Present Day Production  & Stefano Civetta: The Real Secret To Getting A Great Mix (and it’s not your monitors)

Join Present Day Production co-host and mastering engineer Mark Ashfield, and chief engineer of School Farm Studios Stefano Civetta as they present ‘The Real Secret To Getting A Great Mix’. Between them they have over 45 years experience in the pro audio industry, and Stefano engineered at Abbey Road for six years prior to moving to the glorious Essex countryside to set up School Farm Studios with Audio Network co-founder Andrew Sunnucks in 2020.

Mark has mastered thousands of tracks from independent artists, home producers and major labels alike, and constantly sees repeating patterns with the quality of mixes submitted. Amateur productions often need remixing, while label work from engineers such as Stefano usually requires very little work at all. So, what’s the real secret to a great mix? Find out in this discussion, with plenty of opportunity for Q&A at the end. The discussion will also be supported with a YouTube video released on the day, where Stefano and Mark take you through an in-the-box mix. You’ll be able to download the multitracks for free to experiment with, and gain a better understanding of their approach.

Tony Faulkner

One of the world’s leading engineers specialising in classical music, Tony Faulkner has recorded thousands of albums in a career spanning five decades. He has worked with Rode to create the highly regarded TF5 microphone, and even has a stereo array named after him. In a world where many people look to use plug-ins and post-production tools to manufacture a ‘good’ sound after the fact, Tony is a firm believer in getting things right at source — a philosophy that shines through in the all-analogue, straight-to-stereo productions he’s recently been making for turntable specialists SME. We are delighted that Tony will be joining Sound On Sound Editor Sam Inglis to talk about the science and the art of music recording.

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Atmos (But Were Afraid To Ask)

Immersive audio is here to stay, with record labels now routinely demanding Atmos mixes and streaming platforms prioritising releases that exploit the technology. Is this an opportunity that all artists, producers and engineers should be taking? How do you navigate the confusing world of different release and delivery formats? How can music of different genres be made to work equally effectively in three dimensions? Are there cost-effective ways to get started in Atmos production and mixing? And what does the future hold for spatial audio? Join Sound On Sound Editor Sam Inglis and leading Atmos specialists Penny Eau, Emre Ramazanoglu and Stan Kybert as they answer these questions and more.

Mixbus Live! With Kevin Paul

Once again, we’re thrilled to host Kevin Paul as he brings his Mixbus podcast to the Gearfest stage. Kevin is a producer, mix engineer and audio educator who’s worked with artists including David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Goldfrapp. His guests for this special Gearfest edition of the podcast will be:

Shelby Logan Warne

Shelby is a London-based multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, studio engineer, producer and the frontwoman of the progressive rock and synth-pop band Kyros. She is also the co-owner and managing director of Sensible Music, a premium multi-studio complex in King’s Cross. She was nominated for Breakthrough Producer of the Year, Breakthrough Engineer of the Year and Self Producing Artist of the Year at the 2025 Music Producers Guild Awards.

Julian Kindred

Julian Kindred is a Canadian musician, producer, engineer and Grammy Award winner whose recording career began in the iconic studios of Nashville's Music Row. After moving to London in 2002, he set up his own Nonsuch Park Studio where he works with established and developing artists. His credits include Ellie Goulding, Aimee Mann, Hammock, Nao, The Magic Numbers, Max Cooper, Avicii, BT, and legends such as Little Richard and Steve Winwood.

Tim Bran

Tim co-produced London Grammar’s debut album If You Wait with his production partner Roy Kerr, as MyRiot, and has worked with artists such as Birdy, Paul McCartney, Rae Morris, La Roux, KT Tunstall, Halsey, The Verve, Imelda May and Primal Scream. Recently his work includes Haevn, Abby Sage, Axel Flovent and Wild Rivers.

Danton Supple

Danton is a London-based producer and mixer with almost 40 years’ experience, including work on three Grammy winning and five Grammy nominated projects. Credits include Amy MacDonald, Soulsavers, Coldplay, Ian Brown, Morrissey, Oceansize, Starsailor, Lucie Silvas, The Devlins, Kylie Minogue, Patti Smith, Electric Soft Parade and The Doves.