Part 1
Since 2014, Ben Abraham has been captivating music enthusiasts with his exceptional talent of immersing listeners in the narratives of his songs and evoking emotion in an undeniable way.
When Ben Abraham wrote and recorded his sophomore LP, Friendly Fire, he and producer James Flannigan turned to Michael Brauer to carry that talent forward sonically.
In this Puremix exclusive, Michael deconstructs his mix of Ben Abraham’s “Friendly Fire” and explains how every move he made was about bringing the intention and emotion of the song to life. The focus is on the story of the song and connecting the listener to the journey that Ben is taking them on, from the first note to the powerful climax of the song.
See how Michael Brauer:
- Listens to the rough mix and explains how he makes a plan to approach the mix from an emotional perspective instead of a technical one
- Explains the importance of connecting with the story of the song as a mixing engineer
- Demonstrates how he created his signature piano sound on Ben’s piano with post-compression eq and carefully placed parallel compression
- Discusses how he constructed the mix around the piano and Ben’s voice after identifying them as the key elements of the song
- Builds the sound of Ben’s vocal by using the tones of multiple parallel compressors
- Goes through each of the vocal effect chains he used to create the ambiance around Ben’s vocal
- Dissects elements of the mix one by one showing the thought process behind each move
- Explains each step of the Stereo bus chain he used to finalize the mix
Learn from Michael Brauer how mixing records involves not only enhancing sonics but also connecting listeners with great storytelling and emotions.
Crane Song Phoenix II
Fab Filter Pro-Q3
Korneff Pawn Shop Comp 2
PSP RetroQ
PSP Twin-L
PSP Vintage Warmer 2
Plugin Alliance bx_console SSL 4000 E
Powers Kazrog
SSL Fusion HF Compressor
SSL Fusion Stereo Image
SSL Fusion Vintage Drive
SSL Fusion Violet EQ
Softube Germanium
Softube TLA-100A
UAD 1176 LN RevE
UAD 1176 Rev A
UAD API Vision Channel
UAD Avalon VX-737sp
UAD Distressor
UAD EQP-1A
UAD Fairchild 660
UAD Fatso jr
UAD Korg SDD-3000
UAD LA-2A Gray
UAD Manley VOXBOX
UAD Neve 1081
UAD SSL G Buss
UAD The Culture Vulture
UAD UA 176
Waves Abbey Road RS124
Waves CLA Epic
Waves Manny Marroquin EQ
Waves Renaissance DeEsser
Ben Abraham is an award-winning L.A.-based singer/songwriter from Melbourne, Australia.
His 2014 self-released debut LP Sirens earned widespread critical praise, leading to a 2016 reissue via indie label Secretly Canadian. Featuring appearances from Sara Bareilles and Gotye, the album was hailed by the New York Times as “a debut of remarkable depth.” While Sirens catalyzed his career as an in-demand songwriter – co-writing tracks like Kesha’s double-platinum, Grammy Award-winning smash hit “Praying.
With his earlier live experience including touring with country legend Emmylou Harris, Abraham recently supported Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winner Ben Platt on his 2019 headline tour – a North American run that followed Abraham’s co-writing several songs on Platt’s debut solo album, Sing to Me Instead.