Records that translate everywhere they play.
Remote Mixing & Mastering — Worldwide
It's easy to lose perspective on a record when it's close to being done. I'm Dereck Blackburn and I mix and master music for artists and labels. You get that perspective back, and a record that works for you and for your audience.
When you can't hear your own record anymore.
That's not a character flaw. You've listened to it four hundred times. Somewhere around the two hundred mark you stopped hearing a record and started hearing a list of things you mean to fix.
So you push it out anyway, and it sounds thin next to the songs on the same playlist. Or the low end disappears in the car. Or the vinyl master gets kicked back and the pressing date moves and the whole release slides by weeks or months.
All of that work should not come apart in the middle to last stages.
SELECTED WORK
A cross-section of releases — indie rock, shoegaze, and adjacent sounds, from digital singles to full vinyl LPs.
What You Get Back
Someone you can trust to help make the final decisions
Four things every project delivers, whether it's one single or a full LP.
A record that translates
Earbuds, car speakers, a laptop, a club PA, a turntable. Same record, everywhere it plays.
Ears with no attachment
I am removed from the hours and hours you’ve spent tweaking. Fresh ears let you know whats working, and what needs attention.
A first version in days
3–5 day mixing and mastering turnaround. I work quickly and collaboratively with you and your team.
Every format you need
Streaming, vinyl and cassette pre-masters, DDP with ISRC, stems, and instrumentals ready to ship.
Mixing
Remote mixing for artists and labels who want an outside perspective. My background is deep in indie rock; especially shoegaze, dream pop, and dense atmospheric guitar music - but the approach is always song-first: what does this track need, and what's in its way?
— Fresh ears and a defined point of view
— Revisions are never a problem
— Stems and printed mix delivered ready for master
Mastering
The final shape and weight of your record. Full digital masters optimized for streaming, plus vinyl and cassette pre-masters cut for the format. If you're chasing editorial placement, I know what those masters need to do.
— Apple Digital Masters certified
— Vinyl & cassette pre-masters
— Stem mastering & DDP with CD-Text + ISRC
— Alt masters: clean, instrumental, acapella
For Labels and Managers
Labels lose weeks chasing engineers and fixing masters that get kicked back from the plant. I mix and master full rosters on a set schedule: streaming, vinyl, and cassette.
Your catalog sounds like it came from one mastering house and your release dates stay in place.
Who you're working with
Dereck Blackburn
I know what it's like to sit on a record you're proud of and be afraid to release it. After 25 years, I've watched hundreds of artists hit that exact wall; not because the songs weren't good, but because they'd stopped being able to hear them or get lost in option paralysis.
Mixing, mastering, production - I bring what most projects actually need: experienced ears, honest feedback, and the judgment to know what serves the song. Along the way I've advised audio companies and helped educate the next generation of engineers, but the work always comes back to the same thing: making music that connects you to your audience and beyond.
| Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing
| Former Treasurer, AES Boston
| Co-founder, Audio Builders Workshop
| 5 year GRAMMY U mentor
| Apple Digital Masters Certified
| 3 time nominee for Studio Engineer of the Year - Boston Music Awards and NEMA.
Pricing
Hear it before you decide.
Master
You have a finished mix that needs to translate.
from $135
per song
✓ Streaming-optimized master
✓ 2 revisions as needed
✓ 3–5 day turnaround
✓ Vinyl and Cassette pre-masters
Send me the record first. I'll listen and tell you honestly what it needs - and whether I'm the right person for it. That part costs nothing either way.
Mix + Master
You have a finished production that needs both.
from $600
per song/single
✓ Full mix with revisions
✓ Collaborative process
✓ Stems and printed mix delivered
✓ Streaming-optimized master
The Record
A full EP or LP, sequenced and consistent.
Full-lengths are scoped individually. A record isn't just 6+ singles. Level, tone, and pacing have to hold across the whole thing, and that's worth talking through before I put a number on it.
I take a limited number of recording and production clients every year. Interested in working with me as a Producer or Engineer? Get in touch.
How it works
The three-step record plan.
Simple, remote, and built around your record.
STEP 01
Tell me about the record
Genre, references, timeline, and whether you need a mix, a master, or both. We confirm scope and format before anything starts, so nothing surprises you later.
STEP 02
Send your files
Multitracks for a mix, final mixes for a master. I work remotely with artists and labels worldwide, so location is never a barrier.
STEP 03
Hear it, shape it, release it
You get a first version fast, honest feedback goes both ways, and revisions as needed, delivered in every format your release needs.
What artists say
The work speaks. So do the people behind it.
20+ years working with independent musicians, engineers, and producers across the world.
"He really listened to my ideas and did whatever it took until I was happy with the final product. Notice the depth, clarity, and low-end punchiness in our record."
Phil Golyshko
Sidewave
"Songs simply sound different when they have Dereck's touch. The mastering comes out better than I imagined — and he's considerate, professional, and reliable."
Jo Strogatz
Meira
"Working with Dereck is the best experience I've ever had with an audio engineer. He quickly produced incredible results and gave thoughtful feedback and revisions when asked."
Ryan Breen
Lucy Spacehead · engineer & artist
"Dereck keeps sessions fun yet disciplined, listens deeply to 'vibe'-level feedback, and makes my band feel like his top priority from tracking to final master."
Mary Dumont
Roser
"A rare mix of top-tier quality engineer and openly generous with his time. Feedback is honest, culturally sensitive, and always pushes the music forward."
Kevin Klein
Valleyheart
"He was actively involved in the creative process but never intrusive, which always made the demands of studio tracking much more enjoyable."
Quentin Moyer
True Faith
Tell me about your record
I reply to every message within two business days.
FREE PDF DOWNLOAD
Before you send your record to mastering, read this.
The twelve problems I find most often in mixes that arrive at my studio and how to fix each one yourself, before you spend a dollar on mixing or mastering.
WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO
Most artists spend a year making a record and then release something that sounds small next to the songs they love. It isn't a talent problem; it's that after four hundred listens, nobody can hear their own work anymore.
That's the point where I come in. I mix and master remotely for artists and labels, which means the record gets a set of ears with no attachment to the session and no memory of what it was supposed to be. If you're worried about cost, consider what the master actually is: the cheapest line item in your release budget and the only one that touches every single listen. If you're worried about losing control of your own record, that's the opposite of how I work: my job is to elevate your point of view, not overwrite it. If you're worried about timing, mastering turnaround is 3–5 days. If you've been burned by an engineer who went quiet, you'll hear from me directly, every time.
What you end up with is a record that holds up on earbuds, in a car, on a laptop, and on vinyl; one you can send to your audience, a label, or a playlist editor without feeling like you have to apologize for it first.
| Artist | Services | Genre |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Bear | Mastering | Americana |
| Adam Wolf | Mixing | Americana |
| After Argument | Mastering | Rock |
| Airlift | Mixing, Mastering | Rock |
| Angi Holvig | Mastering | Singer-Songwriter |
| Bikethrasher | Tracking, Mixing, Mastering | Rock |
| Black Hatch | Mastering | Punk |
| Brad Breeck | Production, Mastering | Composer |
| Carsick Cars | Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Chainlacing | Mixing, Production | Dungeon Dream Pop |
| Charming Arson | Production, Mixing | Rock |
| Colours | Mastering | Rock |
| Crablord | Production, Mixing | Punk |
| Crippling Alcoholism | Mastering | Dark Goth |
| Crone Visions | Mastering | Dark Goth |
| Crown of Birches | Mastering | Americana |
| Dalton Moon | Production, Mastering | Rock |
| Daphne Blue Underworld | Production, Mixing, Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Dead to Fall | Recording, Engineering | Metalcore |
| Death by Lions | Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Death Defier | Mastering | Hardcore |
| Death Pesos | Mixing, Mastering | Rock |
| Divi | Production | Singer-Songwriter |
| DKNTL | Mastering | Singer-Songwriter |
| Doom Lagoon | Mixing, Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Duck Island | Mastering | Punk |
| Einstein | Mixing, Mastering | Singer-Songwriter |
| Eliza Howells | Production | Singer-Songwriter |
| Ember Wreath | Production, Mastering | Ambient |
| Emily Edrosa | Production | Indie Rock |
| Emily Quinn | Production, Mixing, Mastering | Singer-Songwriter |
| Eric Gordon | Mastering | Dance |
| Faces in the Fire | Mastering | Metal |
| God Horse Boxer | Production, Mixing | Rock |
| Graveyard of the Atlantic | Tracking, Mixing, Mastering | Rock |
| Hawthorn | Mastering | Singer-Songwriter |
| Hedgehog | Mastering | Punk |
| Holy Gifts | Mastering | Indie Rock |
| House of Hara | Mastering | Americana |
| Husbands | Production, Mixing, Mastering | Slowcore |
| Idle Pilot | Production, Mixing, Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Imogen Heap | Remixing | Singer-Songwriter |
| INSECTA | Mixing | Hardcore |
| Josh Tarp | Mastering | Americana |
| Kamen Ross | Mixing, Mastering | Singer-Songwriter |
| Kiara Oliver | Mastering | Rock |
| KIPSY | Production, Mixing, Mastering | Rock |
| Knife Tricks | Production, Mixing | Rock |
| Kyr Grace | Mastering | Singer-Songwriter |
| Le Couteau | Mixing | Rock |
| Lewis Morris | Mastering | Hip-Hop |
| Lincoln Durham | Production, Mixing | Americana |
| Long Stares | Production, Mixing | Indie Rock |
| Loopy Bang | Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Lost Dog | Production, Mixing, Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Lover of Eve | Mixing, Mastering | Rock |
| Lucy Spacehead | Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Lurid Purple Flowers | Vocal Production | Rock |
| Luxury Deathtrap | Production, Mixing | Rock |
| M7 and the Spring | Mastering | Americana |
| Maddie Lam | Production | Singer-Songwriter |
| Meira (Jo Strogatz) | Mastering | Singer-Songwriter |
| Memory Lame | Production, Mixing | Punk |
| Michael Becze | Mastering | Ambient |
| Mint Green | Production, Mixing, Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Miss Bones | Mixing | Americana |
| mMoron | Production, Mixing, Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Moulettes | Mixing | Indie Rock |
| Mr. Airplane Man | Live Recording | Rock |
| Mr. Twin Sister | Mixing | Indie Rock |
| Nate Meads | Mixing, Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Neverless.am | Production | Rock |
| Plumes | Mastering | Americana |
| Quinn Sullivan | Mastering | Blues |
| Redwood Sleeper | Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Rogozo | Mixing, Mastering | J-Pop |
| Roland High Life | Production, Mixing | Rock |
| RoseR | Production, Mixing, Mastering | Rock |
| Sarah Grella | Production | Singer-Songwriter |
| See You At Rogers | Mastering | Rock |
| Shiner | Mastering | Rock |
| Ship Burial | Production, Mixing, Mastering, Drums | Shoegaze |
| Sidewave | Mixing, Mastering | Space Rock |
| Slim Volume | Mastering | Americana |
| Subsist | Mixing, Mastering | Metalcore |
| The Bell and the Hammer | Mastering | Rock |
| The Doldrums | Mastering | Punk |
| The Gemtones | Mastering | Rock |
| The Only Things | Mastering | Punk |
| The Ransom | Mastering | Indie Rock |
| The Reputation | Digital Transfer, Mastering | Emo |
| The True Faith | Production, Mixing | Dark Goth |
| TIFFY | Recording, Mixing, Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Tunneling | Production, Mixing | Rock |
| Ursonaut | Mastering | Rock |
| Windmills | Production, Mixing, Mastering | Indie Rock |
| Wyn & the White Light | Mastering | Americana |
| Zaid Khan | Mastering | Singer-Songwriter |
| Zoe Firn | Production, Mixing | Singer-Songwriter |
| Quadvium | Mastering | Progressive Rock |