Lance Powell
Woodshed Studios - Malibu, USA

How HAPI and Anubis power the workflow of a Grammy-nominated mix engineer


Grammy-nominated mix and recording engineer, Lance Powell has worked with a vast and varied range of artists throughout his career to date, including the likes of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Miguel, Wu Tang Clan, Liza Minelli, Charlie Puth and more. Furthermore, Powell is a long-time fan of Merging Technologies and believes that their technology is a game-changer for the studio sector.

Having worked across an incredibly diverse line-up of artists and genres, Powell started his career at Platinum Sound Recording Studios working under owner/producer Jerry Wonda and chief engineer Serge Tsai. “It was a school of hard knocks, but I grew a lot and it prepared me to take on anything (or anyone) in the industry,” explains Powell.

Such sentiments certainly ring true when perusing his list of credits. His ability to crossover into so many styles is largely due to his commitment to facilitating the creativity of the client, as opposed to stamping his own mark on any given project.

Lance Powell at Woodshed Studios, Malibu Lance Powell at Woodshed Studios, Malibu

According to Powell, one of the most memorable projects he has worked on to date was Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ 2019 double album Ghosteen. “Ghosteen is one of my career highlights so far,” he says. “For the most part, it was Nick Cave, Warren Ellis and myself in the room together. Warren is just a non-stop stream of ideas. Nick is a brilliant songwriter and producer and never ceases to impress me with how he can retain his perspective when focusing on the finer details of a song and at the same time thinking about the overall project and its direction.”

“I went about capturing the mood of these songs by doing just that - capturing it. I never tried to stamp my mark or push things in a certain direction. It was all about setting up in a way that encourages creativity and experimentation and then sitting back, hitting record, and letting Nick and Warren do their thing.”

Woodshed Studios, Malibu Woodshed Studios, Malibu

One of the most crucial tools in Powell’s audio arsenal is his Merging Technologies setup. As a long-time fan of the company’s kit, he believes it is only a matter of time before their technology becomes a staple of the studio sector. Powell praises the sound and build quality of Merging Technologies equipment, particularly their HAPI and Anubis products. “Merging products don't get talked about a lot in the pop music world, which is a shame because in my opinion they're a massive step up from the regular players you see everywhere,” says Powell.

“When I decided to get rid of my outboard and focus on embracing ‘in the box’ mixing, I spent time demoing a lot of gear, but the Merging tech ticked all the boxes with no compromises in sound or build quality. And with the AES67 format it uses to interface with the DAW, the option to easily expand in the future was appealing too.”

Lance Powell with Anubis Lance Powell with Anubis

“I love doing recording sessions on the go, so having a top-notch portable setup is really enticing. So 16 mic pres and 16 outputs in a single rack unit HAPI and full monitor controller in the Anubis routed together via a CAT5 cable? I'll take that any day over a bunch of cascaded prosumer interfaces or a heavy rack of outboard pres!”

“Also,” he concludes, “Dolby Atmos is here to stay and I think Merging is naturally going to become one of the leaders in that field, too.”


More info:

  • For more information on Lance Powell: www.soundguylance.com
  • Interview with Headliner Magazine: Woodshed Studios Malibu: Behind the Scenes with Mix Engineer Lance Powell