Dana Nielsen - Record Producer, Mixer, Engineer

He didn’t mix the live show.He didn’t hit the record button. But Mix Protégé member Paul Tucci knew something magical happened the night Langhorne Slim played Red Rocks. The band was on fire.The crowd was electric.And Paul eventually got access to the multitracks from that magical night. Langhorne Slim - photo by Cooper Baumgartner So he opened the session and started mixing. And like many live recordings… one thing jumped out immediately. 🎸 The DI Acoustic Guitar Problem The track opens with...

A few days ago, Spotify served me a track that made me stop mid-drive. Beautiful. Mesmerizing. Completely absorbing. And the sickest 5/4 beat! Then it hit me: “Wait… I know this song.” It was Nathaniel Earl’s “happy.” I didn't know it from Spotify. I knew it from our Member Spotlight forum. Back in 2023, Nathaniel shared it as an “almost finished” piece, saying he had: “absolutely no objectivity at this point lol” He asked about low end, clarity, balance — all the usual “is this actually...

When the song “Robot Pizza” appeared in our Member Spotlight forum, I immediately thought... well this is going to be fun! 🤖🍕 Kirk (a children’s book author — which suddenly explains everything) shared his in-progress mix, asking questions I hear all the time: "Is this too loud? Too compressed? Am I smashing this plugin too hard?" At one point he described the mix as feeling “so vulfy!” — worried he’d overused a new plugin, the Vulf Mastering Compressor — which made me laugh… because yeah,...

Hey Reader,! 👋 Quick heads-up on an awesome limited-time freebie from the fine folks at Native Instruments & iZotope: It's a STEAL! Regular price: expensive Even if you already have a hardware meter (I still love my trusty TC Electronic Clarity M), you’ll probably find iZotope Insight 2 incredibly useful. My favorite feature? Offline loudness analysis. I use this all the time—select a mix or master in my DAW, hit Analyze, and poof… you get an accurate, detailed readout of LUFS, True Peak, and...

Hey Reader,! Quick heads up: I’m hosting a free, super-casual Home Studio Q&A this Friday at 11am Pacific, and I’d love for you to join me. No sales pitch. Just a fun hang with a bunch of music-makers. 👉 RSVP Here If we haven’t connected in a while — hi! I’m Dana, a Grammy-nominated mixer/producer who loves helping home-studio musicians level-up. I’ve worked with artists like Bob Dylan, Justin Bieber, and The Avett Brothers, and I get a TON of questions about how to make great-sounding...

Just as I sat down for dinner with my wife and daughter last night, an Instagram notice popped up on my phone: the band Mt. Joy had tagged me in a post. "OMG!" I shouted across the table, startling my family, "The Mt. Joy album just dropped– The one with the song I mixed– In The Middle, featuring Gigi Perez!! And they tagged me in their post!" That's me, @danafrio, right there in the comments 🙋🏻♂️ I was floored. Mt. Joy didn’t just tag everyone—they posted a screenshot of all the credits:...

Hey Reader,, Just wanted to drop in with a few juicy updates — whether you’re a plug-in deal-hunter, curious about compression, or someone who’s been asking for a guided mixing course, there’s something in here for you! 🎥 Prefer video? Dive deeper with the video newsletter here! 🎓 Sneak Peek: Music Mix Lab (Coming Soon!) I’m cooking up something new: a guided mixing program called Music MixLAB for artists who mix their own music or freelance engineers looking to level up. We’ll all mix the...

March 6, 2025 Hey Mix Protégés! This Faders Forever newsletter is packed with gems—from a time-saving Mac utility to deep-dive discussions on compression, limiters, and file delivery workflows. Plus, there’s a new forum section dedicated to the Music Biz & Freelance Life where we’re talking career paths, engineer rates, and how to navigate the industry. Let’s dive in! ⏳ A Mac Utility That Saves Me Gobs of Time Batch-renaming files used to be a tedious chore—until I found A Better Finder...

Faders Forever newsletter Hey Reader,! We’ve got some exciting updates and community highlights to kick off your weekend, including valuable mix feedback, a replay of our recent compression webinar, and the second part of an in-depth interview on vocal production. Let’s dive in! 🌊 👂Compression by Ear: Webinar Replay Now Available! In this 90-minute webinar, I dive deep into the art of setting compressors by ear, focusing on practical techniques that go beyond just the numbers. This session is...