Mix It Like A Record by Charles Dye is a combination DVD movie and Pro Tools sessions. By combining session files and a movie about the mixing process Charles has created an incredible resource for musicians and engineers.

This wealth of material plays like a series of private mix sessions with Charles who has the ability to explain the complexities of the mixing process in every day language non-engineers can comprehend. The concepts and techniques are not simplistic and are valuable to experienced engineers as well as home studio musicians. He takes a very musical approach to the process using all the tools available in Pro Tools and associated plug-ins.

The detailed information on the use of plug-ins and automation are worth the price of admission alone. Listening to the tracks while watching Pro Tools automation as utilized and explained by Charles was very enlightening, akin to listening to a movie director while watching a film.

I am especially enthusiastic about this educational package because Charles Dye covers his philosophy behind the musical decisions he makes in creating a mix. He then describes in detail what he will do, how he will do it and then demonstrates the results with enlightening audio and visuals.

There is so much information in Mix It Like A Record that an accompanying book or outline would be valuable.  If not, take lots of notes….I did!

- Gary Lindsay, Director Studio/Jazz Writing, University of Miami; Composer/Arranger (Christina Aguilera, Gloria Estefan, Maynard Ferguson, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Jose Feliciano, Dave Gusin)

I recommend Mix It Like A Record to any student interested in learning audio engineering and music production. It is the most comprehensive and effective video presentation I have seen on the subject of mixing.

- Michael Zager, Producer / Composer / Arranger, Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar in Performing Arts, and Professor of Music at Florida Atlantic University.

Charles Dye has been a major mentor and role model in my career and many other audio professionals around the world. He showed us that it was really possible to create huge, major label  mixes 100% in Pro Tools without any other outboard gear! This was a major turning point in my life as a producer and audio engineer.

Mix It Like A Record is a very welcome one of a kind product. All of my students are very hungry for this information and Charles delivers the goods with a huge wealth of knowledge and experience. Not only is Charles an award winning producer and mix engineer, he is a great teacher! He conveys and imparts a depth and wisdom infused with enthusiastic passion. Listening to big major label mixes can often sound very illusive, mysterious and intimidating. But Charles breaks the whole process down step by step and shows you how you can do it yourself by practicing with the included Pro Tools sessions.

The production quality of the video is excellent. It's like an MTV video.  Our students find the DVD very engaging, exciting and inspirational. We have been patiently waiting for the release of Mix It Like A Record and the finished product exceeds our highest expectations.

The type of information in Mix It Like A Record was previously available only to people that were fortunate enough to receive an intern or apprenticeship position with a master craftsman at major a recording studio. It would literally take YEARS for a student to acquire this much information on their own through trial and error in their own home studios trying to re-invent the wheel. Mix It Like A Record is like having a private lesson with a Master Artist. And the included Pro Tools sessions give the student the opportunity to study the art and pull the mix apart "brush stroke by brush stroke". This DVD is filled with countless "industry secrets" that will provide career altering quantum leap revelations for many students.

Many award winning engineers are reluctant to disclose their personal mix techniques and secret "tips and tricks". After all, these techniques took years to develop  and  are valuable assets in their livelihood. But Charles Dye spills the beans and gives full disclosure and valuable insights. A lot of people will be surprised how much information Mr. Dye has been willing to share!

In this digital era many young, up and coming engineers and producers never had the opportunity to work with or listen to analog gear. They have only seen tape machines and tube compressors in books and magazines.

Charles Dye is uniquely qualified to discuss the evolution of analog gear into current digital technology. The DVD does a great job explaining the history of recording engineering and clearly shows how the equipment has evolved and changed over the course of tube gear, solid state and digital. And Charles demonstrates practical techniques on how you can milk the most analog sounding mixes from Pro Tools using a wide assortment of his favorite plug-ins. Just checking out his plug-in arsenal is worth the price of admission.

What does it take to create a huge sounding world-class mix?

It starts with having great sounding tracks. Many students don’t have the opportunity to get their hands on really well recorded tracks so their mixing efforts are frustrating at best. Mix It Like a Record provides top notch Pro Tools files for students to really get first hand experience working with a professional band. Just having access to this quality of raw tracks can make a big difference.

For Advanced Mixers:

It is always helpful to check out how other engineers work, but audio professionals spend most of their time isolated in their control rooms! Mix It Like A Record is the opportunity to directly observe how one of your colleagues works and thinks. We can always learn something from watching others. Seasoned audio professionals who want to learn new techniques that could help bring their mixes to another level will find this DVD a rich source of practical information.

Major label mixers like Charles Dye get thousands of dollars to mix one song. $149 is a steal for this level of information.

I can imagine how helpful it would have been to have this DVD in my formative years!

I consider it required viewing for all of my students.

I tell all of my students and friends that Mix It Like A Record is a must buy!

And I can’t wait for Volume II !

- Bruce Tambling, Engineer/Producer/Composer (Motown, Sony, BMG, Atlantic, Warners, CNN, HBO, Apple, BMW) is a leading pro audio educator as founder of Future Rhythm one of the first Digidesign Pro Schools in the U.S.A..