Last month, Pro Audio Review ran a competition along with their BOX review for the best mix made by readers. Ricardo Fernandes of Lisbon, Portugal won the competition with his mix of "Not the End". Fernandes chose to add an API 512c preamp to his collection as his prize for winning the contest. The new module will join the two 512c preamps and API 500 VPR 10-slot rack Fernandes already owns in his studio Dynamix.

About his history in recording: "I began recording 20-plus years ago—nothing serious, just making demos of the various bands I played in. The more I get into recording, the more I wanted to learn and become better at it, to the point that my home studio/occasional pro studio rental wasn't enough. This culminated with the build-up of my own studio that was finished this year. 'Not the End' is actually the first recording and mix ever made in Dynamix; it was like a test run for my new studio!"

About his winning mix: "The inspiration to mix the song was to gain the interest of the listener, constantly popping in new things and then building up to the powerful chorus, lyrics and melody. We wanted a modern sound, so the effects and loops were chosen accordingly. We aimed to build a dark tension through the verses before reaching the climax in the chorus. The original recording already features some API sound: the bass drums and snare had API amps, and bass and guitar passed through API 512c."

Fernandes concluded that he hopes "winning this competition opens some new doors to mix more high-profile works." We hope so, too—and we hope his new 512c will help him along the way.

To hear the winning mix, go to youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWcZhx_WhH8. For more information on Dynamix, visit the studio's facebook page: www.facebook.com/dynamixstudiolx.