Matt Foster: Creating Contrast Within Your Mixes

With extensive expertise in electronic, acoustic, and live music, Matt stands out as a seasoned professional sound engineer and producer. His journey began as a studio assistant at EMI Music Publishing studios in the mid-90s, where he had the opportunity to work with renowned artists like Jamiroquai, Primal Scream, Elastica, Guru's Jazzmatazz, and the Bluetones.
Transitioning to freelance work, Matt honed his skills in top London recording studios and became an engineer. He contributed to mixes for artists such as Tin Tin Out, The Corrs, Grant Nelson, Jungle Brothers, and even remixed an early UK Garage hit for Whitney Houston.
In the year 2000, Matt took on a pivotal role as the chief engineer at the prestigious UK record label MWA. In this capacity, he was entrusted with the management of two state-of-the-art studios, where his expertise and meticulous approach played a crucial role in ensuring the highest standards of audio production. As the chief engineer, Matt not only oversaw the day-to-day operations of these remarkable studios but also held the vital responsibility of quality control for the label's output, with numerous major label collaborations and joint projects.

As the UK urban scene flourished in the new millennium, Matt collaborated with notable artists like Ms Dynamite, So Solid Crew, Lemar, Estelle, KRS One, Big Brovaz, Terri Walker, and worked on projects with Cold Cut, The Gorillaz, Lifford David, and Roebeck. His talent also extended to recording and mixing the BBC 1 Idents, broadcast over 100,000 times.
In recent years, Matt has continued to work with top UK and international artists, building a reputation for his exceptional sonic skills. He has maintained his excellence through collaborations with Miloco Studios, writing gear reviews for Tape Op magazine, and teaching an 'Advanced Mixing Course' at the London School of Sound.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:
Working in live sound vs. studio
Being an assistant at EMI’s demo studio
How to get big, balanced low-end
How analog recording affects your top-end
How to get your kick and bass to work well with each other
Sidechaining low-end
Using harmonic enhancement
The importance of adding mid-range to your bass
Creating contrast with EQ and automation
Using sidechained dynamic EQ
Why you should always reach for volume and panning before other plugins
Getting vocals to sound clear and focused
His go-to compressors for vocals
Dealing with sibilance
Using stock plugins

To learn more about Matt Foster, visit: https://realmix.online/
For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit https://masteryourmix.com/
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