Interviews
Exclusive Interview With Michael Brauer | Ayoo Chill Studios
November 2024 (Filmed December 2023)
An in-depth conversation with Michael Brauer, the renowned Grammy Award-winning Mixing Engineer behind some of the most iconic records in music history. In this exclusive interview, Michael shares his journey into music engineering, his favorite projects, essential studio gear, advice for aspiring engineers, and his passions outside of the studio.
Kazrog MHB Green - Michael’s prized Vintage Tube Compressor
November 2024
MHB Green is a virtual analog compressor/saturator plugin developed by Kazrog in close collaboration with Grammy-winning mix engineer Michael H. Brauer (Coldplay, John Mayer, James Bay), based on his custom modified AWA G7201 Limiting Amplifier.
The Speakerhertz Podcast - Episode 1
Thursday, February 1st, 2024
“The inaugural episode of The Speakhertz Podcast sees Sam Freeman speak with the legendary mix engineer, Michael Brauer. Some of his credits include Aerosmith, John Mayer, The Kooks, Regina Spektor, Coldplay, The Fray, and Paul McCartney.” Available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Podcast.
Uncut - Reissues of 2023. Bootleg Series 17
October 2023
‘Uncut’ highlights Michael’s re-mixes of Bob Dylan’s ‘Fragments’ and ‘Shadow Kingdom’, as well as their ‘Book of the Year’ - Bob Dylan: Mixing up the Medicine
MOJO - Reissue of The Year, Bootleg 17
January 28, 2023
Michael speaks to MOJO about re-mixing Bob Dylan’s album ‘Fragments’.
‘SOS’ Feature - “How I Got That Sound”
October 2023
Michael speaks to Joe Materna on his process and philosophy used to mix Elle King’s vocals on ‘Ex’s & Oh’s’
What’s up with Bob Dylan’s Sound?
Saturday January 28, 2023
Steve Guttenberg, writer of Audiophiliac blog speaks about "The remixed version of Time Out Of Mind by a man named Michael Brauer" & goes on to say that "The remixed version is so much better than the original"
RSR390 - Michael Brauer - Brauerize® ITB & Mixing With Emotion
Friday February 24, 2023
"Sonically good without the sonic soul is crap!" Michael talked about why it's the emotional stuff, not the technical stuff that makes a great mix, how to understand multi-bus mix compression, why plugins are fun, and mixing in Atmos on headphones.
The Remaking of Bob Dylan’s ‘Time Out of Mind’: 25 Years Later, New Box Set Tells Tale of Dylan’s 1997 Masterpiece
Thursday February, 9 2023
Below, the man who reimagined Time Out Of Mind for the 21st Century, the legendary mixer Michael Brauer, takes Rock Cellar readers through his process, and explains why, while his version of one of Dylan’s best albums may peel away some of the layers of the original’s murky sound, it isn’t meant to replace it.
Michael Brauer Quoted in the LA Times on Remixing Bob Dylan
Thursday January, 26 2023
In a typically Dylanesque move, the crisp new mix by Bootleg Series veteran Michael Brauer clears away some of Lanois’ signature studio murk — precisely the thing, that is, that helped listeners hear Dylan in a fresh way back in the late ’90s.
Michael Brauer on Remixing Time Out Of Mind
Thursday January, 26 2023
S01E21 Michael Brauer is a celebrating Mixing Engineer who has worked on 9 different Bob Dylan albums. Recently he completed a 'reimagining' of Time Out Of Mind for Bootleg Series 17.
Audeze Live
May 18, 2022
Famed Mix Engineer Michael Brauer joins us for a visit at Eastside Sound Studio, where he talks about shifting his mixing rig away from hardware and into plugins for a nearly complete In The Box experience.
Jaxsta Instagram Live Interview
April 13, 2022
Legendary mixer Michael Brauer talks to Jaxsta’s Rod Yates about his incredible career, his approach to mixing, the art of capturing emotion in a mix, the favourite mixes he’s done and much much more!
Taking on Studio Myths: Vocal Mixing Tips from Michael Brauer
January 31, 2022
One might logically first ask, “What are you listening for in the vocal before you even consider gear?” And that’s exactly what I did! The answers might surprise you.
Michael Brauer has his own view on vocal mixing.
Michael Brauer: “Initially I’m just reacting to the whole track. More reaction, with analysis coming later. The first thing is to ask for is notes or if the artist can be present, but (the artist’s presence) doesn’t happen much anymore.
“I try to make it more of the artist’s vision, but improved. I listen for how the vocal should be presented among the key elements of the song".
What’s up with Bob Dylan’s Sound?
May 11, 2021
Michael Brauer is a 7-time Grammy winning engineer, having won with Coldplay Parachutes (Best Alternative Album, 2000), John Mayer Continuum (Best Pop Vocal Album, 2007), Coldplay Viva la Vida (Best Rock Album, 2009), John Mayer Battle Studies (Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, 2011), Calle 13 Multi Viral (Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album, & Latin Grammy: Best Urban Music Album, 2015), and Angélique Kidjo Eve (Best World Music Album, 2015) and Sings (Best World Music Album, 2016). Michael has also worked with Aretha Franklin, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney & many others.
Ditty TV with Michael Brauer
Friday February 14, 2021
Sam Shansky was able to catch up with Michael while he hunkers down in the Catskills in New York. Whether he’s working out of Electric Lady Studios, Mediasound Studios where he got his start, or any other space, Michael has an unparalleled ability to bring out the best possible sound from artists while putting his heart and into the work.
PureMix Mentors | Andrew Talks to Awesome People Featuring Michael Brauer
Thursday February, 1 2021
PureMix Mentors | Andrew Talks to Awesome People Featuring Michael Brauer.
One of the best mixers of our time, Michael has worked with everybody from Aretha to Coldplay to James Brown to Dylan.
Working Class Audio #319 With Michael Brauer
January, 25 2021
Total Clarity, Mixing From Your Heart, Transcendental Meditation, Forgetting Balance and Having a Great Team.
Delving into the Art of Mixing Music
January 3, 2021
Brauer discusses his work over the past four decades, with insights into the art and science of music mixing, and talks about the importance of the Transcendental Meditation technique in his life.
Studioszene 2020: Mixing philosophy and career of Michael Brauer
December 12, 2020
We are very pleased that Mixing Engineer Michael Brauer is part of the digital Studioszene 2020. The multiple Grammy Award winner brings the experience from numerous mixing sessions to the workshops and discussions, which are an absolute highlight of the program.
FREE WORKSHOP: MIXING ADVICE FOR THE HOME STUDIO
December 20, 2020
Join Sylvia Massy, Michael Brauer, and Dave Pensado on December 17, 2020 @ 06:00 PM CT for a free OWC workshop to discover the most important elements of mixing and how you can get a professional sound consistently in your studio.
Mixing Masterclass with Michael Brauer [MixCon 2020]
October 7, 2020
Michael Brauer is an exceptionally influential mixer who has worked with the likes of Coldplay, John Mayer, Grizzly Bear, James Bay, Aerosmith, James Brown, and many more.
Musician's Friend: Mix Engineer Michael Brauer | Brauerizing Through the Decades
December 19, 2019
Michael Brauer has been mixing records for over four decades—winning Grammys for his work with John Mayer, Coldplay, Calle 13, and Angélique Kidjo. He’s most known for his set of multi-bus compression techniques (a.k.a. Brauerizing) to drive more emotion and low-end into a song. We talked with him about how he developed this methodology, the changes he’s seen over his career, and why it is important to always keep evolving.ence's attention...
Un artifice de los sonidos singulares
June 19, 2019
Aretha Franklin, Calle 13, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Pet Shop Boys and Bob Dylan are some of the musicians that Michael Brauer, an eclectic audio engineer, has worked with in a 43 year career. He mixed several of the best records in history; He won seven Grammys, a Latin Grammy, and even created his own successful sound compression and mixing technique.
SonicScoop - The Making of Brauer Motion: How A Master Mixer Reinvented Panning
Talk with Michael Brauer, and its immediately clear why he’s mixing like no one else: He communicates in conversation just as he does with his mixes – authentic, original, expressive.
64 Audio Spotlight - Mixing Engineer Michael Brauer
Vitaliy sat down with Michael Brauer at Electric Lady Studios in New York to talk to Michael about what he thinks about the 64 Audio A12 Custom Earphones and how he uses them in and outside of the studio
The Wizard of Compression
An eight-time Grammy-award winner, engineer Michael Brauer has put his magic mixing touch on albums for Coldplay, John Mayer, and the Dave Matthews Band among many others. He is known for his unique compression technique, often referred to as “Brauerizing.”
KEYS Magazine: Des Kaisers neue Kleider (The Emperor's New Clothes)
Michael H. Brauer is a fascinating personality. On one hand, this man has the ability to immerse himself in a number of musical styles over the years like no other representative in his field, without putting too much of a stamp on songs and mixes. Instead, Chameleon Brauer lets the artists stamp theirs
Audio Foro: De Cerca - Michael Brauer
Michael H Brauer is one of the most popular mixers in the world of audio. His resume pulling back. He has mixed class artists as Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Pet Shop Boys, Coldplay or Dream Theater and many others. He has won four Grammys for albums Coldplay and John Mayer.
Sonic Scoop: Mix With The Masters Announces Michael Brauer
Want to close out 2014 in style? Your ears and eyes will be opened by Michael Brauer. The year’s finale for Mix with the Masters assures it, hosting mixing superstar Michael Brauer from November 9-15th at the residentialStudio La Fabrique in the South of France.
Sonic Scoop: Behind The Release - Grizzly Bear Shields
The sound of Shields is the last thing you’d expect from a collaboration between the abstract indie rockers Grizzly Bear and a mainstream mixer like Michael Brauer. Although he’s not well-known outside of the record industry, Brauer is famous within the studio world for having one of the dozen or so names that seem to appear on every other breakthrough release from the major labels. He’s even become something of a godfather for an entire style of mixing known as the “multi-bus” approach.
Stereogum: Grizzly Bear - “Sleeping Ute”
Behold, the opening track from Grizzly Bear’s full-length followup to Veckatimest. TODAY WE ARE ALL GRIZZLY BEARS. Fun Fact about that new Grizzly Bear press photo above: The fourth younger dude in flannel sort of obscured in the shot above is not Dan Rossen! But don’t worry, “Sleeping Ute” is definitely an electric Dan Rossen song. It’s in 6/8, and showcases DR’s “psychedelic tempest” songwriting side. Grizzly Bear, it should be said, likes to open albums this way.
Interview with Dave Pensado
Mixing Engineer Michael Brauer joins Dave and Herb on the 70th episode of Pensado's Place! Skyping in from Electric Lady Studios, NY (http://www.electricladystudios.com/), Michael talks about his methodology when transitioning from mixing one genre to a drastically different one, along with his approach to starting a mix for a band and what to focus on. Later on Michael joins Dave in the Batter's Box and answer's viewer's questions in this week's Corner Office.
Icons: Michael Brauer — Never Stop Mixing
One of the first places you’ll pass on this classic block is Electric Lady Studios. Inside a spacious haven there, master mixer Michael Brauer makes sense of tracks in much the same way that the streets outside are resolving themselves, bringing a beautiful sense of order to each song he encounters.
Michael H. Brauer Wins Grammy for Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Michael H. Brauer, Joe Ferla, Chad Franscoviak, Manny Marroquin win GRAMMY for Engineered Album, Non-Classical - 53rd GRAMMY
Pensado's Place Show
In the 18th episode of Penado's Place, 4-time GRAMMY winning Mixing Engineer Michael Brauer joins Dave via Skype to give a tour of his studio and outboard gear, as well as talk about his infamous ""Brauerize®"" compression technique in detail! The entire episode is devoted to Michael as he answers viewer questions in ""The Corner Office"" as well as talks his favorite gear in ""The Batter's Box"". You don't want to miss this episode as Michael discusses everything from Coldplay lead vocal tracking to digital plug-ins!
Keyboard Magazine: Michael Brauer - On Playing Your Mixer Like an Instrument
This is the video companion page to Michael Brauer's "Play Your Mixer Like an Instrument" feature in our September 2010 issue. These videos will also appear embedded in the online version of that story when September content goes live. But if you're here now, it's because you already have the magazine, or because you clicked here from our Digital Edition. So enjoy!
Michael Brauer's Multibus-Kompression – Brauerize® – Fünf gewinnt (Recording Magazine)
What do you do if the finished mix seems perfect, but the producer's last-minute correction requests really throw the balance off? And the mix console is already at its limit? New York star mixer Michael H. Brauer also found his back against the wall when Aretha Franklin's producer demanded “more bass, and then even more bass” during a mixing session.
ProSound News: Brauer Creates Dangerous Coldplay Mix
Multi-Grammy Award-winning Brauer mixed the song at his room at Electric Lady Studios in New York using the Dangerous Music Monitor ST-SR surround controller. While the new video debuted at London's Odeon Theater in July, playing before major movie releases, Coldplay released "Strawberry Swing" as a single digitally on September 14. The band is currently on a U.S. tour.
EQ: Throwing Caution to the Wind, My Morning Jacket Indulges in Their Evil Urges
Sound On Sound: Secrets of the Mix Engineers: Michael Brauer
The New York‑based star mixer Michael H Brauer has a reputation for eclecticism, both in the wide variety of artists and genres that he T he New York‑based star mixer Michael H Brauer has a reputation for eclecticism, both in the wide variety of artists and genres that he has worked with, and in his approach to mixing. His credit list is certainly very impressive and exceptionally wide‑ranging, featuring...
The Washington Post: Going Live With My Morning Jacket
The same is true for the live album, which was mixed by Michael Brauer (Bob Dylan, Coldplay) and mastered by legendary engineer Bob Ludwig. As James sees it, there's a common thread.
Vintage King: Producer's Corner
New York-based Mix Engineer Michael Brauer has worked with the who's who of classic rock. While working on records for Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones may be among his career highlights, Brauer isn't stuck in the golden age of rock 'n' roll.
TapeOp: Michael Brauer on Compression
“Our five-hour conversation filled in some important gaps on learning how to use a compressor and introduced me to using compression in ways that [I] never considered.”
Tangled Up in Bob: Live 1975 Is Dylan Concert Masterpiece - from The New York Observer
The more you know about Bob Dylan, the less you know. A truly enigmatic artist, Mr. Dylan’s work and life offer vaporous handholds, explanations and instructions. Attempt to grasp them, and they will only dissipate and re-form into another contexture or idea. When a door opens into his past-a glimpse of the Delvic Hotel in Hibbing, Minn., an old photograph of the songwriter reading the newspaper and drinking tea in a dingy backstage room in Birmingham, England-another door inevitably swings shut.
Brauer, Kahne Transferring McCartney Live Magic to Disc - from Billboard
Pushing the Envelope
New York-based mix master Michael Brauer has amassed an astounding list of credits over the years. Included in Brauer's lengthy discography are The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Luther Vandross, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Michael Jackson, Jeff Buckley, Tony Bennett, Eric Clapton, David Byrne and many more. Brauer is also a consultant for Sony Studios and has recently been doing extensive work on DVD remixing.
From Luther Vandross to Coldplay
Listen to the debut album by Coldplay and you will understand how Michael Brauer captures the essence of an artist's vision. His contributions to the music world include mixes for The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Joan Osborne, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennet, Paula Cole, Jeff Buckley, Eric Clapton, Shawn Colvin, David Byrne, Aretha Franklin and many
Organic Music: Recording Coldplay's Parachutes - from Sound on Sound
'This is fantastic'. They were saying 'Let's try another', and we tried different takes of it, but I knew that take of it was great. And that track was sent off to Michael Brauer to be mixed, just to give him something to do, 'cause he was waiting, 'cause we went a little bit over time. And that mix came back, and when we put it on I was simply blown away by it."
Concert Review - Evelyn Glennie with Michael H. Brauer, QEH, 23 July 2000
The experience was as much visual as it was aural. The QEH stage had been set to resemble a cross between a junk yard and the bridge of a Sci-fi battleship. A mini had been spliced down the middle and placed centre stage, with a vast array of percussion placed around it. Computers and mixing equipment were placed at the rear. Cameras from both wings of the hall projected images of Glennie and her accompanists against the back, whitened wall. The percussion was variously illuminated in shades of green, crimson and purple. It was both stroboscopic and sublime.
Shadow Behind the Iron Sun
Artistic inspiration can be mysterious if not downright baffling. Solo percussionist Evelyn Glennie and producer Michael H. Brauer say her latest album is based on, of all things, a 1976 Michael Crichton novel, Eaters of the Dead. Crichton's tale of 10th century Norse culture as observed by an Arab traveler is intriguing, but the common ground between book and music is far from obvious beyond the track titles and a certain eerie mood.