Recording and mixing
Recording and mixing have become some of my favorite ways to collaborate with artists and help shape their creative vision. I've worked on projects ranging from my own metalcore band to independent artists across multiple genres, including musicians from both my local community and across the country.
Every project presents a unique challenge, and I enjoy finding the right balance between technical precision and creative expression to deliver a mix that serves the music. Here are a few of the records I've had the opportunity to help bring to life.
JOsh Anderson
Roles: Songwriting, Recording, Mixing, Mastering
As the capstone project for my Music Production degree at Berklee College of Music, I wrote, recorded, mixed, and mastered a three-song EP entirely from the ground up. Over the course of 12 weeks, I took each song from its earliest demo to a finished master, managing every stage of the creative and technical process myself.
Because this project represented the culmination of my education, I pushed myself harder than I ever had before. Countless late nights were spent refining arrangements, experimenting with sounds, and making detailed mix revisions to ensure every element served the song. The experience challenged me to balance creativity with technical precision while working under a demanding deadline.
To this day, these three songs remain the work I'm most proud of as both a songwriter and mixing engineer. They represent not only the skills I developed throughout my time at Berklee, but also my passion for creating music that is thoughtful, polished, and emotionally engaging.
MYST
Demo ‘24
Roles: Vocal Recording, Vocal Mixing
Demo ‘24 was a three-song release for Seattle-area metalcore band Myst, where I served as the recording and vocal mixing engineer. The vocalist tracked all of the vocals in my home studio over the course of three sessions, giving us the opportunity to experiment with different performances and vocal techniques throughout the recording process.
One of the biggest lessons I took away from this project was how much a recording environment influences the final sound. At the time, my studio was set up in my garage without acoustic treatment, which introduced more room ambience than I had anticipated after compressing and processing the vocals. Rather than trying to eliminate it completely, we embraced the character it added, and the vocalist ended up loving the final result.
More importantly, this project sparked my passion for vocal production. Shaping performances through editing, processing, and mixing quickly became one of my favorite parts of the production process. To this day, vocal production remains the aspect of mixing I enjoy the most, and it's an area I continue to refine with every project.
KAIZO is a Seattle-based metalcore band that has become one of my most rewarding long-term creative projects. Beyond performing with the band, I've taken on the roles of producer, recording engineer, mixing engineer, and mastering engineer, overseeing the production process from the earliest demos to the final masters.
Working on KAIZO has allowed me to develop my skills across every stage of music production while collaborating closely with the band to shape a sound that is both aggressive and polished. Through multiple releases, I've gained invaluable experience in recording heavy music, refining mixes, and creating records that stay true to the band's vision while delivering the impact the genre demands.
DISCARD: VOL II
Roles: Songwriting, Recording, Mixing, Mastering
Following the success of Discard: Vol. I, we set out to create a second EP that built on everything we had learned. With the band finally able to write together in person again, the songwriting became more intentional, drawing inspiration from other bands in the genre while exploring a darker, more refined sound. As the primary songwriter, recording engineer, mixing engineer, and mastering engineer, I once again oversaw nearly every aspect of the production.
This record challenged me in ways the first never could. While finishing my degree at Berklee College of Music, preparing new backing tracks for our upcoming tour, and getting ready to fly to Boston for graduation, I was racing to finish the EP before its April 2022 release. Despite the demanding schedule, I was determined to deliver a record that surpassed our debut.
Compared to Discard: Vol. I, my approach to production became far more deliberate. Instead of experimenting with effects, I focused on creating balanced, impactful mixes where every production decision served the song. We also recorded live drums for the first time, giving me the opportunity to apply what I had learned about microphone placement and drum mixing to a real-world project.
The response to Discard: Vol. II exceeded our expectations. The record led to more live performances, local press coverage, and radio airplay, while "No Peace" featuring Aaron Heard of Jesus Piece became one of our most recognized songs. Looking back, this project represents a major turning point in my growth as a songwriter, producer, and mixing engineer, and remains one of the projects I'm most proud of.
Photo Cred: ayo4ko
DISCARD: VOL I
Roles: Songwrit, Recording, Mixing, Mastering
Discard: Vol. I marked the beginning of my journey with KAIZO and my first experience producing a metalcore record. In early 2020, before the pandemic, I met our vocalist in my checkout line at Whole Foods. After a quick conversation, he invited me to join a new band he was forming. It was my first band since moving to Seattle in 2018, and we immediately began writing together.
Not long after, COVID-19 changed everything. Instead of rehearsing in the same room, we spent the next year writing the entire record over Zoom. As the band's primary songwriter, recording engineer, mixing engineer, and mastering engineer, I took on nearly every aspect of the production. I recorded all of the instruments myself, mixed and mastered the record, and programmed the drums—a challenge that ultimately became one of my favorite parts of the project. Many listeners were surprised to learn the drums weren't performed live.
Discard: Vol. I was also where I taught myself how to produce heavy music. I spent countless hours learning how to build guitar tones, mix aggressive vocals, and create a polished, modern metalcore sound. We didn't set out to reinvent the genre—we simply wrote the music we wanted to hear. When the EP was released in March 2021, the response exceeded our expectations. Listeners embraced the record's unique sound, and the momentum it created led to KAIZO headlining our very first show at the Ballard VFW.
Looking back, this project represents far more than my first metalcore record. It taught me how to adapt, collaborate under challenging circumstances, and bring a creative vision to life from start to finish.
SPLIT 2024
Roles: Songwriting, Recording, Mixing, Mastering
Split 2024 is a collaborative release featuring two new songs from KAIZO alongside two tracks from South Carolina hardcore band Laid Out. For this project, I continued as the primary songwriter, recording engineer, mixing engineer, and mastering engineer, while collaborating with our new guitarist, whose ideas helped push our sound in a heavier, more aggressive direction.
This release brought together everything we had learned from our previous records. We recaptured the raw energy of Discard: Vol. I while building on the more focused songwriting and production of Discard: Vol. II. We also experimented with new production techniques, including blending amp simulations with my live guitar rig and incorporating the iconic Boss HM-2 to create a guitar tone that felt gritty, chaotic, and unmistakably KAIZO. Live drums were once again recorded and mixed in-house, resulting in our most polished production to date.
Despite another tight deadline, I completed the mixes in time for the release, and we celebrated with a Pacific Northwest weekender alongside Laid Out. Looking back, Split 2024 represents the clearest definition of KAIZO's sound so far—chaotic yet controlled, aggressive yet intentional. Tracks like "Survival Scenario" capture exactly what we set out to achieve and remain some of my favorite work I've produced with the band.