Mixing
Sympathy
Declan McKenna
Song : Sympathy
Duration:1h05 Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean
Description
Critically-acclaimed producer and engineer David Wrench takes you inside the making of ‘Sympathy’ by Declan McKenna. Explore the mixing process for this psychedelic pop odyssey, and learn how David navigates intricate arrangements, pre-mixed stems, and complex industry relationships.
The series begins with a deep dive into David’s preparation process. He shares his approach to file management and session setup, along with practical tips for communicating effectively with artists, producers, and label executives — essential soft skills in today’s collaborative music landscape.
From there, David puts theory into practice, demonstrating how to craft a compelling mix without access to individual stems or multitracks. Working only with grouped audio tracks, he uses multiband compression, saturation, and stereo imaging to rebalance the instrumentation and create a powerful, cohesive mix. These advanced mix techniques help him highlight key melodies and bring greater energy and depth to the final production.
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06 minProject overview, aesthetics, collaboration
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11 minDrums, percussion, ambience
Fabfilter Pro-Q3, Waves Vitamin, Fabfilter Pro-MB, Valhalla Room -
08 minBass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lapsteel
Fabfilter Pro-Q3, Fabfilter Pro-C, Fabfilter Pro-MB, Valhalla Room -
09 minKeyboards, horns, cellos, saxophones, recorders, trumpets
Fabfilter Pro-Q3, Fabfilter Pro-MB, Valhalla Plate -
09 minVocals, effects,
Fabfilter Pro-Q3, UAD LA-2A Gray, oeksound soothe2 -
09 minMix bus, dynamics, mastering,
Fabfilter Pro-Q3, Fabfilter Pro-MB, Waves SSL Compressor, Black Box Analog Design HG-2, UAD Studer A800, Waves L3 Multimaximizer -
08 minWorkflow, signature techniques, philosophy, mindset
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02 min
About David Wrench
David Wrench is a Welsh musician, artist, producer and mixer from Anglesey, Wales, he began his musical career in the late 80’s around the time of acid house and the emergence of dance music. David has amassed a wide-ranging discography, working with many influential artists including Frank Ocean, Ravyn Lenae, FKA Twigs, Jungle, Caribou, Glass Animals, Bon Iver David Byrne, The xx, Jamie xx, Primal Scream, Carley Rae Jepsen. David works in Protools from his London studio which has a huge collection...
No resources available
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06 min
Project overview, aesthetics, collaboration
-
11 min
Drums, percussion, ambience
Fabfilter Pro-Q3, Waves Vitamin, Fabfilter Pro-MB, Valhalla Room -
08 min
Bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lapsteel
Fabfilter Pro-Q3, Fabfilter Pro-C, Fabfilter Pro-MB, Valhalla Room -
09 min
Keyboards, horns, cellos, saxophones, recorders, trumpets
Fabfilter Pro-Q3, Fabfilter Pro-MB, Valhalla Plate -
09 min
Vocals, effects,
Fabfilter Pro-Q3, UAD LA-2A Gray, oeksound soothe2 -
09 min
Mix bus, dynamics, mastering,
Fabfilter Pro-Q3, Fabfilter Pro-MB, Waves SSL Compressor, Black Box Analog Design HG-2, UAD Studer A800, Waves L3 Multimaximizer -
08 min
Workflow, signature techniques, philosophy, mindset
-
02 min