Mack Woodward: Mixing Great Music at Madison Studios
There’s a lot of talent going in and out of Madison Studios each day. In addition to the artists working with Tanner Hendon and Wyatt Oates through Madison Records, independent artists and producers make use of the excellent equipment and optimized workspaces to create their own music.
One of those talented people is Mack Woodward, Grammy certified recording engineer and mixer, and owner of Hemingway Music and Media Company. Mack has been working out of the Swag Suites at Madison Studios to mix and produce his music for over five years, but his love for music goes back many years.
“Growing up, music was always a part of our household,” Mack says. “My dad was in a band in the 60s called Cherry Slush, and he was always walking around the house, playing his guitar. My mom was also pretty musical herself, she was a singer and sang in the choir. What I remember most, more than TV or movies, is listening to records. We were just surrounded by music.”
““Back in the day a producer’s job was just to put together a song that was already written, but today, we get the opportunity to collaborate with the artist and be a part of the creation process.””
As a teenager Mack bought new music every chance he got. Reading the liner notes, he noticed the names of the producers, and found his calling. “I never had an urge to perform,” Mack says. “I knew I wanted to be the guy creating the music, turning the knobs, and making everything sound cool.”
Mack has worked hard to make that dream a reality. After graduating from Full Sail University, he landed in Atlanta, paying his dues as an intern and learning the business. He was soon traveling the world doing gigs, from L.A. where he worked with Harold Lilly to London and back to Atlanta, wherever the music took him.
Finally ready to break away and work on his own, Mack hooked up with some old friends, Wyatt and Tanner. “We’d all worked at Tree Sound Studios years ago, and when I mentioned to Wyatt I needed a mixing room, he said Tanner had a new studio with a couple of rooms that I should check out.”
That was five years ago, and Mack is still in love with the set up at Madison Studios. “It’s a really cool location, a great work space, and most important, it’s just got a great atmosphere,” Mack says. “Everyone here works hard and is dedicated to making good music, which just makes for a good work environment.”
From his space at Madison Studios, Mack still produces music for artists from all over the world. “Clients from London, L.A., and New York send files my way and I make their work broadcast ready,” Mack says. He’s got a lot of hip hop, pop and R&B credits to his name, having worked with Beyoncé, Maroon 5, Fergie ,and Jamie Foxx, but he also enjoys jazz, gospel, and other types of music. “Mixing is more or less the same no matter what the style, people who come to me are just looking for my ears and what I can do to polish their music.”
One of his newest ventures is into the world of electronic music. “I’ve been working with the DJ Calo Vance, and we’re really starting to make a name for ourselves doing dance remixes,” Mack says. From that he’s getting more requests to do more remixing and co-writing music with clients. “Back in the day a producer’s job was just to put together a song that was already written, but today, we get the opportunity to collaborate with the artist and be a part of the creation process. I love that aspect of the job, at the end of the day knowing I had a hand in creating something that other people are interested in and enjoy.”