Concept demo Sample content for client review. The studio, engineer, releases and policies are examples. By Blend Designs.
Northbound Audio.Brunswick / Melbourne Start a project

Mixing, mastering and vocal recording. Brunswick, Melbourne.

It starts with the song.

I’m Sam. I mix, master and record vocals for independent artists, one project at a time.

Hear a demonstration Start a project
A musician listening closely in studio headphones, lit in silver and warm light
Concept image. Replaced by real photography.
Hear a demonstrationNight Drive

Mixing / Mastering / Vocal recording

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01How I work

I listen before
I change anything.

Most of the work happens before a fader moves.

I listen to what you have, read the lyric and ask what the song is trying to do. That conversation shapes every decision after it. It is the part of the job I care about most.

I take on a small number of projects at a time. You deal with me, not a queue, and you get the same pair of ears from the first message to the final file.

A mix cannot rescue a song, but it can stop a good one getting in its own way. If I think something needs fixing at the source, I will tell you early rather than quietly polish around it.

02The listening room

Rough mix,
finished mix.

Three short synthetic pieces, made for this demo. Move between the rough balance and the finished one. Headphones help.

DemonstrationsLength / --:--
Slow Weather concept cover: Coastal rocks in silver mist

Warm / organic

Slow Weather

Synthetic demo

Audio needs JavaScript and a browser with Web Audio support.

These are original synthetic demonstrations, not client recordings. Before and After share the same arrangement and matched average levels, so you are comparing balance and detail rather than loudness. Approved client excerpts replace these when they are supplied. Audio is prepared when you press Play.

03What I do

Come in where
the song needs it.

A fresh set of ears on a mix, the last pass before release, or a quiet room to record a vocal.

Faders and meters on a concept studio mixing console

Mixing

Bring the parts together without losing what made the song yours. I shape balance, depth and movement around the feeling you want to keep.

Right for
Songs that are recorded and arranged, and need to sit together.
You send
Multitracks or stems, your rough mix and a reference or two.
You get
A mix we have talked through together, as a full-resolution WAV with instrumental and a cappella versions.
Talk about your mix
Studio monitors and a desk in a concept mastering room

Mastering

The last considered listen. I refine tone, dynamics and consistency so the record holds up on headphones, in a car and through a phone speaker.

Right for
A finished mix you are already happy with.
You send
The final mix at full resolution, and where it will be released.
You get
Masters for streaming and download, plus CD or vinyl versions if you need them. Formats are agreed before I start.
Talk about your master
A microphone and pop filter in a timber-lined concept vocal booth

Vocal recording

Take your time and find the performance. A comfortable room and an engineer who is paying attention, so you can think about the song instead of the gear.

Right for
Singers who want time and quiet to find the take.
You bring
The song, the lyric and a guide track. Sessions are at my Brunswick studio.
You get
Edited, comped takes as WAV files, ready to mix. Light tuning if the song wants it.
Talk about a session

Need both? Mix and master together takes a record from multitracks to release.

Ask about mix and master

Concept studio imagery. Photographs of the real room replace these.

04Is this a fit

Good fits, and
honest mismatches.

I would rather say so early than take on a project that was never going to work.

This tends to work

  • You wrote the song and you care how it lands.
  • You want to talk about the music, not only the specifications.
  • You have a rough mix or a session that is reasonably tidy.
  • You can give the project a few weeks rather than a few days.

This tends not to

  • You need a finished master by tomorrow.
  • You want the loudest possible version and nothing else.
  • You are looking for the cheapest quote in the city.
  • The recordings have problems that mixing cannot fix.

Not sure which side you are on? Ask. Choosing Help deciding in the enquiry is a real option, not a polite one.

A photograph of the engineer goes here. Natural light, at the desk or with an instrument.

05About

Who you’d be
working with.

I’m Sam. I came to engineering through songwriting, and it still shapes how I listen. I am usually thinking about the arrangement long before I think about a plugin.

I work alone, from a small studio in Brunswick. That is a deliberate limit. It keeps the number of projects low enough that I can stay properly involved in each one.

You will hear what I actually think about your record. Sometimes that is the most useful thing I can offer.

Sam, Northbound Audio
Based in
Brunswick, Melbourne
Came to it through
Songwriting
Works
Alone, on a few projects at a time
Works with
Independent artists in indie, folk and electronic

Sample biography for this demo. The real one is written with the engineer, in their words.

06Selected work

Records I’ve
worked on.

A few recent records, with the artist, the release and exactly what I did on it. Each one is listed with the artist’s permission.

Paper Boats

Juniper Lane / Indie folk / EP

MIXED AND MASTERED

Four songs recorded at home. The brief was to keep it close and a little rough, so the vocal leads and the room stays in.

Low Tide

Marlo Reyes / Alt R&B / Single

VOCALS RECORDED AND MIXED

Two evenings in the booth to find a softer take than the demo. The mix is built around that one performance.

Static Bloom

Coldwater Sisters / Electronic / Album

MASTERED

Eleven tracks mixed by the band. My job was to make them sit together as one record without flattening the dynamics.

Sample releases for this demo. Real credits, artwork and permitted audio replace them before anything goes live.

07How a project runs

From first message
to final file.

Six steps. You always know which one we are on, and you get room to shape the result along the way.

  1. EnquiryYour move

    You get in touch.

    Tell me about the record through the form below. A few essentials is enough to begin.

  2. First listenMy move

    I listen properly.

    I listen to what you sent before saying anything, then come back with questions and an honest first reaction.

  3. Scope and quoteTogether

    We agree the plan.

    Scope, deliverables, dates and a total, in writing. Nothing starts until you have agreed to it.

  4. The workMy move

    I do the work.

    Recording, mixing or mastering, as agreed. If something comes up that changes the plan, you hear about it first.

  5. ReviewYour move

    You listen and send notes.

    Listen in your own space, on the systems you know. We go back and forth until it sounds right to you. Two rounds of notes are part of every quote.

  6. DeliveryMy move

    Final files, delivered.

    You approve the final version and I deliver full-resolution WAV files, labelled and ready for your distributor.

08What it costs

Every record is
a different job.

I quote each project once I have heard the music and we have agreed the scope, so the number reflects your record rather than an average.

Quoted per project

After I have heard the music and we have agreed the scope.

No price list. Each quote is written for the record in front of me, and nothing starts until you agree to it.

Four ways to start

  1. A FRESH SET OF EARS

    Mixing

    For finished recordings that need balance, depth and movement.

    Choose mixing

  2. THE FINAL PASS

    Mastering

    For a mix you already love, ready for release.

    Choose mastering

  3. THE COMPLETE SOUND

    Mix + Master

    From your multitracks through to the finished master.

    Shape your record

  4. CAPTURE THE TAKE

    Vocal recording

    A quiet room and an engineer, for as long as the song needs.

    Find a session

Planning an EP or album? Tell me how many songs and when you need them, and I will confirm scope, deliverables and a total in writing before anything starts.

In every quote (sample terms)

  • Two rounds of notes included
  • About two to three weeks per mix, one week per master
  • Full-resolution WAV files, plus instrumental and a cappella versions
  • Vocal editing and light tuning included with recording
  • Remote by default. Sessions move free with 48 hours’ notice
Close detail of a studio microphone in warm light against acoustic timber
Concept images. Photographs of the real room replace these.
Studio monitors on a desk in a dim concept room

09The studio

A small room,
on purpose.

It is a small home studio, not a commercial complex. Treated, quiet enough, and set up so a session feels relaxed rather than expensive.

Most of the work is remote. If you are tracking vocals you will be here, so it matters that the room is somewhere you can actually relax and sing.

  • A treated home studio, not a commercial complex
  • Most work is remote. Vocal sessions happen here
  • A suburb on the website, never a street address

Concept photographs for this demo. The published site shows the real room, and a suburb rather than a street address.

10Questions

Questions worth
asking.

Straight answers to what people usually ask first. Answers marked Sample are example policies for this demo.

What do you need from me to start?

A rough mix or your session files, one or two reference tracks, and a sentence about what the song is meant to feel like. That last one helps more than people expect.

Will I know the cost before I commit?

Yes. You get the scope, the deliverables and a total in writing before any work starts, and nothing starts until you have agreed to it.

How do I send my files?

A shared folder or a private download link is fine. Once we agree the scope, I will tell you exactly what to export so nothing gets missed.

Do we have to be in the same city?

No. Mixing and mastering happen remotely, wherever you are. Vocal recording happens here in Brunswick.

What if you do not think the song is ready?

I will say so, and tell you why. Usually there is something worth fixing at the source that no amount of mixing will match.

Can you fix a difficult recording?

Sometimes, partly. I will be honest about how far it can go before you spend anything on it.

Can I be there while you mix? Sample

For part of it, yes. The first pass is quicker on my own. Most people come in for the last session, when we make the final calls together.

Sample policy for this demo

How many rounds of changes are included? Sample

Two rounds of notes are part of every quote. Small fixes after that are fine. If the direction changes, I will quote it separately and tell you before it happens.

Sample policy for this demo

How long does a project take? Sample

Usually two to three weeks for a mix and about a week for a master, counted from when the files arrive. The quote has real dates.

Sample policy for this demo

What files do I get at the end? Sample

A full-resolution WAV of each song, plus instrumental and a cappella versions. Masters come in the formats your release needs, agreed before I start.

Sample policy for this demo

11Start a project

Tell me about
your record.

A few details to begin with. If it is a fit I will come back with questions and a quote. If it is not, I will say that too.

Where
Based in Brunswick, Melbourne.
Working with artists anywhere.
Rather write directly?
hello@northbound.example

YOUR NEXT RECORD

Make the first move.

Four short steps. You can go back and change anything before you preview it.

Step 1 of 4You

Step 2 of 4The music

What do you need?
Where is the project at?
An unlisted or private link is fine.

Step 3 of 4The plan

Budget
In Australian dollars. A rough figure is fine.

Step 4 of 4Review

Check your answers. Edit any step, then preview the enquiry.

Local demo only. Nothing is sent or stored. JavaScript is needed to preview your enquiry.

Slow WeatherAfter / 0:00