punchline studio / Recording Studio / Mixing & Mastering

Mixing & Mastering Lahr

Mixing & Mastering
that breathes.

Professional remote mixing & mastering for bands and artists – with a speciality in live recordings.

A good recording isn't a finished song yet. Between the recording and what ends up on Spotify comes the mix – and that's where a song either works or it doesn't.

What mixing and mastering actually do

Mixing isn't about fixing problems. It's about balancing levels and tone, bringing out the emotion, creating depth and space. A professional mix gives every instrument its own place without anything getting crowded out. Mastering then makes sure the mix translates on every system – from earbuds to a club PA.

Start a project View pricing

Not quite what you need? Is this a concert recording? → Mixing for Concert Recordings. Nothing recorded yet? → Music Production & Recording.

References

Mixed & mastered by punchline studio – from folk and rock to hip-hop. Hear for yourself before you reach out:

See it in practice in our case study on "Classic meets Electro" – opera voices and live electronics blended into one continuous mix.

Pricing

What mixing and mastering cost.

Transparent, clear, no surprises. All prices include VAT. For businesses, labels and clients with a VAT ID we invoice net. For more complex projects (more tracks, longer songs, several songs) we're happy to put together a custom quote.

Standard
Mixing
from €390
net €327.73 + 19% VAT €62.27
per song · incl. VAT
  • Song up to approx. 4 minutes, up to 24 tracks
  • Light vocal editing & tuning
  • Noise reduction & re-amping
  • Reference track matching on request
  • 2 revisions
  • All formats
Get in touch
Entry
Mastering
from €95
net €79.83 + 19% VAT €15.17
per song · incl. VAT
  • Song up to approx. 4 minutes
  • Streaming-optimised (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.)
  • Stem mastering on request
  • Analogue signal chain + digital precision
  • 2 revisions
  • WAV + MP3 delivery
Get in touch
Popular
Complete package
Mixing & Mastering
from €460
net €386.55 + 19% VAT €73.45
per song · incl. VAT · 5 % off vs. booking separately
  • Everything in Mixing + Mastering
  • Coordinated workflow between mix & master
  • 4 revisions (2× mixing, 2× mastering)
  • Stem mastering on request
  • All formats & streaming-ready
  • Fastest turnaround
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Speciality
Live Recording
Mixing & Mastering
from €515
net €432.77 + 19% VAT €82.23
per song · incl. VAT
Mixing from €450 + mastering from €95 − 5 % = from €515
  • Specifically for live concert recordings
  • Room sound & bleed control
  • Consistent sound across songs and takes
  • Drum replacement / drum enhancement
  • Mastering for streaming & broadcast
  • Stem mastering on request
  • 2 revisions mixing · 2 revisions mastering
Learn more →

Album packages: 5 % off from 5 songs · 10 % off from 10 songs – applies to mixing, mastering and mixing & mastering.

Maik Styrnol, mixing and mastering engineer at punchline studio
Maik Styrnol
Mixing suite at punchline studio in Lahr
The room in Lahr

Photos: Maik Styrnol · CC BY-SA 4.0

Who's Mixing

Maik Styrnol

I've been mixing and mastering music for bands and artists for many years, from the first demo to live recordings in front of thousands. Together with my brother Pirmin, I run punchline studio in Lahr, in the Black Forest. Everything that comes in gets mixed by me personally – no anonymous team, no clicking through presets.

We don't take on every job. We'd rather commit properly to a handful of projects than rush a high volume of them through.

In detail

What goes into every mix.

Mixing

Input: Multitracks (every individual track in your session)

  • Gain staging & session prep
  • Light vocal editing & pitch correction
  • Noise reduction
  • EQ, compression, saturation per track
  • Stereo field & depth
  • Automation & dynamics
  • Re-amping: ENGL & Fender amplifiers
  • Reference track matching
  • 2 rounds of revisions included
  • Delivery in all requested formats

Mastering

Input: Stems or stereo mixdown (WAV/AIFF, 24bit+)

  • Analogue & digital signal chain
  • EQ & dynamics optimisation
  • Stereo width & depth staging
  • Loudness optimisation (Spotify, Apple, Tidal, etc.)
  • True peak limiting
  • Stem mastering on request
  • DDP / CD-ready on request
  • 2 rounds of revisions included
  • WAV (24–32bit / 44.1–192kHz) + MP3 320kbps
  • ISRC embedding on request
Remote workflow

How it works.

Whether you're in Freiburg, Offenburg, Karlsruhe, or on the other side of the world, mixing and mastering works just as well remotely as it does for clients who come to the studio in person. The process stays the same:

01
Send your filesMultitracks for mixing, stems or stereo mixdown for mastering – via WeTransfer, Dropbox or Google Drive.
02
BriefingReference tracks, target platform, genre, desired sound – ideally in writing by email.
03
First mixPrivate streaming link – no download needed. Within 3–5 working days.
04
RevisionsLeave notes right on the waveform, at the exact spot you mean – which track, what's bugging you. We keep tweaking until it's right.
05
DeliveryWAV, MP3 and any other format you need – streaming-ready.
Speciality: live recordings

Live recordings are
a discipline of their own.

In a live recording the microphones bleed into each other, the room is part of the recording, and level differences between songs are normal. That calls for different tools and considerably more time than a studio production – which is why it has its own page, with its own pricing, its own listening examples and answers to the questions bands, choirs and ensembles actually ask.

Over a hundred live productions by now: bands, choirs, orchestras, theatre.

Get your live recording mixed →
In Depth

More on Mixing & Mastering.

What we actually do in the studio, and why.

See all articles
FAQ

Common questions about Mixing & Mastering.

How much does it cost to get a song mixed and mastered?
Mixing starts at €390 per song, mastering at €95, and both together as a complete package at €460. For live concert recordings the package starts at €515, because live material is considerably more demanding to mix. Mixing includes up to 24 tracks, light vocal editing and tuning, noise reduction, re-amping, two revisions and delivery in all common formats. All prices include VAT and apply per song up to roughly 4 minutes. For multiple songs there are discounts: 5% from 5 songs, 10% from 10 songs – especially worthwhile for EP and album productions.
Can you professionally mix a demo I recorded myself?
Yes – with one important caveat: mixing can make a recording better, but it can't rescue one that's fundamentally bad. Recording at home with a decent microphone in a quiet environment often produces surprisingly good results. We're happy to listen to your material first and give you an honest take on what's possible.
What format should I send my files in?
For mixing: individual tracks (multitracks) as WAV or AIFF, 24bit or 32bit float, at the original sample rate. No master compressor or limiter on the mix bus. For mastering: your stereo mixdown, ideally 24bit WAV or higher. If you're not sure, just ask – we'll help.
How long does a mixing project take?
Typically 3–5 working days for the first mix. For multiple songs or complex projects we agree on a schedule upfront. Rush jobs (24–48h) are possible on request.
How do revisions and sign-off work?
You receive the first mix as a private streaming link and can give feedback before final delivery and invoicing. Two rounds of revisions are included and are enough in most cases – provided the feedback is specific. The more precisely you describe what bothers you (noted right on the waveform: which instrument, what's off about it), the faster we get there. Saying the guitar in the bridge sounds too harsh helps far more than saying it somehow doesn't sound right yet. Additional rounds are available for an extra fee.
What's the difference between studio mixing and live recording mixing?
In the studio, everything is under control – each track is recorded in isolation. With live recordings, microphones bleed into each other, room acoustics are part of the recording, and level differences between songs or takes are normal. Live recording mixing requires significantly more experience and specific tools – which is why it's a separate category for us, with its own pricing and its own page: Live Recording Mixing.
Do you work with all genres?
Yes – from rock, folk and americana to jazz, hip-hop, funk and electronic. Our reference playlist shows the range. Just send us your reference track and we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit.
How does it work if I'm based outside Germany?
We work with artists from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the US and beyond every day. Remote mixing and mastering works just as well as being on site: you send your files, we send the mix back. We communicate by email, video call or messaging app – whatever suits you. For payment, a bank transfer by IBAN is the simplest, and PayPal works too. We'll set up the invoice to suit your situation, for example under the reverse-charge procedure for business clients with a valid VAT ID inside the EU. Best to sort this out briefly beforehand.
Technical standards

Our production standards.

Mixing

  • Avid Pro Tools Ultimate
  • Sample rates: 44.1 – 192 kHz
  • Bit depth: 24bit / 32bit float
  • Microphones: Telefunken, Sennheiser, Oktava, Shure, Røde, Sony, Audix
  • Monitoring: Genelec 8050, Yamaha MSP 5
  • Converters: Focusrite
  • Consumer playback check: Teufel, Denon, Harman Kardon (hi-fi)
  • Delivery: WAV, MP3, all formats

Mastering

  • Analogue signal chain
  • True peak limiting (–1 dBTP)
  • Loudness: –14 LUFS (Spotify), –16 LUFS (Apple)
  • Stem mastering on request
  • DDP / CD-ready on request
  • ISRC embedding available

Live Recording Mixing

  • Multitrack recording
  • Direct feed from the desk (analogue)
  • Room sound control & noise reduction
  • Drum enhancement & bleed control
  • Suited to: concerts, theatre, dance
  • Experience: 100+ live productions

Plugins & Processing

  • FabFilter (Pro-Q, Pro-C, Pro-L, Pro-MB)
  • iZotope RX (Restoration & Repair)
  • Pulsar Modular (analogue emulations)
  • Tokyo Dawn Labs (TDR Nova, Kotelnikov)
  • Waves, Soundtoys, Valhalla
  • UAD / Apollo Processing
Ready?

Let's work on your mix.

Drop us a quick message about what you've got – we'll get back to you within 24 hours.

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