Mix Nashville: Inside The Mix Panel Series

Speaking at Bringing the Music Back to Music Row were, (L-R): Moderator Tom Kenny, Mix; Danielle Engen, Electric Feel Studios; David Kalmusky, Addiction Sound; David Bates, Curb Studios. Photo: Future/Kevin Craig. Nashville, TN (May 27, 2026)—The Mix Panel Series provides the anchor for all Mix Music Production events, featuring award-winning engineers and producers who graciously share their expertise and experience to the audience.

For the fourth annual Mix Nashville event, held Saturday, May 16 at the top of Music Row, followed by a nighttime Studio Crawl in nearby Berry Hill, we made some changes. While the first three years were focused exclusively on the then-new immersive music formats, this year, we stripped the word “immersive” from the event title. As Ceri Thomas, one of the world’s leading experts on immersive audio, said on a panel at Mix Nashville 2025, “Can we please stop calling it ‘immersive music’ at some point?

It’s all music.’” The time was right. Stereo and immersive music can and will co-exist forever.

And the panels reflected that • Mix Nashville Brings Pro Audio Talent and Tech Back to The Row • Mix Nashville: The People • Don’t Miss Mix Music Production NYC, August 8, 2026! Also, a new panel was added this year: “Breaking In: Launching a Career in Music & Recording,” for students and those looking to enter the industry. It proved to be incredibly popular, and we’ll be having similar panels at all future events.

In the meantime, a big thank you to all the fine talent that came out on a Saturday to lend their expertise and experience to our Mix Nashville audience. Discussing the welcome return of music to Music Row were moderator Tom Kenny, Mix; Danielle Engen, Electric Feel Studios; David Kalmusky, Addiction Sound; David Bates, Curb Studios. Photo: Future/Kevin Craig.

Keynote Conversation: Bringing the Music Back to Music Row The day kicked off with a Keynote Conversation featuring three studio owners/managers who have all made moves along Music Row in the past three years: David Bates, who has been integral in the revamp of Curb 43 and Curb 28 Studios; David Kalmusky, a noted musician, songwriter, producer and engineer who after many years in Berry Hill, relocated his Addiction Sound studio to the Curb 28 facility; and Danielle Engen, representing the fast-moving artist management and production company Electric Feel Entertainment, which opened new studios earlier this year in both Nashville—just two blocks south of Starstruck and RCA Studio A—and Miami. The Keynote Conversation was followed by an expert panel geared toward students and those entering the industry, titled “Breaking In: Launching a Career in the Industry,” featuring, from left: Moderator Karen Dunn; Shannon Saunders, BMI Nashville; Kelly King, East Iris Studios; Rolff Zwiep, Blackbird Studio. Breaking In: Launching a Career in Music & Recording A panel aimed at students and those entering the industry was introduced this year, featuring audio educators Clarke Schleicher, MTSU, and Michael Janas, Belmont University; studio managers Kelly King, East Iris Studios, and Rolff Zwiep, Blackbird Studio; and a man of many talents, Grammy-nominated producer Shannon Saunders, BMI Nashville.

There are a multitude of jobs across the music industry and there are opportunities out there beyond the studio. There is no one-size-fits-all path to a successful career, they all noted. The important point is to get a foot in the door, pay attention and work hard.

; the career will follow. From left: Producer/engineer Jeff Huskins, BMG Studio; producer/engineer Ben Fowler; producer Gabe Simon; mix engineer Alan Litten, Room With a View; and moderator Tom Kenny, Mix. Photo: Future/Kevin Craig.

Monitoring the Mix: Speakers and Headphone, Stereo and Immersive After five-plus years of mixing immersive music, producers and engineers have developed their own workflows regarding monitor control, binaural rendering and target levels. And while four of the five panellists prefer to start a mix on speakers, Alan Litten of Room With a View said without apology that he is “a headphone guy” to start, finding the definition and clarity before playing back on a 7.1.

4 monitor system to check balances in the final mix. All of the panellists said that headphones have become much more a part of their daily life. From left: Moderator Tom Kenny, Mix; producer/engineer Vance Powell, engineer Richard Chycki; engineer Nick Mac, Electric Feel Studios; and engineer Bryce Roberts.

Photo: Future/Kevin Craig. Rethinking Space at the Immersive and Stereo Mix The Mix Panel Series closed the day with a wide-ranging discussion titled “Rethinking Space at the Stereo and Immersive Mix,” featuring the ever-provocative producer/engineer Vance Powell; engineer Richard Chycki, fresh off the Atmos mixes of the Rush catalog; engineer Nick Mac, of Post Malone and Electric Feel fame; and rising star engineer Bryce Roberts, who talked of his expanding use of the stereo space in orchestral and American recordings. They each detailed their own way of using beds and objects, the new and creative uses of multichannel reverbs and effects, and the tendency to pull back from the whiz-bang movements in favor of creating an ideal acoustic space.

From left: Moderator Tom Kenny, Mix; producer/engineer Vance Powell, engineer Richard Chycki; engineer Nick Mac, Electric Feel Studios; engineer Bryce Roberts. Photo: Future/Kevin Craig. Discover more great stories—get a free Mix SmartBrief subscription!