Recording, Mixing & Mastering

If you’ve never worked with tape, it’s more flexible than you might expect. A full band can track live, or each instrument can be laid down separately as overdubs: whatever makes sense. Punching in and out works on tape, and separate performances can be spliced together.

The main machine is a fully restored Ampex MM-1200 2″ 24-track with gapless punch-in/out on all 24 channels, which can also run with a 2″ 16-track head assembly. Studio rates include the engineer/producer, drum tech and tape use.

Mystic Valley is primarily an analog studio, but bands and their engineers can bring digital sessions in for tracking and mixing, using Mytek and MOTU AD/DA converters.

Drums, bass, guitar and so on can be tracked to tape and transferred to digital to be finished elsewhere, digital tracks can be run through tape and analog gear to warm them up, and digital projects can be sent in for remote mixing.

Mixes go down to ¼″ or ½″ tape, on a restored Ampex AG-440 or 440C. Mixing works best on a separate day from tracking: take a rough mix home after tracking, listen on your own time and make notes, so the mix session is about blending and polishing.

Alex prefers attended mix sessions, so the band, or one or two members speaking for it, can give input and approve each mix. No mix is printed until the band approves it.

Mastering for vinyl and for digital release; these are separate masters, charged separately. Revisions are included.

Accepted formats: WAV, AIFF, ¼″ and ½″ tape, and cassette. No ADATs. Rates are on the Contact & Booking page.