punchline studio / Mixing & Mastering
Recording Studio Lahr · Remote worldwide

Mixing & Mastering Lahr

Mixing & Mastering
that breathes.

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

A good recording is not a finished song. Between the recording and what ends up on Spotify lies the mix – and that step determines whether a song works or not. Mixing is not about fixing problems. It is about balancing levels and tone, drawing out emotions, creating depth and space. A professional mix gives every instrument its place without one crowding out another. And mastering ensures that the mix sounds exactly the way it should on every speaker – from headphones to a club system.

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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:

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, multiple songs) we are happy to provide an individual quote.

Standard
Mixing
from €390
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
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Entry
Mastering
from €95
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
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Popular
Complete package
Mixing & Mastering
from €460
per song · incl. VAT · 5 % vs. separate booking
  • Everything from 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
per song · incl. VAT
Mixing from €450 + mastering from €95 − 5 % = from €515
  • Specifically for live concert recordings
  • Room treatment & bleed control
  • Consistency matching between takes
  • Drum replacement / drum enhancement
  • Mastering for streaming & broadcast
  • Stem mastering on request
  • 2 revisions mixing · 2 revisions mastering
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Album packages: 5 % discount from 5 songs · 10 % discount 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. Whatever lands with us 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 revision rounds 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 revision rounds 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
RevisionsFeedback in writing, as specific as possible – timecode, track, what bothers you. We adjust until it's right.
05
DeliveryWAV, MP3 and all formats 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 pieces 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 a self-recorded demo be professionally mixed?
Yes – with one important caveat: mixing improves a recording but cannot rescue fundamentally poor recordings. Recording at home with a decent microphone in a quiet environment often produces surprisingly good results. We are happy to listen to your material beforehand and give you an honest assessment of what is 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 unsure, just ask – we'll help you.
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. Express orders (24–48h) are available 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 (timecode, 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 possible for a surcharge.
What's the difference between studio mixing and live recording mixing?
In studio recordings, all parameters are controlled – each track was 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 its own category with 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 partner.
How does working together from abroad work?
We work every day with artists from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the USA and beyond. Remote mixing and mastering works just as well as being on site: you send your files, we send the mix back. Communication runs by email, video call or messenger – whatever suits you. For payment, a bank transfer by IBAN is the most straightforward, and PayPal works too. We issue the invoice to match your situation, for example under the reverse-charge procedure for business clients with a valid VAT ID inside the EU. It is best to clarify this briefly in advance.
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 acoustics treatment & noise reduction
  • Drum enhancement & bleed control
  • Suited to: concert, 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 short message about what you have – we'll get back to you within 24 hours.

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