, or are we building something new together?"
Great Engineering = Great Mixes
Lesson: Great engineering leads to great mixes (thanks, Dave).
Jon is an incredible mixer, but he'd be the first to tell you: Dave's engineering on Better made his job so much easier. Clean recordings, thoughtful decisions at the tracking stage, well-organized sessions. All of that set Jon up for success.
If you're a mixer, the best thing you can do is work with great engineers. And if you're an engineer, know that your work directly impacts the mix. You're not separate disciplines; you're a relay team.
Revisions Are Just Having a Conversation
Lesson: Always expect revisions. It's not a flaw; it's refining communication.
Think about it this way: imagine having a conversation where you only said something and never got a response. That would be weird, right?
That's what sending a mix is: you're saying something. Feedback is the response. Going back and forth isn't a sign that someone missed the mark. It's just two people talking until they understand each other.
We went through multiple revision rounds on several songs. Not because Jon was wrong, but because we were learning how to speak the same language. Each revision got us closer to the shared vision.
If you're a mixer who gets frustrated by revision requests, reframe it: this isn't about you being wrong. It's about collaborative refinement. The best mixes emerge from that process.
Feedback Is Hard, Even with Friends
Lesson: Even though Jon and Dave are my best friends, giving feedback was hard. Be a good receptor of feedback.
I thought working with friends would make feedback easy. It didn't. I still worried about hurting feelings, being too picky, or sounding like I didn't trust their expertise.
If you're a mixer: make it easy for your clients to give feedback. Normalize revisions. Ask clarifying questions. Create a safe space for honesty. The best client relationships are built on trust, not ego.
The Takeaway
Making Better taught me that the mix engineer-artist relationship is a dance. It requires clear communication, mutual respect, patience, and a willingness to iterate.
I've always coached mixers on the business side of their work. Now, I coach them with a deeper understanding of what it feels like to be the client: the vulnerability, the hope, the trust you're placing in someone else's hands.
If you're a mix engineer reading this, I hope these lessons help you serve your clients better. And if you're an artist, I hope this gives you language to communicate more clearly with your mixer.
Oh, and one more thing: the singles are streaming now ("The Summer!", "Rebecca", "Get You Back"), and the full album Better drops this Friday, November 14th.
Stream on Spotify | Apple Music
If you'd like to hear all of the different versions of the record (the evolution from rough to final) join my broadcast channel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbbFmOOHs58Z0o7N/
Because after all this work (the recording, the mixing, the revisions, the late nights, the breakthroughs) the music deserves to be heard.
Michael J. Morgan is a business coach for mix engineers and the artist behind the album Better, out November 14, 2025. Mixed by Jon Castelli, produced by Dave Weingarten and Michael J. Morgan, mastered by Nathan Dantzler.
