MixCon 2018 Recap & Photo Journal: Meeting of the Minds at the Biggest & Best MixCon Yet
The 4th annual edition of MixCon, presented by SonicScoop and the Deli Magazine, was our biggest and best yet.
Taking over the famed Manhattan Center in midtown on July 21st & 22nd, audio obsessives came from all over the globe for workshops and masterclasses from top producers and engineers who shared their mixing techniques, live in front of crowds of several hundred for each presentation.
Manhattan Center’s historic Grand Ballroom served as the main presentation space once again. Their booming Studio 4 (aka the “Log Cabin”), and plugged-in Studio 7 (a digital 5.1 surround room) hosted a jam-packed schedule of intimate gear demos and mix workshops.
Couldn’t make it to MixCon? Or were you there, and want to relive every moment? We’ve got you covered: Video of each mix walkthrough will be available on SonicScoop and our YouTube channel very soon—so watch out!
MixCon 2018 was made possible by its sponsors, whose generous support allows it to be free to the public. So many thanks to Soundtoys, Plugin Alliance, Spitfire Audio, Steinberg, iZotope, Universal Audio, Avid, Alto Music Brooklyn, Antelope Audio, Eventide, The Producers & Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy, Sonarworks, Dangerous Music, Manley Labs, Phoenix Audio, Glyph, Audio Alchemist, Splice, Mix with the Masters, Lawo Consoles and The Manhattan Center Studios.
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- MixCon started off with a presentation from Jake Jackson, mixer of soundtracks for Doctor Who, Black Mirror, Star Wars, Assassin’s Creed and more.
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- His presentation—sponsored by Spitfire Audio—was the first in MixCon’s history to focus on soundtracks and cinematic scores.
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- Jake played to a full room, rapt with attention—a common theme throughout the weekend.
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- This kind of mixing is an animal all its own. Piling on subtle and sophisticated time-based effects that would make a classical engineer’s head spin, and eschewing the subtractive EQ of conventional rock and pop mixers, Jake showed off an entirely different approach from past presentations.
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- As with all MixCons, this main stage presentation was filmed for the tens to hundreds of thousands who will watch after the event. Video will go live in the coming weeks at http://YouTube.com/SonicScoopVideo
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- In between main stage presetations, guests attended intimate in-studio workshops. After iZotope’s presentation, visitors were invited to play their mixes through Studio 4’s powerful system.
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- Networking, mingling, making new and reconnecting with old friends and colleagues accompanied the event’s audio gear expo.
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- Electronic musician and producer Matt Lange presented for another packed house in a presentation sponsored by Plugin Alliance.
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- He focused on his techniques for granular synthesis…
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- …creative editing tricks…
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- …EQing tracks and processing the master bus…
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- …and advanced synthesis and envelope shaping.
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- Like most presenters, he even stuck around to speak to scores of fans and learners waiting for him stageside.
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- Plugin Alliance also held court in Studio 7, showing off two new plugins that were released at MixCon—and teasing one upcoming release.
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- Finishing up Saturday night was Ariel Borujow, with a Pop/R&B presentation sponsored by iZotope.
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- Ariel showed off a whole slew of his favorite secret weapons from across developers, like the Trash multiband saturator….
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- This was Borujow’s second MixCon, having been one of the most popular presenters at the very first MixCon in 2015.
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- Ariel also stuck around, answering questions stageside while in-studio presentations kicked off elsewhere in the building.
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- iZotope could be found in the Log Cabin studio giving production pointers after Ariel’s finished…
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- …while Robert Miller of Avid held court in studio 7, demonstrating the latest Pro Tools workflows and best practices.
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- SonicScoop’s David Weiss warms up the early arrivers on Sunday, with Justin Colletti waiting in the wings to introduce the next main stage event.
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- Joel Wanasek kicked off day 2 with a presentation on increasing your income from mixing by becoming more efficient and effective in a talk sponsored by Steinberg.
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- Possibly the most dynamic speaker at MixCon so far, Wanasek got their crowd out of their chairs and onto their feet!
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- And he kept his relentless energy, enthusiasm and good advice going the whole way through.
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- The video from this one is not to be missed.
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- Joel even dropped by the Steinberg Cubase booth after the presentation to answer questions for hours after the event…
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- …And stopped in Studio 7 for a visit with the other presenters and studio staff.
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- Afterward, Greg Ondo of Steinberg took to the Log Cabin to go into great detail on the latest tricks in Cubase 9.5.
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- …while Eventide showed off their latest like Physion and the H9000.
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- On Day 2 Manhattan Mini Storage dropped off a table full of free water (and coupons) for the crowd that went fast!
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- Acclaimed Indie/Experimental engineer David Tolomei, pictured here in Studio 7, had what was easily the biggest crowd for day 2.
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- David’s presentation was sponsored by Soundtoys, and even they were surprised by just how much of their tools he uses in a mix!
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- There was barely a set left in the house as he went through a mix…
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- …for the band Half Waif, featured on the cover of the latest issue of The Deli Magazine.
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- Look for video from David’s mix walkthrough in the coming weeks.
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- Last, but certainly not least, recent Latin GRAMMY winner JC Losada finished off the evening with style. His soulful approach to mixing places equal emphasis on musicality and technical prowess.
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- Afterwards, he hosted an exclusive workshop completely in Spanish—another MixCon first—and filmed the class for future digital release.
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- It’s the kind of event where relationships are formed that can last a lifetime.
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- Thanks for being there, even if only in spirit.
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- And if you want to see what all the excitement is about for yourself, just visit https://sonicscoop.com/video
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