Productive Outcomes Music

28/08/2026

Taken in April 2026 with members of Darkyra after the filming of their music video “We Are Blind”, Peter Renzullo of Scudley Films also in the shot!

27/08/2026

👀 Speakers for Overall Sound. Headphones for Details.

Your monitors and headphones don't have to compete, they can serve different purposes in your mixing workflow.

🔊 Use speakers for the big picture.
Listen for:
Overall balance
Low-end relationship
Stereo image
Depth and energy
How the mix feels as a whole
Speakers let you hear the music interacting with the room, giving you a more natural perspective on the overall mix.

🎧 Use headphones for the microscope.
Listen for:
Clicks, pops and unwanted noise
Vocal sibilance
Editing issues
Reverb and delay tails
Subtle EQ problems
Small automation or panning details
Headphones can reveal things that are easy to miss on speakers.

💡 The trick is not choosing one over the other.
Use your speakers to make the big decisions.
Use your headphones to investigate the small ones.
Then switch back and forth to make sure your decisions still hold up.

🎯 Speakers for the picture. Headphones for the details.

26/08/2026

Here’s how I achieved the Darkyra sound on their latest single "We Are Blind"! At over 120 audio stems, this was no small feat to achieve.

1️⃣ Emotion and subject matter - Arguably the most important point and easily missed, we tend to go straight into the genre, the style, the plugins but miss the lyrical content of the song itself, this is where you start.

2️⃣ Wide expansive mix - Spatially positioning the band and orchestra.

3️⃣ Orchestra to cut through but play a supporting role - Metal with symphonic influences, not a symphony with metal influences.

4️⃣ Parallel compression on drums - In a dense mix like this, the drums can easily be buried, parallel compression helps the drums cut through.

25/08/2026

Throwback to August 2025 with Outcome Variables bassist Neill recording his parts for the upcoming single "Neon Genesis".

24/08/2026

Good communication at the start can save hours of unnecessary revisions later.

Before starting a project, make sure everyone is clear on:

🎯 The vision: What should the final record feel and sound like?

🎧 References: Are there specific songs, tones or productions you're aiming towards?

📝 Expectations: What's included? How many revisions? What's the deadline?

📂 Deliverables: Are the files properly organised and exported?

💬 Concerns: Is there anything about the mix you're already unsure about?

The more clearly the goal is communicated, the easier it is to make the right decisions.

And sometimes the most valuable conversation is simply:

👀 “What are you trying to achieve with this record?”

Because the job isn't just to make a technically good mix.

It's to understand the artist's vision and help bring it to life.

🎯 Clear communication → Fewer revisions → Better results.

04/08/2026

🔥 A wonderful opportunity to collaborate with Darkyra on their latest single! Thank you for the kind words!

👀 “Li worked on our most recent single, 'We Are Blind', which had over 120 individual stems. His attention to detail, patience and knowledge on how a Symphonic Metal track should sound is just phenomenal. Such a pleasure to work with, from the very start to the finished mastered track. A class production comparable to any major label production and affordable.”

✅ Book in now by commenting "mix" below or by DMing if your mix isn't quite translating the way you want it to, you will be taken care of.

31/07/2026

🌌 3 Ways to Make Your Mix Wider Naturally

In the age of musical abundance, a naturally wide sounding mix will maintain your listeners’ attention. A wide mix isn't created by slapping a stereo widener on the master bus. It's built through arrangement, performance, and smart mixing decisions.

🎯 1. Create Contrast
Keep important elements like your kick, bass, snare, and lead vocal anchored in the centre. The more solid your centre is, the wider the sides will feel.

🎸 2. Double-Track Instead of Duplicating
This should be the first point. Want bigger guitars or vocals? Record another performance and pan them left and right. Real performance differences create width that plugins simply can't replicate.

🎛️ 3. Use Stereo Effects Strategically
Stereo reverbs, delays and ambience can add space without pushing your core instruments away from the centre. Let your effects create width, not your entire mix.

If everything is wide, nothing feels wide.

The biggest, most immersive mixes rely on balance and contrast, not extreme stereo processing.

29/07/2026

🎧 Reference tracks are there to guide you, NOT define you.

It’s very easy to fall into this trap! Use reference tracks to check your tonal balance, dynamics, and overall translation, but don't feel pressured to recreate someone else's sound.

Every song has its own arrangement, emotion, and identity. Chasing an exact copy often means sacrificing what makes your music unique.

Take inspiration from your references, but trust your ears and your creative vision.

🎯 Great mixes don't sound identical to the reference, they stand confidently on their own.

10/07/2026

Darkyra - We Are Blind (Single 2026)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQJBhNaXtbQ

Symphonic Metal

10/07/2026

Darkyra - We Are Blind

I had the pleasure of working with symphonic metal band Darkyra on their latest single “We Are Blind”. A massive collaboration involving multiple members of the Perth metal scene, this track is a lush, soaring, dramatic, operatic, cinematic tour de force dealing with humans turning a blind eye to the damage they are inflicting on the world.

Personnel:

Composer: Gina Bafile, Krissy Sanfead
Darkyra: Gina Bafile, Maaz Manik, Pedro LeLorenz, Drew Casella
Guest vocals: Mick Vinnie (Parabelum)
Orchestral arrangements: George Boussounis
String section: Illias Sdoukos, Laertis Kokolanis, Michael Porfyris
Mixing and Mastering: Li Heng Chan / Productive Outcomes Music
Videographer/Editor: Peter Renzullo / Scudley Films

Lyrics:We Are Blind(Verse 1) We take more than we give This...