Real Musicians Don't Starve

Finding Your Niche and Mixing Hits

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Alan Litten is a Mixing Engineer who has had six #1 hits, and many Top 10's. He has worked with artists including Aretha Franklin, Michael McDonald, and many others.

Alan has built his career by focusing on building a highly regarded reputation in niche markets within the music industry.

Here's a sneak peek inside this episode:

  • [3:20]  Noticing how the recording market was transitioning from professional studios to home studios, and mixing out of his bonus room
  • [6:55]  The 3 niche markets he's worked in, and how he navigated from one into the next.
  • [13:00]  The importance of looking outside the box at the outlets beyond 'pop music' to build a life-long career in music.
  • [16:15]  Stepping outside of a red ocean, into a blue ocean where you can grow.
  • [19:20]  "The people who are willing to pay for quality will find you.”
  • [19:45]  Alan's hybrid home studio mixing setup.
  • [25:30]  The plug-ins that Alan gravitates to when creating a mix.
  • [30:20]  How Alan begins the process of mixing a song.
  • [35:40]  The misuse of compression that's so common among independent musicians who mix their own songs.
  • [43:00]  The an early lesson in my career regarding how one of my favorite albums I ever worked on got ruined by over-compression.
  • [46:20]  How to build a great relationship with a highly skilled mastering engineer before you even finish mixing your album or song.
  • [50:50]  Looking at your songs as income producing assets.
  • [54:20]  How to approach your recording and mixing process with a team mentality, and getting feedback through the entire process to get a perspective of what's working, and what's not.
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    Real Musicians Don't StarveBy Michael Elsner
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