by Dana Nielsen Hey Reader! Ever wondered how I use reference tracks or manage my mix bus before mastering? 🤔 This week at Mix Protégé, we’ve been unpacking these questions with practical insights and real-world examples. Catch up on these vibrant discussions, member achievements, and the exciting new releases I’ve mixed for The Avett Brothers and Nir Felder. Let’s gooooo! 👂How important are reference mixes? This burning question in our Mixing Forum got me all fired up! 🔥 Check out my video…

Hey Reader! You won’t want to miss these recent Mix Protégé gems 💎 including how I got my start as a 20-year-old Pro Audio sales guy at Guitar Center and wound up mixing #1 albums for iconic artists like SZA, Neil Diamond, The Avett Brothers, and more. 🎛️ How I “made it” in the New Music Business The face I made when I got the call to work with Rick Rubin I’m so excited to share my journey as an engineer, mixer, and producer on Ari Herstand’s New Music Business podcast!!! Ari is a legend – a…

Hi Reader, Mix Protégé has been buzzing with activity and inspiration recently, and I can’t wait to share the highlights with you! Our Member Spotlight forum is brimming with fresh mixes, and I’ve dropped a quick-tip on limiter loudness that’s a game-changer. Plus, my latest podcast appearance delves into the philosophies of recording and mixing that drive us. And we’re thrilled about a debut single from a promising artist, a collaboration born right here in Mix Protégé.

My latest video shows how I create a tempo map in Pro Tools to sync with a natural, non-clicked recording. Watch my entire tempo mapping process as I prepare for overdubs on a song by singer-songwriter, Zelda. This is one of my best-kept secrets for recording natural live performances: let the artist record freely, without a click, then build a custom click track that follows their performance for use during…

Greetings from 28,000 feet above the globe! ✈️ After a productive week of record-making at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, North Carolina, I’m chasing a magnificent 3-hour-long sunset, typing this from my window seat, as I hurtle westward toward my home timezone of The Pacific. Read on for a video tour of my Echo Mountain setup, a discussion about parametric EQ plugins, and a sinister new streaming fraud scheme…

January 7, 2024
Your weekend Mix Protégé recap ​by Dana Nielsen
Happy New Year, Reader! The past two weeks have been a blur and I’m excited to be back into the swing of things with a fresh Friday Fader for ya!
It’s like you’re IN THE STUDIO w/ me!
YouTube’s mobile app let’s you “look around” the studio wherever you like… it’s BONKERS!
Take a 360º immersive trip into the studio with me and literally “look around” while singer-songwriter, ZELDA, performs one of her new songs I’m…

Dec 24, 2023
Cheers 🥂 to another inspiring, productive week on Mix Protége! The highlight for me was hearing some stunning in-progress mixes by our uber-multi-talented members. What a thrill! Plus some fantastic forum discussions, free plug-in alerts, and some exciting new releases to put on your holiday radar! Read on for all the deets….

Dec 16, 2023
Your weekend Mix Protégé recap ​by Dana Nielsen
What an amazing, action-packed week on Mix Protége! The highlight for me was hanging out with several of you on Zoom for our first-ever Member Meet-up. What an incredible community of talented, kind, inspiring people! 💜 We also had some fantastic forum discussions, free plug-in alerts, a four-hour full-mix-process livestream, and some fabulous new members joining the fray! Read on, Reader, for all the deets….
Some links…

Dec 10, 2023
Your weekend Mix Protégé recap ​by Dana Nielsen​Some links require login • create your free account today
Shoot outs: How to pick the best mix or master
Learn my process for comparative analysis of mixes and masters
As a producer, songwriter or artist, reviewing options from multiple mixers or mastering engineers can be a thrilling and inspiring experience. But it can also leave you feeling confused, overwhelmed – and sometimes even underwhelmed 😬. Last week, Jeremy Roye and…