Best Mixing Controllers: SSL vs Softube Console 1 vs Nektar CS12
I've owned nearly every mixing controller. Here are the real pros and cons of the SSL UF1 and UC1, Softube Console 1 and Nektar CS12, plus the setup I use now.
Matty Harris
Matty Harris is a mixing and mastering engineer based in Los Angeles with over 20 years of experience. A Berklee College of Music graduate and Apple Digital Masters certified engineer, he has over 490 verified credits on Muso.ai, including 364 mastering credits and 255 mixing credits, with work for Kelly Clarkson, Travis Barker, A$AP Rocky, Cuco, Still Woozy, Remi Wolf and Wrabel. He founded Mix & Master My Song to give independent artists worldwide direct access to major-label-level mixing and mastering, working with every client personally from first mix to final master.
Softube Flow Controller Review: I Misjudged This Thing
Softube's Flow controller isn't just for producers. Here's how I use Flow, Detail and DAW modes, custom flows on my drum bus, and reverb returns as a mixing engineer.
Sonible Smart Chain Review: Can a Smart Plugin Mix Your Song?
I ran Sonible Smart Chain on a real hip-hop mix. Here's what it got right, where it flattened the vibe, and how I'd actually use it as a mixing engineer.
How to Mix Hip Hop: Every Decision on a Real Song, Start to Finish
Most hip hop mixing guides give you a list of tips. This one follows a single real song, “Glad I Spent It” by WhooKilledKenny, from the rough the artist sent me to the finished mix, and explains every decision along…
Your Song Sounds Quiet on Spotify — Try This One Mastering Trick
You mastered your song, it sounds great in your DAW, you upload it to Spotify — and then it sounds noticeably quieter than everything around it. It’s one of the most frustrating experiences in modern music production, and the fix…
The Exact Reverb and Delay Chain I Use on 90% of My Mixes
Every week I get sessions from artists who’ve slapped reverb plugins on every channel, sometimes stacked with sends on top of that. The result? A cloudy, washy mess that kills the energy of an otherwise great song. I’ve mixed records…
I Put My Mastering Against Two AI Services, Blind
Online mastering has been around longer than the word “AI” has been attached to it. LANDR launched in 2014. I tried these platforms years ago, decided they were not good, and then mostly stopped paying attention. That was a while…
Is Vovious Better Than Melodyne? Honest Mixing Engineer Review
Let me be clear upfront: this isn’t a “Melodyne sucks” article. Melodyne is legendary. It’s been the industry standard for vocal pitch correction for years, and I’ve used it on countless records. But over the last month, I’ve found myself…
Fender Studio Pro Review: My Honest Take on the PreSonus Rebrand
PreSonus Studio One is dead. Long live Fender Studio Pro. If that sentence feels weird to read, imagine how it feels for those of us who’ve been working in Studio One for years. The DAW we know and trust just…
Album Mastering Explained: How to Master an Album for Streaming, Vinyl, and Digital Release
Mastering a single song is one thing. Mastering an entire album? That’s a completely different beast. Here’s the thing: an album master isn’t just about making each track loud, polished, and clean. It’s about cohesion. Flow. Making ten or twelve separate mixes…