Sam Sterk at his mixing console in Vista, CA

Mixing engineer · Vista, CA · San Diego · Nashville trained

Mixes that
sound like
a record.

Sam Sterk at work in the studio

I make
records
sound
right.

20+
Years in audio
10M+
Global streams
5★
SoundBetter rating
CA
Vista · San Diego

I got into this because of records — the ones that feel alive, that sound like a room, like something real happened. Trained in Nashville. Ten years in Wisconsin building the craft. Then back west to California. Spent twenty years in studios chasing that feeling on every project that comes through the door.

I work across genres — rock, folk, worship, pop, singer-songwriter, and plenty that doesn't fit a label. Loud and abrasive, quiet and strange, full-band or just a voice and a guitar. I'll meet your music where it is.

My clients say my mixes are dynamic, distinctive, and capturing. I think that just means I listen.

The studio runs on a hybrid setup — ATC monitors, Lynx Hilo conversion, Universal Audio Apollo, Empirical Labs Distressor, API and CAPI outboard. Hardware where it matters, ITB where it's faster. Logic Pro is home base. The goal is always the same: make it sound like the record you heard in your head when you wrote it.

I work remotely with artists and bands across the country. Send me consolidated WAVs and a rough mix, and I'll have something back to you within a week. Most projects take two or three rounds of revisions before everyone's happy — sometimes less. I don't rush it and I don't disappear.

Over the years I've worked with Beach Chapel, Brian McMaster, Township, Victus, ILIFF JAMIESON, communitypool, and a lot of artists you'll hear more from soon. The thread connecting all of it is songs that mean something to the people who made them. That's the kind of work I want to be part of.

01

Mixing

$400 / song
Send consolidated WAVs and a rough mix. One-week turnaround. 4 revisions included. I'll make it hit harder than you expected.
02

Mastering

$80 / song
Final polish for distribution. Clarity, loudness, and translation across every streaming platform.
03

Editing

$150 / track
Tight, transparent editing that keeps the feel of the performance intact. No over-correcting.
04

Time Align

$100 / track
Phase-coherent drum and instrument alignment. Everything locked and hitting together before the mix starts.
05

Vocal Comping

$100 / track
Picking the best takes and building a comp that sounds like one great performance. Detail work that matters.
Mixing console in the studio

Tools of
the trade.

Monitoring
  • ATC MonitorsPassive studio reference · made in England
  • ATC P1 ProDual-mono power amplifier
Conversion & Interface
  • Lynx HiloReference AD/DA converter
  • Universal Audio Apollo x16Audio interface · UAD processing
Outboard
  • API 2500+Stereo bus compressor
  • Empirical Labs DistressorCompressor / limiter
  • CAPI FC526500-series compressors
  • Warm Audio WA76Limiting amplifier
  • CAPI VP28500-series preamps
  • API 550A500-series EQ
  • API 560500-series graphic EQ
  • DIY:RE EQP5500-series Pultec-style EQ
  • Benson Studio Tall BirdTube preamp / DI
  • Fredenstein Bento 8 Pro500-series rack · pure analog
DAW & Plugins
  • Logic ProHome base
  • UADUniversal Audio plug-ins
  • SoundToysEffects processing
  • FabFilterEQ · dynamics · mastering
  • iZotopeRX · Ozone · Neutron
  • Safari PedalsPlug-ins
  • PurafiedPlug-ins
  • Baby AudioPlug-ins

Selected
works.

Lauren Geis — Fantasy Dream
Lauren Geis
Mixing · Mastering
Beach Chapel — Jerusalem
Beach Chapel
Mixing · Producer · Engineer
Brian McMaster — Losing Time
Brian McMaster
Mixing · Producer
communitypool — All We Had Was Time
communitypool
Mixing
CRYWLFCRY — Give It Up
CRYWLFCRY
Mixing
Shane Sheridan — Summer '19
Shane Sheridan
Mixing
Kadri Williams — On My Mind
Kadri Williams
Mixing
ILIFF JAMIESON — Savior Complex
ILIFF JAMIESON
Mixing
Victus — EP 1
Victus
Mixing · Producer · Engineer
Donna Drive — Find Some Meaning
Donna Drive
Mixing
BEACH W — Holes in Your Hands
BEACH W
Mixing · Producer · Engineer
The Washups — Leaving
The Washups
Mixing
Township — Everlong
Township
Mixing · Producer
Dan Collins and a Piano — Leo
Dan Collins & a Piano
Mixing
Hopeful. — Shipwrecked
Hopeful.
Mixing · Engineer
Brian McMaster — War
Brian McMaster
Co-Producer · Mixing
Beach Chapel — Family
Beach Chapel
Producer · Mixing · Engineer
Hunter Jackson
Hunter Jackson
Mixing · Engineer
LVTE — Free
LVTE
Mixing · Producer
Randy James — Still Matter.
Randy James
Mixing · Producer
Anthem Worship — New Heart
Anthem Worship
Mixing · Engineer
All Others — Sustaining
All Others
Mixing
"His mixes hold depth and bring out the best parts of a recording."
Brian McMaster
"Great ears, great gear, great attitude. His mixes brought our record to life."
Josh Murtha
"Very prompt in the delivery of each iteration — the guy knows his stuff."
Nonpronto
"A great ear for quality — he will elevate your music to the next level."
Insignificant Figures
Ready to
make a
record?

samsterkaudio.com · Vista, CA · Remote sessions welcome

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