Mixed with MEGA
Dirk Ulrich mixes 'Locked Together' by the funk/soul Band 'Phat Hat' from Louisiana. Written and produced by Rick Naqvi, John Bastianelli and Amos Singleton.
The Song
About Dirk Ulrich (Mix & Mastering)
Dirk Ulrich was born in Cologne, Germany, in 1971. He is the owner of Brainworx (Germany) and Plugin Alliance (California).
Since 2016 Dirk lives in the USA. Currently he and his family live in Florida, where he runs a great sounding studio for testing and product development, as well as the occasional mastering job.
About Phat Hat (Band)
PHAT HAT is a funk/soul band from Baton Rouge, LA, and features two members of the PreSonus management team (Rick Naqvi and John Bastianelli).
The Session
John told me that Phat Hat had just recorded a song with a real gospel choir and they were looking for a very classic vintage mix on an SSL desk. I proposed to use the new (at that time) Brainworx bx_console SSL 4000 E TMT console emulation and a VERY limited number of additional plugins, to simulate an old-school analog studio setup. Just ONE reverb for the whole session, a few extra compressors, followed by a nice modern master-buss chain. As (almost) always I am mixing straight into my mastering chain (bx_masterdesk & DSM V3) and my beloved Metric AB plugin.
This is probably the most simple plugin setup I have ever used (think “reduce to the max”), but I absolutely love how real the whole band sounds with their Hammond B3, Wurlitzer, horn section, and – of course – the amazing vocals of lead singer Wendell Woods and the gospel choir!
The song came out great and the band loves the mix. So much that I was asked to mix more songs for their upcoming album.