Has anyone paid a mixing engineer?

grn

Well-known member
If so - how did you find him or her and how did it go? I'm thinking about paying someone to mix my new record and while I know the end result will be worth it I don't know if I'd rather spend the money on promotion (this being my first solo effort) or the mix. I suspect the answer is the mix. I was going to get it mastered regardless.
 
Well...if you are unsure about mixing it yourself, and you're going to get it mastered anyway...then might as well give the mastering engineer a decent mix to work with.

Since you are going to get it mastered...if you have a mastering house in mind, why not ask them who they recommend for the mixing.

Not sure what you mean about spending money on promotion...like, what are you talking about money wise, and what type of promotion...but...if the mix isn't done well, then you're not going to want to promote it anyway, so I would say, get the mix right, and worry about promotion afterwards.

Oh...no, I've never paid anyone to mix, so I can't recommend anyone...but man, there are like a million studios that can do that for you...all depends on your budget. What is your budget for mixing and mastering of you don't mind saying...?
 
Less then half of those million studios don't give a shit. You will want to spend time finding an engineer (dare I say producer) that cares about your interests and has experience with your particular style of music. Otherwise you are better off mixing yourself. Well maybe... :)
 
the difference between a pro engineer and a noob faker is staggering ... make sure you find the right guy

listen to all the links the guy puts forward as his work,if that sounds average or lame ass,then that's how you will sound too ..

listed gear will give you an indication of his "status" ...



there are pro guys out there that will be way out of your price range,some of these might take you on at a budget price if they believe in your work ...



none of it makes any real difference if its tracked badly ...
 
the difference between a pro engineer and a noob faker is staggering ... Make sure you find the right guy

listen to all the links the guy puts forward as his work,if that sounds average or lame ass,then that's how you will sound too ..

Listed gear will give you an indication of his "status" ...



There are pro guys out there that will be way out of your price range,some of these might take you on at a budget price if they believe in your work ...



None of it makes any real difference if its tracked badly ...


this^^^^^
 
Yeah, in this day and age titles mean nothing.
I'd be seeking out the guy who didn't push down your throat the fact that he's a mix engineer, and the same goes with mastering too. (wouldn't have to look to far...hint)

Go on reputation and your ears...not pictures of big consoles which have been ripped straight from google.

As to what you need...it's hard, or impossible, to say without hearing something.
Is the tracking done? If not, are you confident that you can do it well?
Mixing isn't necessarily, or shouldn't be, fixing, so if that's a concern I'd find your mix engineer first and take as much advice as he'll give you with regard to tracking well.

It's a chain and every link relies on the previous.
 
I would still like to hear what kind of mixing and mastering budget the OP is talking about...as that seems to always be the deciding factor of where to go, what to do and what is good enough.
 
Lots of solid advice. I didn't want to pay more than a grand for mastering, but I will and I was just going to mix it myself (still might) and spend probably another few grand on promotion. If I have to I can invest time instead of money and pay for one song to be mixed at a time while the money comes in - looks like prices for a decent mix per song range from $200 to $400.

I'm okay with doing this because I spent the last six years or so playing about 200 shows a year, touring the east coast of the US with a band so I'm confident about making my money back in a couple years time. I intend to tour on this record as well and only hope to sell between 5 and 10k.

The only real problem I face is with the last two records I did with a group, not one mix engineer got it right. So I don't know how to find someone I trust within a budget.
 
The only real problem I face is with the last two records I did with a group, not one mix engineer got it right. So I don't know how to find someone I trust within a budget.

Are you able to identify the wrongness of the previous mixes. i.e. what it was about the mix that made you unhappy?

Are you able to determine why the mix engineer got it wrong? For example, did the engineer get clear and unambiguous directions? Was the engineer given examples of what to aim for? Was the engineer heeding the instructons? DId the engineer have the skills, ability and experience to actually create the sound you were seeking?
 
The only real problem I face is with the last two records I did with a group, not one mix engineer got it right. So I don't know how to find someone I trust within a budget.

All you can really do is judge on the personality and ask for previous mixes to reference in your own time and your own environment.
That's about all you can judge a guy on. Also, make sure your expectations are in place.
Sure, the guy should be working for you, but he'll always bring his own traits and influences in some way.
 
In order to pick a mix engineer, you need to have a very clear and explainable understanding of what you want the result to be. It also helps if you can find other songs that have the same vibe you are going for as examples.

Also, listen to sample songs that he has done. You should be able to hear the style of the engineer. For example, on rock and metal, I tend to mix very wide and aggressive. My mixes try to be larger than life and in your face.

If you want more of a "guys playing in a room" sort of production, or even a Coldplay "wash of keys with no dynamics" thing, that isn't what I'm good at.

Even though I'm capable of doing those things, doing it is working against my instincts and will probably take longer.


I didn't mean to make this all about me, bottom line is to find someone that seems to do what you are looking for.

Oh, and be realistic about what the tracks you recorded will be able to get turned into. Even if they are recorded well, the sounds might not be the ones that will achieve the result in your head.
 
Go on reputation and your ears...not pictures of big consoles which have been ripped straight from google.
How many people in this forum have found photos of their own consoles on some rando online mastering website? :D

I have been in a project that hired a mixer. We actually shopped one of our songs around to a few guys (I always feel dirty commissioning spec work...) until we found a guy who got results we liked. Then we've gone back to him for subsequent projects.

If your budget is $200-$400 per song, you've probably got some wiggle room to pay for a few sample mixes. Most engineers are willing to negotiate something.
One key thing to look out for is if they do any pre-mastering. If you're getting samples from few engineers and one runs the mix through a "make it louder" plugin, that mix may sound "better" on a first listen even if it isn't.
 
I used "fix your mix" once. The engineer was really talented and had done some great stuff as a producer/engineer. He did a good job with my song but I don't think it was much better than some of the mixes I find in the mp3 clinic. Which I think goes to show 1) some of the people here are more talented than we might realize and 2) the recording/production has more of an impact on a song than the mix. So if I were to spend money again and I had to pick between a recording engineer and a mixing engineer, I'd have an engineer do the recording in a proper studio and just mix myself.
 
The only real problem I face is with the last two records I did with a group, not one mix engineer got it right. So I don't know how to find someone I trust within a budget.

You can set expectations early on by providing a reference track or your own rough mix for direction. Then use a mix engineer willing to listen to your feedback and work with you on any revisions.
 
If I'm given no instructions or direction, I will simply go where the sound of the tracks take me. If my interpretation isn't the expectation, it's not really my fault.

Always give reference tracks, descriptions of the type of production you are looking for, or be prepared to waste a lot of time.

This discussion reminds me of a band that was in my studio a long, long time ago. They show up with a Gretch drum kit, a 5150 half stack, and a galien kruegar bass amp. I recorded the whole thing and started mixing it, making it thick and dark. They weren't happy...they wanted it to sound like Pantera. Pantera sound the exact opposite of the equipment and sounds they walked in with. Needless to say, we had to re-record the guitars and trigger the kick, but it ended up sounding like they wanted...eventually.
 
I was going to get it mastered regardless.
Meaning you would do the mix? Then why not the mastering as well? At least give it a shot.


Less then half of those million studios don't give a shit. You will want to spend time finding an engineer (dare I say producer) that cares about your interests and has experience with your particular style of music. Otherwise you are better off mixing yourself. Well maybe... :)
I don't think you meant to include the word "don't" there. ;) As for finding someone who "cares," many can SAY they do and put on a good show, but it's a crap shoot as to whether they really do or not. IMO probably the best thing to do, as with most things, is find someone you trust (or a degree or two of separation, ie someone they trust etc) who has used someone they were happy with.

Failing that, or even if not, IMO if the OP has the gear and even moderate expertise, it's a no-brainer to at least try the mixing himself. Unless he has lots of $ he can afford to toss to mixing.



the difference between a pro engineer and a noob faker is staggering ... make sure you find the right guy

listen to all the links the guy puts forward as his work,if that sounds average or lame ass,then that's how you will sound too ..

listed gear will give you an indication of his "status" ...


there are pro guys out there that will be way out of your price range,some of these might take you on at a budget price if they believe in your work ...

none of it makes any real difference if its tracked badly ...
I agree w/everything but the bolded part. Anyone can buy fancy gear. By itself it means nothing in terms of expertise. In fact, some mighty fine engineers don't feel or have the need to go all fancy on top-end gear to do a great job.
 
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