Inside the Studio: Ben Baptie’s Song Production Masterclass
What does it take to take a track from demo to master? Attendees of our recent Song Production Masterclass had the opportunity to find out, working alongside acclaimed mix engineer Ben Baptie across four days of recording, production, mixing and mastering. The masterclass gave attendees the chance to observe the studio workflow up close and learn from Ben’s approach.
Ben Baptie
Ben Baptie
Ben Baptie has defined the sound of many household names, notably producing Rex Orange County’s chart-topping Pony and winning MPG Album of the Year for mixing Little Simz’s critically acclaimed Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.
He began his career assisting renowned mix engineer Tom Elmhirst, working in London and the legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York. After four years with Tom, Ben went freelance and, in his first year, worked with artists such as Mark Ronson, U2, and Lianne La Havas.
In 2016, Ben returned to London and began working primarily out of Strongroom Studio 1, where he mixed records for Lady Gaga, Jamie T, Rex Orange County, Daughter and others.
In 2020, he established his own studio, Piano Sing. The space is centred around a Neve Genesys console and an extensive collection of choice analogue gear. In this time Ben has maintained close relationships with artists such as Little Simz, Radiohead, Michael Kiwanuka, The Strokes, Cleo Sol, Moses Sumney, Young Fathers, Sault, Lily Allen, Chronixx, Beabadoobee and many more.
Demo to Final Master
Anouska Sokolow from Honey Glaze
The first day began with Ben and the band, Honey Glaze, listening to the original demo and discussing its direction. With the foundations in place, the group learned about microphone selection and placement before moving into drum and bass tracking. They used a vocal guide track to establish the song’s structure.
On day two, the focus shifted to guitar and vocal tracking, alongside overdubs and effects processing. Attendees also explored comping, selecting and combining the strongest performances, as the track began to take shape ahead of the mix.
Conor Dalton
The third day was dedicated to mix preparation and mixing. In the mix, Ben worked to bring together the performances and honour the production choices made throughout the sessions. On the final day, the mixing continued before attention turned to preparing the track for mastering. Then, to close the masterclass, mastering engineer Conor Dalton mastered the track.
Inside the Sessions
Explore the photo gallery below for a closer look at the masterclass. Want to join us for the next Song Production Masterclass? Find out more here about upcoming sessions and get the chance to learn from industry professionals like Ben Baptie.
