Music Production and Mixing Tips Podcast for DIY Producers and Artists | Inside The Mix

• #220: The One Thing We’ll Do Differently in 2026 (and Why It Matters)

  Stop counting playlist streams and start building momentum where it matters. Marc Matthews and Tim Benson unpack a year of wins and lessons that took monthly listeners from modest to meaningful, and the theme is simple. When you optimise for saves, repeats and fast post-release engagement, Spotify’s algorithm does the heavy lifting. That means Radio, Discover Weekly, and personalised mixes begin to surface your music beyond your immediate circle—and the compounding effect beats a single playlist spike every time.We share the unglamorous work that unlocks creativity at speed: DAW templates, organised drum kits, and a handful of trusted synth presets that act as launchpads instead of cages. There’s a balance to strike between efficiency and originality, so we talk about stepping away when tweaks turn into time sinks, coming back with fresh ears, and capturing the patches worth saving. We also get candid about release cadence and genre clarity. Keeping one artist profile sonically consistent helps Spotify place you next to the right peers; if you love variety, set up separate profiles so each lane feels coherent.Collaboration sits at the heart of our 2026 plan. We’re reaching out to local vocalists to bring songs to life and share with audiences in a way that attracts editorial and radio attention. On the business side, we dig into the small but real revenue streams that stack: PRS, PPL, publishing admin via Songtrust or Sentric, DistroKid splits, and even modest YouTube monetisation. Add in smart seeding through SubmitHub and user curators to spark early signals, and you have a repeatable system that turns good music into sustainable growth.Links mentioned in this episode:Got a win from 2025 or a goal for 2026? We want to hear it, and we’re featuring listener wins on an upcoming show.Send me a message Support the showWays to connect with Marc: Listener Feedback Survey - tell me what YOU want in 2026 Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips Book your FREE Music Breakthrough Strategy Call Follow Marc's Socials: Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering Thanks for listening!! Try Riverside for FREE

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• #219: How Wave Observer Reveals What Softube Saturation Knob Really Does

  Ever twist a saturation knob and wonder if you’re hearing compression, distortion, or something in between? In this episode of Inside The Mix, Marc Matthews puts that question to the test with a clean, scientific setup, a 440 Hz sine wave, the Softube Saturation Knob, and Wave Observer, a free oscilloscope plugin by Press Play.By placing Wave Observer last in the signal chain, Marc visually shows how your waveform changes as you dial in saturation, how rounded peaks flatten, harmonics stack up, and a pure sine wave slowly edges toward a square. No more guessing, no more placebo, just a clear visual of how your favourite plugins reshape the sound.Marc explains why visual feedback matters when subtle processing tricks your ears, and walks you through a simple DIY method you can try in any DAW. You’ll see exactly what happens around -12 dBFS, where soft saturation tightens dynamics long before the audible grit appears.This quick session helps you connect what you hear to what you see — so you can mix faster, gain stage with intention, and start trusting your ears with confidence.Takeaways:How to use Wave Observer for real-time saturation analysisWhat clipping actually looks likeA repeatable workflow for plugin testing and calibrationIf you’re ready to stop mixing blind and start seeing your decisions pay off, on meters, waveforms, and final masters — this one’s for you.Subscribe, share the episode with a producer friend, and drop Marc a note with the next plugin you want analysed. Your suggestion might feature in a future episode of Inside The Mix.Links mentioned in this episode:Press Play Wave ObserverFREE Plugin To See Inside Your Mixes - Press Play Wave ObserverSend me a message Support the showWays to connect with Marc: Listener Feedback Survey - tell me what YOU want in 2026 Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips Book your FREE Music Breakthrough Strategy Call Follow Marc's Socials: Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering Thanks for listening!! Try Riverside for FREE

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• #218: What Would A Better Music Production Podcast Look Like To You?

  Tired of guessing what kind of podcast content actually helps you make better music and grow as a producer or artist? In this special listener-driven episode of Inside The Mix, host Marc Matthews flips the script — and puts you in charge of shaping the show’s next chapter.Marc is designing the 2026 Inside The Mix editorial calendar, and your feedback will decide what the podcast covers next: from mixing workflows, DAW productivity systems, and plugin deep dives, to music marketing strategies that build real fans.It takes just two minutes to complete the survey (link below), where you can:Vote on future episode formats (10–15 minute tutorials or long-form interviews)Suggest guests, tools, and production topics you want exploredShare your biggest music win of 2025 for a chance to be featured in Episode 227 on December 30thWhether you just finished your debut EP, mastered vocal clarity, booked your first client, or built a consistent content routine, your milestones matter. These wins are proof that focused workflows, smarter systems, and creative consistency beat guesswork every time.Tap the survey link and share your 2025 win by November 29th!Inside The Mix helps independent producers finish faster, sound pro, and build real fans.Send me a message Support the showWays to connect with Marc: Listener Feedback Survey - tell me what YOU want in 2026 Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips Book your FREE Music Breakthrough Strategy Call Follow Marc's Socials: Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering Thanks for listening!! Try Riverside for FREE

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• #217: How to Use Reference Tracks to Finish Songs FASTER

  Staring at a blank DAW is exhausting; staring at a mapped-out arrangement from a reference track is energising. Marc walks through a clear, repeatable reference track arrangement blueprint workflow that turns a single reference track into a full song structure, so you can stop looping and start finishing. From matching tempo and key to placing eight-bar markers, Marc shows how to label intros, verses, breakdowns, builds, and drops, then use that structure to guide creative choices without feeling boxed in.Marc digs into why intelligent imitation is a craft skill, not a shortcut. By reverse-engineering the reference track structural DNA, you can learn pacing, contrast, and energy flow faster than via trial and error. He goes beyond markers to analyse macro dynamics, tonal balance, and how loudness shapes a listener’s journey. You’ll discover where spectrum shifts create space for vocals or bass, and how micro-changes sustain attention across long sections. With stem splitting from the reference, you learn drums, bass, and instruments in isolation and translate their function into your own sound.The practical steps are simple: import your reference track, set BPM/key, add a one-bar buffer for alignment, then mark changes every eight bars. Use those signposts to automate builds, design drops, and maintain forward momentum. As your track evolves, reduce reliance on the reference and treat it as a launch pad, not a cage.Marc closes with a challenge: pick a song that grabbed your ear, map its structure today, build your arrangement, and send him a work-in-progress. If this approach helps you move faster and think clearly, subscribe, share with someone stuck in loop-land, and leave a quick review to help more producers find the show.Links mentioned in this episode:Listen to DarklightHow to Make Progressive House from Start to Finish | SpliceSend me a message Support the showWays to connect with Marc: Listener Feedback Survey - tell me what YOU want in 2026 Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips Book your FREE Music Breakthrough Strategy Call Follow Marc's Socials: Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering Thanks for listening!! Try Riverside for FREE

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• #216: I Tried Top-Down Mixing — Here’s What Actually Happened

  What if a better‑translating mix starts before you touch a single channel plugin? I put top‑down mixing under the microscope and share a candid, first‑hand evaluation: what worked, what didn’t, and how a few smart moves on the mix bus reshaped the entire project in less time and with fewer plugins. Rather than a tutorial, this is a field report packed with practical takeaways you can try on your next session.I begin by setting a clear vision using references—one in the same key for tonal and energy alignment—and a bounced static mix for instant AB checks. From there, we build a lean, disciplined master bus chain: gentle resonance control, broad‑stroke EQ shelves, an SSL‑style bus compressor, and subtle tape saturation. Those small, wide moves made a big difference early, tightening low‑end focus and smoothing top‑end glare while preserving macro and microdynamics. With the canvas set, we move through subgroups—kick and bass, drums, synths, vocals, FX—pushing fixes upstream and only dropping to track level for surgical EQ where it truly matters.Not everything got faster. Saving time on tone and dynamics meant time‑based effects arrived later, and finding the right reverb balance took more iteration than usual—proof that arrangement and spatial design can complicate a top‑down flow. Still, automation needs dropped thanks to better macro balance, CPU use fell with fewer chains, and translation improved across volumes. You’ll hear why starting at the mix bus can prevent “getting stuck in the weeds,” how to pick effective reference tracks, and when to abandon restraint for a precise channel tweak.Suppose you’re curious about master bus processing, top‑down mixing, and faster decision‑making without sacrificing quality. In that case, this session offers a straight‑talk guide to trying it responsibly on your own productions before rolling it out for clients. Listen, steal the framework, then run your own experiment—and tell me what you discover. Links mentioned in this episode:Listen to Narcissist THE UNSEEN DANGERS OF TOP-DOWN MIXINGWhere Top-Down Goes WRONGTOP DOWN MIXING - the SECRET SAUCEWhy Top-Down Mixing is the GOATTop-Down Mixing: The Secret To Better FASTER Mixes?Send me a message Support the showWays to connect with Marc: Listener Feedback Survey - tell me what YOU want in 2026 Radio-ready mixes start here - get the FREE weekly tips Book your FREE Music Breakthrough Strategy Call Follow Marc's Socials: Instagram | YouTube | Synth Music Mastering Thanks for listening!! Try Riverside for FREE

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