Mixing for technically demanding metal
Your mix falls apart when everything hits at once.
I mix technically demanding metal for musicians who know exactly what their music should sound like, and don't have the hours to close that gap themselves.
/ Death metal/ Black metal/ Tech death/ Prog/ Blackgaze/ Thrash+ Other extreme styles
Sound familiar?
It sounds right in your head. Not in the mix.
- SpeedFast parts lose definition. Blast beats and tremolo picking smear into mush.
- DrumsKick and snare get buried the moment the rhythm guitars come in.
- Low endThe bass is either missing or swallowing everything below 250Hz.
- WidthGuitars are panned hard, and still collapse into the middle.
One root cause.Frequency masking: too many instruments fighting for the same frequencies in a fast, dense arrangement. Fixing that is what I do.
Before / After
Same performance. Same tracks.
The difference is how the mix behaves when everything stacks up.
Before
Density uncontrolled- Kick and bass collapse into the same low-end space
- Bass disappears once guitars and drums come in
- Guitars turn into mono midrange mud
- High end builds into harshness and fatigue
After
Density engineered- Kick sets the low end and cuts through the top
- Bass stays audible and strong under the guitars
- Guitars sound wide and clear
- High end is balanced and non-fatiguing
Use headphones or studio monitors. Phone speakers hide the low end.
Who this is for
You have a career. Your music still deserves a real mix.
You recorded it yourself, you know the records you're chasing, and you don't have the weekends to learn mixing to that level. That's where I come in.
A good fit if you
- Write dense, layered music, fast and technical or slow and oppressive
- Care about articulation and depth, not only weight or loudness
- Hear your mix fall apart when everything comes together
- Want low end, mids and transients to stay defined under saturation
Not the right fit if you
- Are looking for the cheapest possible mix
- Expect the mix to fix weak performances or sloppy tracking
- Just want something "loud enough"
How it works
From rough mix to release-ready
- 1
Send your track
Your rough mix and some basic info about the project.
- 2
Evaluation
I review it, confirm it's a good fit, and tell you what the mix will need.
- 3
Booking
50% deposit invoice. Multitracks delivered within 7 days.
- 4
Mix build
After the deposit, I start building the mix.
- 5
Revisions
You get an MP3 preview and we refine until it translates the way your music demands.
- 6
Final delivery
Final WAVs are delivered once the remaining 50% is paid.
Behind the desk
Nicolás Atehortúa
I'm a producer from Colombia focused on extreme and atmospheric metal, and I've spent nearly 10 years studying production, mixing and mastering.
I'm meticulous with details, but always in service of the emotion and aggression the genre demands. I want to work with people who put their entire soul into what they want to say through sound.
Ready when you are
Send me your rough mix. I'll tell you what's holding it back.
I'll listen to it and tell you honestly what it needs. No commitment until you book.