Back in the studio, Mark deconstructs the “Up in the Clouds” mix and shows how to turn a raw outdoor recording into a polished, balanced production inside Universal Audio’s Luna.
He begins by addressing phase alignment between the two microphones using Sound Radix Auto-Align 2, then dives into EQ cleanup, compression, and reverb design to bring warmth and clarity to Honey and Blue’s performance. Viewers see how Mark uses tools like FabFilter Pro-Q 4, LA-2A compression, UAD Pultec EQs, and Fairchild 660 to preserve the live energy while smoothing out problem frequencies.
From slap delays and plate reverbs to stereo widening with Studio D Chorus, this episode is a deep dive into mixing vocals and acoustic instruments recorded on location. Mark also demonstrates his API 2500 bus compression and Studer A800 tape chain, showing how subtle analog coloration can make a portable session feel like a full studio production.
The result is a fully mixed, release-ready song, proof that great mixes come from great decisions, not great rooms.