September 26, 2002

I have a theory about the identity of Mixerman. I was tipped off that MM had worked on albums mastered by Dave Collins. The other clue was that MM began his career engineering/mixing hip-hop albums. A little research led me to the name Eric Sarafin, whose discography includes records by the Pharcyde and the Brand New Heavies. Another page had a quote from Sarafin that could easily describe MM's recording philosophy:

"There are plenty of things that can make you more valuable than [other studios], such as: A better sounding room. Being able to tune drums to sound great, maximizing guitar sounds and bass sounds. Understanding music, and recognizing weaknesses that can easily be fixed in a song. Understanding how to make a band or artist relax, or be agitated (whichever works best) enough to perform their best. Having a good head for sound, and the interaction of sound and frequencies. Understaning arrangement, and providing that understanding to your client. Understanding how to run a session smoothly and efficiently. Understanding song structure, rhyme structure, rhythmic structure, and what makes a great song. Understanding how to get the clients 'ear' or trust over time." - Eric Sarafin

Also: He's posted to rec.audio.pro over the past couple years (just like MM), and he hates ProTools (like MM). And this post to rec.audio.pro is VERY telling, if you've read the diaries:

>>I have
>> done edits on 2" for drums, which included 3 takes, and had over 100 edits
>> in the song.

More uncanniness:

-Both MM and ES have posted using the same ISP (worldnet.att.net).
-One newsgroup post said very plainly that ES has been known to post under a pseudonym.
-ES seems like a bit of a hothead.