COURSE OVERVIEW
Take your mixing skills to the next level with The Mix Class: Analog Advanced! Designed for intermediate engineers, this course focuses on rock, indie & alternative music, teaching you how to shape sound using both digital and analog gear.
Led by owner and full-time mix engineer Mike Johnson, you’ll get hands-on experience mixing on an SSL console, the industry-standard analog board used in modern music.
By the end of the course, you’ll have the techniques, gear knowledge, and confidence to create polished, radio-ready mixes that meet professional standards.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Pro-Level Mixing Techniques – Master the gear and methods used by top engineers.
Mix Breakdown & Analysis – Study legendary mixes and apply their key elements.
Insider Industry Secrets – Learn what separates professional mixes from amateur ones.
Hands-on SSL Console Experience – Work with the industry’s top analog board.
Critical Listening Skills – Train your ears in a world-class control room.
EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTORS
With decades of experience and know-how behind numerous consoles in the world of Rock, Pop, Indie, Metal, Jazz, Acoustic, and much more, instructors, Mike Johnson & James Forbes, will teach you everything you need to know so that in 10-weeks you're an efficient engineer able to run any kind of session in a home or pro studio.
1-on-1 INSTRUCTION
Our advanced mixing classes are conducted exclusively in a 1-on-1 format, offering a personalized curriculum tailored to each student’s needs, flexible scheduling, a low-stress learning environment, and extensive hands-on practice. This focused approach ensures students receive consistent, dedicated guidance from their instructors, leading to more effective learning and improved outcomes.
8 LESSON CURRICULUM
LESSON 1: room acoustics, monitors & sonic referencing
Learn the fundamentals of sound including the human ear and speakers
Understand the importance of acoustics and how to be cause over sound
Discover what experienced ears are listening for
LESSON 2: MIxing consoles, COMPRESSORS & EQs
Learn the advanced functions & capabilities of the SSL Console
Understand the varieties of outboard gear (EQs, compressors. etc) and how they're best utilized
Get to know signal flow and gain staging
LESSON 3: THE GEAR
Learn the in and outs of the SSL Console
Understand the mechanisms of Preamps, EQ’s, Compressors.
Get to know analog tape and signal flow
LESSON 4: mixing lead vocals & backgrounds
Analyze what makes hit vocals sound so amazing
Learn the tools and tricks to make the lead vocal sit right in the mix
Make background vocals fit around the lead
LESSON 5: final mixing & mastering
Experience the transformation from raw tracks to a polished mix
Learn to make the studio mix sound radio ready
Discover the methods used to complete an industry standard mix
LESSON 6: student mixing
Prepare the tracks for mixing
Set up workflow on analog & digital gear
Apply mixing techniques from previous lessons
LESSON 7: mix tweaks
Compare mix to references
Make final adjustments
Master final mix for consumer playback
LESSON 8: practical
Apply all of the data learned from Classes 1-7 to fully edit, blend, finalize and mix a track within a 10-hour session.
SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF COURSE
After successfully completing the 8-lesson course, students can apply advanced analog mixing techniques to their own music and creative projects. The goal is to build the confidence and practical understanding needed to navigate analog consoles and outboard gear, make intentional mixing decisions, and approach complex mixes with greater technical and creative control through both personal enrichment and continued professional development.
MORE INFORMATION
ELIGIBILITY: Completion of The Art of Sound Recording, The Essentials of Hip Hop or any basic audio engineer experience. Laptop or computer with Pro Tools.
LENGTH: This is a 8-class (45 total hours) course course that is only delivered 1-on-1. Seven 5-hour lessons. The final class is a full day (10 hours) of practical.
PRICE: $5000 for 1-on-1 instruction. The 1-on-1 price reflects a highly specialized curriculum, dedicated studio time, flexible schedule and personalized attention to the individual student. Ask about our payment plans!
TO REGISTER: We require a 50% deposit to reserve your seat. The balance is due by the start date of the course OR you can participate in our payment plan. There are no additional costs.
NEXT COURSE COUNTDOWN: 1-on-1 courses have “ongoing admissions” and can begin whenever you are ready. Scheduling is flexible for holidays.