Childish Gambino - "Sober"

In Part 2, Andrew Dawson explores the pivotal switch-up in “Sober”, a moment that transforms the mix from atmospheric soul to distorted intensity. He explains how he handled missing files and two-track stems, using creative EQ, compression, and limiting to preserve impact while making the transition seamless.

Andrew walks through how he used low-end control, ML multiband compression, and parallel processing to maintain energy across drastically different sections. He also reveals his strategies for using reverb tails, automation, and master bus shaping to connect contrasting parts of the song into a cohesive whole.

The result is a mix that feels cinematic: moving effortlessly between dry intimacy, lush ambience, and aggressive, high-energy distortion. This episode highlights the art of dynamic mixing and arrangement flow, offering practical lessons for engineers mixing genre-blending productions in Pro Tools or hybrid setups.