Grammy winner Dave Darlington and Waves are offering you a free music production and mixing course

Dave Darlington is a producer/mixing engineer who’s worked with everyone from Avicii and David Guetta to Herbie Hancock and Sting, and now he’s chanelling his talents into a free mixing and production video course for Waves Audio.

Based in Bass Hit Studios in New York, Dave has worked on hit songs and albums in multiple genres, winning Grammy Awards along the way. The new course - From Demo To Master - runs to more than eight hours in total, and participants will be able to download the original multitrack sessions used in its creation.

Topics covered include:

  • How to create a sonic vision for your song, no matter the genre
  • How to make the most important decisions when mixing a pop, hip hop or rock track
  • How different mixing choices can impact the song’s overall feel
  • How to give lead and backing vocals the power and polish they deserve
  • How to get bass and drum tracks sitting tight and working together
  • How to rethink the way you use harmonic instruments - synths, guitars, etc. - in your mix
  • How to put the finishing touches that can make or break a song

You can find out more and sign up on the Waves website. The first of the eight sessions will be available from 28 November, with a live Q&A session wrapping thing up on 20 December.  

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.