Amazon’s Daisy Jones & The Six, which many believe was inspired by the story of Fleetwood Mac, was created by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, and is based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It follows a rock band that finds huge success in the 1970s but breaks up due to tensions among the group. Their story is told through documentary style interviews with the band members and footage of concerts and recording sessions.
Mathew Waters
As you can imagine, a show about music needs serious post sound, which was provided by re-recording mixers Mathew Waters, CAS, and Lindsey Alvarez, CAS. Both were recognized with Emmy nominations for their work on the series — one of nine that the show has received overall.
We spoke to the sound team, who mixed at Formosa Group Hollywood, to find out more…
How did you split up the duties? Who did sound and music, versus dialogue, etc.?
Lindsey Alvarez: I mixed the dialogue and music, while Matt Waters helmed the effects, backgrounds and Foley.
Mathew Waters: Although we have different duties, it is very important to work together and not as two different specialties. In the end, it is important to have a very contiguous soundtrack.
Lindsey Alvarez
How would you describe the soundscape of Daisy Jones & The Six? What makes it unique?
Lindsey Alvarez: The soundscape is very much grounded in reality, so the actors are actually playing and performing the songs. The showrunners wanted it to sound like a live concert, not produced tracks for a music video. Our strategy for this was to play with the spaces of each venue, which is taxing because you can’t treat voices the same as you would for drums, bass, guitar, etc. Each instrument deserves its own treatment.
We were provided multiple sources to play with to make it feel live, but you’re constantly dancing a fine line of making the band’s songs sound great but not too perfect. You want it to have the warmth and imperfection that records of that era had. On the other hand, the story is being told through interviews. As the dialogue mixer, the challenge was actually nailing the volume level of the interviewer in those sections — mixing her to sound off-mic and behind the camera. Subtle, but a unique challenge for me.
Mathew Waters: I would agree that the soundscape was grounded in reality. It was fun creating environments that fit the era. And it was fun to have an evolution to the growing popularity of the band throughout the episodes. Working with no crowds to small crowds growing and then to Soldier Field. It was very important to go on a real journey with this band so by the end of the story, you really believed that this was a real band.
What direction were you given by the showrunners?
Alvarez: They were intent on making the band’s music sound diegetic, while at the same time making sure the score wasn’t competing. The directive was: music on camera should be grounded and real, while score should feel subliminal.
What episode did you submit for Emmy and why?
Alvarez: We submitted the final episode, “Track 10: Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide.” This episode showcases many of the challenges that we faced as mixers, chief among them was making sure the viewer wasn’t constantly assaulted by a cacophony of rock music and stadium crowds. This meant finding a balance between atmosphere and story. We wanted to put the viewer in the stadium, but also make sure they understood the dialogue.
It’s also an episode that pays off an emotional arc teased from the very beginning of the series, so we felt a certain pressure to “stick the landing.” There was always the risk that the soundscape would undermine the character stuff.
What was a challenging scene or sequence from that episode?
Alvarez: One of my challenging scenes was making the audience believe that tens of thousands of people are singing along with the band. Did I have a recording of that? Ha, no! What I did have was a recording from production of the extras singing when they filmed it. Our sound mixer, Chris Welcker [also Emmy nominated], knew to capture extras on the day. I used that, layered with loop group recordings, plus our own singing on the dub stage to throw into the mix.
From there, you EQ, adjust timing, add delays and reverbs to achieve that homogenous crowd-singing element — which is almost subliminal in the moment because the focus is on the lead actors looking at each other, not singing. It’s very beautiful storytelling.
Waters: It was really fun making the end concert super exciting from the beginning yet still having somewhere to go by the end. It was also fun and challenging to keep the energy up while still hearing the characters talk or whisper on stage. And, of course, all the different layers of crowds. Closeup singing, close-up cheering and shout outs mixed with medium distant crowds and then large crowds.
What was an example of a note you were given by the showrunners?
Alvarez: After our first playback of this final episode, one of our showrunners, Scott Neustadter, wanted more cheering and specific callouts from the crowd, which was in the mix but not featured. It was a bit too clean. So we made sure to have them peppered through each scene without recycling or repeating anything. It was carefully crafted by our supervising sound editor, Mark Relyea.
What tools were used on the show? Anything come in particularly handy?
Alvarez: We mixed in Pro Tools. I’m always a fan of iZotope’s RX, which is useful for dialogue cleanup with mouth clicks and noise. My other favorite for this show was Slapper by Cargo Cult which is a surround plugin for delays. I heavily relied on it to give each music venue its appropriate acoustical sound.
Waters: Slapper for sure. A must.
You both typically work as a team. What are some other projects you’ve worked on together and why does this pairing work?
Alvarez: I love working with Matt. Previously, we teamed up for Only Murders in the Building, which landed us an Emmy. Since then, we’ve worked on other shows and films together, so there’s something to the chemistry. Matt has an easy going personality and an unending archive of anecdotes that make working in a dark studio a little lighter.
Waters: We love working together. We also mixed the Hilary Swank film Ordinary Angels together. Lindsey is not only super talented but also has a great spirit and is well on her way to an even more fantastic career. We try to have fun on the mix stage and create a safe place for everyone to have opinions to get the best track possible to tell the story.
What haven’t I asked about Daisy Jones & The Six that’s important?
Alvarez: It’s pretty incredible that this band actually performed and recorded together. I think that’s what makes this show so much fun to watch. The chemistry is palpable. There were countless times that we would blend performances shot on-set with pre-recorded performances, and that’s a testament to the band working so well together.
Not to mention, the editing feat for Amber Funk, our music editor, to make sure we had all the material and make sure it was in sync. It was, of course, another challenge for me to match the performances together but it keeps me on my toes, and I love that. I got into this business because of music, so anytime I get to relive those days, I happily welcome it.
Waters: I would also say that the entire team, including Mark Relyea, our sound supervisor, and the showrunners and music department were fantastic. Of course, the writing and the actors, but also, the set design and costumes were fantastic and gave us inspiration as well. When you have very talented people doing their best, it makes it fun to keep creating with the soundscape.
