Blake Bunzel

SOUND MIXER

Blake Bunzel

NUGEN Audio helps mix technician Blake Bunzel deliver reliable, spec-perfect mixes

From sitcoms to fantasy series

Mix Technician Blake Bunzel has built his career on precision, clarity and reliability; three qualities that he says are perfectly matched by the NUGEN Audio plug‑ins that anchor his workflow. From dialog‑driven comedies to effects‑heavy fantasy series, Bunzel uses NUGEN solutions daily to ensure every mix meets spec and every story lands exactly as intended.

Bunzel came into post‑production through music. After years of playing in bands and mixing music, he transitioned into post as a music editor, where he learned the fundamentals of editorial workflows. His career took a major turn when his mentor, Re‑recording Mixer John Cook, encouraged him to join a major studio’s post-production team.

Since then, Bunzel has supported Cook and other mixers on a wide range of high-profile projects across broadcast and streaming, for which NUGEN Audio plug‑ins have become essential. One of Bunzel’s recurring challenges is maintaining clarity and consistency on a dialog‑heavy series, which he’s able to address with VisLM, NUGEN’s industry‑standard loudness metering tool.

“The goal is always to make sure everything’s clear and that all the jokes are punching,” says Bunzel. “With minimal background elements and a strong emphasis on comedic timing, loudness accuracy becomes critical. I’m just 100-percent relying on VisLM. It’s always been the standard for us. Whether mixing a quiet, intimate scene or a lively, high-energy sporting sequence, VisLM ensures every moment stays within spec.”

Quality and quantity

Dialog Check - Find Out More

While some projects demand precision, others require scale. Bunzel frequently works on effects‑ and music‑heavy episodic content that presents a very different mixing challenge — one he says NUGEN tools are uniquely suited to handle. “There’s so much happening in those types of shows,” he notes. “It’s my job to make sure we are hitting spec.”

For this, Bunzel relies heavily on NUGEN Audio DialogCheck, which helps verify intelligibility even in dense, high‑energy scenes. “DialogCheck is something you can constantly refer to, not necessarily using it as a ‘Bible,’ but as a second set of ears,” Bunzel adds. “When there’s an explosion happening and somebody’s yelling, you can use that to know what the algorithms are telling you.”

Bunzel also uses the brand’s LM‑Correct to normalize guide tracks before mixing begins. Picture editors often deliver temp mixes at inconsistent levels, and LM‑Correct helps establish a clean starting point. “It gets you in the ballpark, so you can A/B against something that’s already in spec,” Bunzel explains.

Many of the episodic projects Bunzel supports require him to hit two separate loudness targets — a dialogue‑weighted -27 LKFS and a program‑weighted -24 LKFS. “It’s a challenge to work that out over many days of mixing,” Bunzel notes.

“NUGEN has been huge in making sure those are met. It’s just as crucial as using Pro Tools.”

Old dogs, but with new tricks

Halo Upmix - Find Out More

Bunzel also works on extended‑cut versions of legacy comedy content, which blends archival stems with newly added material. This requires careful loudness management to maintain consistency with the original mixes. “It’s always so much fun to open those back up,” he says. “NUGEN is huge in making sure we’re still flying the plane straight.”

When it comes to NUGEN, Bunzel says the value goes beyond features. “It’s about the confidence the plug-ins provide,” he continues. “There’s no second‑guessing when you use the brand’s software; they work every time. With shrinking budgets and tight TV schedules, reliability is non‑negotiable. The plug-ins are also very intuitive. They’re not menu‑diving; everything’s right in front of you. Presets for platforms like Netflix and Amazon help streamline setup, while tools like Halo Upmix offer creative flexibility for score and ambience.”

Equally important is NUGEN’s reputation. “Everybody I’ve worked with always says, ‘You need VisLM,’ ” he notes. “If the NUGEN Audio name is attached, there’s going to be time and effort put into it to ensure an editing team has access to the solution.”

Bunzel credits Cook for introducing him to NUGEN years ago. Today, the tools are central to his workflow both in real‑time mixing and offline verification. After four years of daily use, his verdict is simple: “The brand’s plug‑ins check all the boxes.”