WCA #602 with Luke Burgoyne – Seven Years Assisting a Top UK Mixer, Mix Prep, and Going Solo in London

For episode 602, Matt talks with London mix engineer Luke Burgoyne, who joins from his room at Pony Studios in East London. Luke grew up in Winchester with two violinist parents, fell for the studio side of music at sixteen, and studied performance and recording at the University of West London before spending the last seven years assisting one of the UK's busiest mixers, Dan Grech-Marguerat (Lana Del Rey, The Killers, Liam Gallagher, George Ezra). Now he's transitioning into his own career as a mixer and producer. They get into the realities of high-level mix prep, what seven years of assisting actually teaches you, why UK managers tend to bring in work in a way American managers often don't, sharing expensive London rooms, his skeptical take on Atmos, and the differences between the UK and US recording ecosystems.In This Episode, We Discuss:Growing Up in Winchester With Two Violinist ParentsFrom the Beatles and Guitar to the Pull of the StudioWhy It Was Always About the Music, Not the TechnologyStudying Performance and Recording at the University of West LondonRealizing He'd Rather Record Great Players Than Compete With ThemCold-Emailing Abbey Road, RAK, and Getting No RepliesLanding the Assistant Job With Dan Grech-Marguerat (on the Second Try)Seven Years Assisting One of the UK's Busiest MixersThe Soft Skills: Managing Clients, Files, and Spinning PlatesMixing in the Box: Pro Tools, Recall, and Multiple MachinesDeep Mix Prep: Rebuilding Logic and Ableton Sessions in Pro ToolsLearning a Mixer's Quirks So They Never Leave the Creative SpaceTransitioning From Assistant to Mixer and ProducerGetting Management and Why UK Managers Bring in WorkHow UK and US Managers DifferBuilding a Network While Assisting Five or Six Days a WeekStudio Identity: Staff Engineer vs. Independent FreelancerThe London Studio Ecosystem: Abbey Road, AIR, RAK, and MetropolisRenting a Room at Pony Studios and Sharing Space in Expensive LondonNeumanns, Genelec 1031s, and Working on HeadphonesHis Take on Atmos: Right for "Dark Side of the Moon," Wrong for AC/DCCamaraderie Over Competition in LondonMatt's RANT!: Technology PricesLinks and Show Notes:Luke BurgoyneDan Grech-MargueratWCA #600 with Andrew SchepsWCA #102 with Frank McDonoughCredits:Guest: Luke BurgoyneHost/Engineer/Producer: Matt BoudreauWCA Theme Music: Cliff TruesdellThe Voice: Chuck Smith