Audeze talks with producer, mixer, and studio owner Mike Crossey

August 06, 2024

Mike Crossey is an award-winning record producer, mix engineer, and songwriter based between LA & London. He's worked with artists such as The 1975, Yungblud, Muna, Half Alive, Twenty One Pilots, Jeremy Zucker, Lauv, The Killers, Beabadoobee, Foals, Hozier, Jake Bugg, Ben Howard, and many others. 
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Mike Crossey wearing Audeze LCD-5 headphones in the studio
"I can now fully immerse myself in the music with incredible detail and depth to really dial in the fine details of my EQ settings and reverb times." - Mike Crossey
Here's our Chat with Mike:

Can you pick out any highlights from your work that you're particularly proud of? 


It’s tough to pick favorites! I am proud to have produced many albums including this selection below -

Arctic Monkeys - Favorite Worst Nightmare

The 1975 - the 1975

The 1975 - I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it

LANY - Malibu Nights

Wolf Alice - My Love Is Cool

Nothing But Thieves - Moral Panic

Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg

Noah Cyrus - The Hardest Part

How would you define your main role on most of the projects you work on these days?
Mostly I am in the producer role. I also mix a lot and sometimes take on the role of a record "finisher" where I might add (or take away!) some additional production and mix.
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How did you get started in music? What kind of music did you listen to while growing up and how has that progressed?
I started out playing guitar in local bands around Belfast when I was 14 years old. We were too young to play in the bars and that led to me running my own band night in a vegan cafe run by guys from the local punk scene. My next stop was recording cassette demos to sell at the shows on my Tascam Porta07 4 track cassette recorder. Mostly I’d record in rehearsal rooms and caravans (!) but I firmly had the bug at this point and became obsessed with recording.
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Can you name any factors that influenced the course of your musical life? Heroes, role models, moments, interactions, etc?
In 1998 I managed to get a place at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) which was quite pivotal as I was able to use the recording studios there 24/7 and I would often work all night and take any and every session I could. The college was only a few years old at the time so the studios were pretty high tech with current equipment. In this time I was able to form relationships in the local Liverpool music scene that led me to working full time with Andy McCluskey from the legendary 80's synth pop band Orchestral Maneuvres in the Dark at his Motor Museum studios. Andy was producing pop records at the time and was a great mentor to me as I engineered and programmed for him. From 2008-2012 I ended up leasing the studio from him when he reformed OMD and toured again.
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Can you briefly describe a moment of frustration from your past work, and what you may have done to overcome the obstacles? Would you approach it differently now?
Before I was able to have my own studio, I was freelancing around London for quite a few years. It was challenging to constantly change studios and not having the time to truly get familiar with the monitoring in any one studio. I went as far as to carry my own Bryston amp around with me to power the NS10s that most studios had as standard to try and create some consistency but of course the sound of the rooms were always so different anyway. If I had to do the same today, it would be comforting to know that I could bring a quality pair of headphones like the Audezes to have a reliable reference with me at all times.
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Is there any gear you find yourself turning to most when working on a project? What are some of your favorite tools/instruments recently?
Aside from my trusty workhorse microphones, I find myself using a lot of tube equipment as I love the color it brings to the music. My favorites of late are the DW Fearn VT5 equalizer, the Thermionic Culture Phoenix mastering compressor and the Undertone Audio Unfairchild compressor. All of these pieces are used daily.
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Do you have any words of wisdom for people who might aspire toward a similar path for their own careers?
I’d say it’s most important to spend time developing your ears, there are no shortcuts. Listen to as much music as possible with the best monitoring you can afford. Be solid with your monitoring before buying anything else. The monitoring informs every decision you make from the equipment you purchase to the EQ settings on your vocal. Pay the most attention to how the music feels in your body.
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How long have you been working with headphones, and how do you typically use them in your workflow?
It was only about 5 years ago that headphones became a part of my workflow. Initially it was for traveling away from my studio for work. At the time I had various writing sessions happening outside of Los Angeles. They have now become such a familiar and reliable monitoring source that I now spend a fair bit of time in headphones when mixing.
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How have your Audeze headphones affected your work?
The Audeze LCD-5s have proven to be an invaluable tool for me in the studio, particularly whilst finalizing mixes. I can now fully immerse myself in the music with incredible detail and depth to really dial in the fine details of my EQ settings and reverb times. I also find them to be very enjoyable to listen to and comfortable to wear.
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Can you tell us what you've been working on with them recently?
My most recent mixing projects include full albums with LANY, Chelsea Cutler, Joywave and Nothing But Thieves.
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Audeze LCD-5 headphones on headphone stand in the studio
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