I’m Back in the Studio — and I’m Teaching Everything I Wish I’d Known Earlier

Real-world mixing foundations from someone who learned this craft before YouTube, presets, or shortcuts — and is finally teaching it the right way.

Become a Founding Member – $79
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Hi! My name is Rob Coates.

For over 20 years, I worked as a recording engineer and producer in real studios, on real projects, with real expectations.

I learned audio engineering before YouTube — through books, written interviews, conversations, mistakes, and long nights fixing what didn’t work. There were no shortcuts. Just decisions, discipline, and repetition.

Then life shifted. I stepped back, started a family, raised my kids, and began teaching audio engineering — which forced me to articulate why things work, not just how.

Now I’m back — and I’m building LabelMix Academy to pass this knowledge on properly.

Not hype.
Not influencer tricks.
Not “top 10 plugins.”

Just real-world audio and music mixing foundations that actually hold up.

Introducing: LabelMix Academy

Founding Member Access —

Module 1

This is EARLY ACCESS to MODULE 1 of LabelMix Academy, offered to a small group of Founding Members while the course is being built.

This is not a finished product yet — and that’s intentional.

Founding Members get:

  • Early access to Module 1 through a rolling release as lessons are completed

  • Locked-in Founding Member pricing before public release

  • Private access to the LabelMix Studio Collective Community — a members-only space for discussion, insight, and behind-the-scenes context

  • Direct visibility into how the course is built, including philosophy, decisions, and direction

  • Priority access to future modules and opportunities as LabelMix Academy grows

  • Permanent Founding Member status — this level will close once the academy opens to the public

The LabelMix Studio Collective Community will not be reopened to the public after full release. Founding Members will remain a private group.

This is the foundation — built carefully, not rushed.

Module 1: Foundations of Real-World Mixing

This module focuses on the skills that determine whether a mix ever sounds professional — before plugins, presets, or automation.

If these foundations are wrong, nothing downstream fixes it.

Lessons are released progressively for Founding Members.

Planned Lessons Include:

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Lesson 1: The Reality of Modern Mixing (What Actually Matters)

Text overlay on a digital audio workstation background: "Lesson 2: Session Preparation & Organization for Speed and Clarity" with the LabelMIX Academy logo at the top left.

Lesson 2: Session Preparation & Organization for Speed and Clarity

Lesson 3: Editing as the Foundation of a Professional Mix at Label Mixin Academy.

Lesson 3: Editing as the Foundation of a Professional Mix

Title slide of a presentation from LabelMIX Academy titled 'Lesson 4: Dynamics Control Without Over-Processing' with a dark background and a sound wave graphic.

Lesson 4: Dynamics Control Without Over-Processing

A woman with long hair wearing headphones speaking into a microphone in a recording studio. The overlay text reads 'Lesson 5: Manual De-essing Techniques That Actually Work' and the logo in the top left corner reads 'LabelMIX Academy'.

Lesson 5: Manual De-Essing Techniques That Actually Work

Lesson 6 on managing noise, including proximity effect and vocal cleanup, from LabelMIX Academy against a dark background with sound wave graphics.

Lesson 6: Managing Noise, Proximity Effect, and Vocal Cleanup

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Lesson 7: Developing an Engineer’s Decision-Making Mindset

“Over the years, I’ve realized one of the biggest challenges in learning the art and science of audio engineering is the lack of clear systems. Every engineer works differently, and that’s completely okay — creativity thrives on individuality. But having a personal system, a structured approach you can rely on, is what creates consistency and confidence in your results. That’s why I built the LabelMix™ System. To show you my process, so you can adapt it, refine it, and build your own repeatable workflow for making records. When you do, it’s like a lightbulb switching on — everything finally makes sense, and your career changes forever.
”
— Rob Coates

How It Works

Module 1 is delivered as a rolling release.

As lessons are completed, they are added inside LabelMix Academy. Founding Members receive access as the material becomes available, along with updates throughout the build process.

A private Founding Members–Only Community will open as the academy launches, giving early members a place for discussion, questions, and context.

This approach ensures the material is built with intention — not pressure.

Beginner Friendly • Platform-Neutral (DAW-Neutral- Apply Concepts in ANY DAW)

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Exclusive PRIVATE Access To Our LabelMix Studio Collective Community! Get access to professional engineers and discuss topics with other artists and engineers who share your same interests. Tell us what project you’re working on. Show us what your studio looks like. Let us hear your mixes….and SO much more.

The Founding Members-Only Space will ONLY be available to founding members of LabelMix Academy. Once it’s locked…it’s locked out. There will only be a general studio collective community after it closes to membership. This offer is the ONLY way to get access to the Founding Members space.

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Stylized handwritten text that reads "Trust Your Process" on a black background.

Founding Member Pricing

Founding Member Early Access:

$79

Public release price for Module 1 will be $97 once it is fully released.

Founding access is available for a limited time.

Founding Members Receive Exclusive Access To:

  • Early access to Module 1 through a rolling release as lessons are completed

  • Locked-in Founding Member pricing before public release

  • Private access to the LabelMix Studio Collective Community — a members-only space for discussion, insight, and behind-the-scenes context

  • Direct visibility into how the course is built, including philosophy, decisions, and direction

  • Priority access to future modules and opportunities as LabelMix Academy grows

  • Permanent Founding Member status — this level will close once the academy opens to the public

The LabelMix Studio Collective Community will not be reopened to the public after full release. Founding Members will remain a private group.

A circular logo with the letters 'L' and 'M' inside, with the 'L' in white and the 'M' in blue, against a black background.

LabelMix Academy - Founding Member Access

$79

Become Founding Member
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A Track Record Built in Real Studios

“This Coates dude is quite the mixer. Believe me, I hear it all from all over the world and his stuff stands out!”

“Big Bass” Brian Gardner - Multi-Platinum, Grammy Award Winning, Mastering Engineer (Eminem, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Michael Jackson,

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"Rob Coates has been my go-to professional for Mastering services for many years. His extraordinary skillset offers a fresh perspective, reliably delivering outstanding quality that surpasses industry norms. I strongly recommend him with great admiration!"

Jeff Silvey - ICMA - 2X "Producer Of The Year" Mix Engineer. Songwriter : George Strait

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"Rob Coates cultivates an atmosphere of creativity and discipline to bring out the absolute best in myself and the guys in 21 to Burn. His team have been my go to for professional and commercial ready Mixes and Masters for almost 20 years strong! They treat each project as if it’s their very own and deliver above and beyond our vision every time."

Justin Weir - Rock Artist - 21 To Burn , Port Fierce, Through the Wishing Well

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Is This Right for You?

This is for:

  • Aspiring engineers who want real foundations

  • Musicians who want professional results without guesswork

  • Producers tired of chasing plugins instead of skills

This is not for:

  • Shortcut seekers

  • Preset collectors

  • Anyone looking for “one trick” solutions

This is about learning how decisions are made.

Join LabelMix Academy as a Founding Member
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