Tom Elmhirst

How did you first get into audio engineering and mixing, and what made you realize this could become your career?

My Mum taught music and although I learnt many instruments growing up I showed very little aptitude. When some friends started making music on an Otari with cubase and Akai s950 in the late 1980s I was hooked. The computer allowed the manipulation of music that wasn’t exclusive to being the performer... those friends got a deal and I knew around then I wasn't going to be the artist so next stop was to get into a studio.

Having written a bunch of hand written letters to various London studios I was quite lucky that Lola offered me a job at SARM west and then spent 6 years there doing an apprenticeship. After a couple years of doing general assistant work i got the opportunity to assist on studio owner Trevor Horns sessions and ended up working closely with Stephen Fitzmaurice who engineered and mixed for TCH then, Those 2 years with Trevor opened my eyes wide.. two days into a mix and I'd be thinking we are nearly there..couple of weeks later we're recutting drums!

It was brutally long hours. A bar edit back then was a 5 hour job offsetting. NO shuffle. Lots of sink or swim moments that help thicken the skin. In the time from starting at SARM to leaving and going freelance, sessions had gone from being almost exclusively on 2" analogue to digital tape and then onto the beginning of mac based systems. I don't think I ever thought this could become a career but I got to watch engineers and producers from all over the world and found myself gravitating to mixing.

I’d spent months assisting on long album projects and while that experience was character building I found the mixing part the most exciting to witness. It was the final statement of the artist. Job security in the music business for a mix engineer is not a thing. It’s all about what you did last and that's healthy. Having said that if you can keep working over a couple of decades and have some successes along the way all that experience translates naturally into a career.

How would you describe your production/mixing style today and how has it evolved since you started?

Each project requires its own mixing style so being somewhat chameleon like is helpful! When I started mixing I really had no clue what it felt like to just balance a song. It took me a few years to get to a place where what was coming out of the speakers was listenable. You just have to go through that time and accept the curve is long and slow. Making mistakes is part of it... I would be mixing a song for 5 hours without the vocal in and then wondering why the balance isn't working. Those early years getting your skills sharp were more about avoiding catastrophes than anything else, and learning fast and trying to find clients who would pay me. It’s really tough at the beginning.

The biggest change was that after x years I could analyse a song and have the ability to think where it could go and how to do it... also as you get quicker you don't get as tired, which just makes for better all round decision making. A mix that took me a day and a half when I started mixing could be reached in a few hours now. That's just experience and knowing when to leave things alone. Ultimately your job as a mixer is to compliment the artist/producer's vision. That can look and play out very differently project to project - it doesn't click every time but that's what keeps you doing it 30 years later.

The music industry is continually evolving, how do you navigate the changes whilst keeping the soul of the music intact?

There are a few constants which haven't changed at all. Good songs and artists who connect and find audiences. The industry has been forced to adapt either through its own complacency ,or having technology dictate where to go next. Vinyl/cassette to CDs to streaming. I would argue the mp3 is as big a moment in the audio world as the arrival of stereo. The craft of songwriting/production did not change in that moment, only the medium of presentation. Ease and functionality beat out audio quality initially.... Late 70' class A technology was and still is to me far superior in a pure audio quality debate but having 1000’s of songs on a mp3 player or being able to manipulate digital sound files in Pro Tools has so many practical advantages that the quality argument is lost to convenience.

You've worked in London (UK), New York and now Dublin - do you have a favorite city to work in?

No favourite as such... For 20 years i worked on a large Neve analogue console that needed constant maintenance so I worked out of commercial studios that could offer that. As a mixer you are totally dependent on knowing the room your working in… So i spent roughly 10 years in studio C at Metropolis and then about the same amount of time in studio C at Electric lady. Mixing out of the same room for years builds sonic consistency and helps alleviate the paranoia of working in new spaces and just trying to figure out what your hearing. There’s no doubt that location influences your work. Being in Manhattan for the time i was there was hugely inspiring. In the same breath, living by the sea outside of Dublin fits well for now.

With so much music being made remotely, how has file sharing and digital collaboration changed your workflow?

Projects just tend to last longer now as revisions and new parts are added to mixes right up to the finishing line. When I was mixing on an analogue console a mix would be sent out most days, or artists would be physically present to get a mix done. Now if I'm in the box I can have the whole album in a virtual mix mode until it goes to mastering. It's less about trying to finish a mix in one sitting and more about bringing the 10 songs to boil at once. A recent album project with Sienna Spiro was finished like this, as the producer was in LA and with the time difference to Ireland it made for some late nights on my end. 

Do you think better file management can lead to better music? Why or why not?

I don’t see the connection... some of the best projects I've been involved with had the most chaotic file management issues, but I would argue better file management can lead to better mixes... You need to start a mix with some structure in place and obviously naming your files and keeping track of files is pretty key to getting the work done.

How does quick, secure file sharing impact the creative flow of a project?

I think it makes a huge difference. Whether your sending mixes or multi-tracks, digital platforms have made it pretty straightforward to manage a project.

If you could take away one routine audio-engineering job – what would it be?

Printing stems after the mix is done isn't usually the highlight of my day!!

You won six trophies at the 2017 Grammy Awards, setting the record for the most Grammy's won by an engineer or mixer in one night. An incredible achievement. That must have been an amazing highlight in your career?

It was quite a shock. I wasn't actually in attendance as I was waiting for a green card in Ottowa with my son. 2016 was pretty intense in juggling projects and life...

Regardless of any politics involved with the Grammys as an organisation, they are still voted for by your peers and that recognition translates into work offers and other opportunities. 

For people trying to break into engineering or production today, do you have any advice? What skills do you think matter most? 

Get the basic stuff right first… Good hygiene, manners and some worldview other than from an Instagram reel is desirable. Have some in depth knowledge from music listening... in all genres.

I rarely talk gear with artists so having the requisite language skills to either translate an artists vision or explain the choices you're making is essential. At the beginning there is a lot of saying little and just observing. If you are going to critique something always offer a solution - it's easy to pick out issues you might have with a mix or a recording but not offering a way out isn't super helpful.

If I was starting out now to becoming an engineer I would get useful on Pro Tools... its still the main DAW of studios and mixers. Ableton, Logic etc are all valid to know but being competent and quick on Tools can get you work on its own. Be strategic also. Find out who was involved in your favourite records and look at how they got to where they are. Approach them and ask questions.

It’s no doubt tougher out there as there are way less commercial studios running that offer traditional assistant roles than 20 years ago and the competition for those places is crazy high. A certain amount of exploitation is standard in this industry at the beginning. Get used to it! How much you are willing to stomach early on can pay huge dividends down the line.

Are there any plug-ins that you can't live without, or that you would recommend people try?

Not especially...we all find the tools that work for us ultimately. I have thousands of plug ins because I am constantly buying new ones just to be able to play sessions back. Notable favourites over the years include all the UAD stuff, LoFi, Vintage warmer, sketch cassette, OTT, J37, CE-1. Anything by Eventide. Love the H3000 factory banks.

You’ve worked with so many prominent artists, but can you give us one that you would love to produce or mix (living or dead)?

I'd love to mix a Barbra Streisand record.

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