Dangerous Music has published an Audio Mixing Tips video with Luca Pretolesi on how to set up and mix into a stereo buss EQ and compressor.
Audio Engineer Luca Pretolesi has spent 20 years producing, mixing and mastering electronic dance music tracks and shares some audio mixing secrets in this short video, shot at Studio DMI in Las Vegas. For mixing and mastering Luca reaches for the Dangerous BAX EQ and Compressor, but these tips apply to any stereo buss mixing setup. He also shows how to use the Dangerous 2-BUS+ summing mixer’s External Insert function to quickly engage and bypass multiple pieces of outboard simultaneously, for honest A/B comparisons.
Luca has a “gentle approach with the compression and a little bit heavier approach for the EQ—based on the material” he’s going to mix. He starts this way as a “first phase of the mix by working on the stereo buss.” Whether “it needs a little bit of help on the low end, or a little bit of ‘air’ on the top end.” He then “makes all his mixing decisions” after that, and checks his EQ and compression again at the end of the mix.
Engineer Luca Pretolesi, of Studio DMI in Las Vegas, uses his musicianship for mixing and mastering. Taking tracks to an entirely new level. His approach is artistic, bringing a fresh perspective to songs and releasing the emotion that can be buried beneath unpolished sounds. He is able to enhance the music and create a masterpiece beyond the original vision of the artist/producer. Hailing from Italy where the genre was born, dance music is second nature to him. At 16 years old he was in school learning to perfect his craft as electronic music was gaining mainstream popularity, Luca has now perfected the art of mixing and mastering electronic music with over 25 years experience.
He has created a collection of equipment including computer plugins, and custom made hardware, EQ’s and compressors, and high end mastering gear. This combination of analog and digital allows him to add his touch to any project of any style as he has the best of both technological worlds at his fingertips. Pretolesi devotes all of his energy to mixing and mastering the final product – not the creation of the rough draft. Comparable to viewing a local channel vs. high-definition, he creates sounds that you can see, and takes one-dimensional tracks and gives them depth and separation, and turns music into an ‘iMax movie’ experience.
After mixing a track for an artist on Dim Mak Records, Steve Aoki picked up the polished delivery of the track. Aoki then hired Pretolesi to mix/master his entire album ‘Wonderland’ – a project that lead to a Grammy nod for Pretolesi and opened the door to work for the biggest names in Dance Music. Recent clients include Diplo, along with side projects Major Lazer and Jack U; Borgeous, Lil Jon, Pegboard Nerds, Gareth Emery, and Snoop Lion’s “Reincarnated” album which also went on to receive a Grammy nomination. Pretolesi has also worked with TJR, Cedric Gervais, Borgore, Morgan Page, 2 Chainz, and KSHMR, just to name a few to complete their works.
More information: Dangerous Music / Studio DMI
