Needing A Mixing Engineer

ChrisKY

New member
Hey guys, I am in the process of currently recording my rock band. Now I'm not in the band myself but I'm their mixing engineer however, I seriously need to get up with someone who's been doing this for years and knows how to make everything mix correctly.

Of course I will travel wherever I need to but I want to be right beside them when I work on this project due to the fact I am a perfectionist. I've recorded 5 songs that I have recently copyrighted with them and we are working on more, I have a budget for $500-$800 to complete so this won't be for free or anything like that.

I just personally can't get what I hear in my head out on Logic Pro X. If you're willing or very interested in this project please feel free to contact me at chriscressky@gmail.com or post a comment below. I really appreciate it!!
 
Here's an idea. Find someone with Logic Pro X to mix the project. They can send you copies of the session files so you can listen to their work, see what they did in Logic and make specific suggestions. Or export stems and do the same in Reaper. That would give you the detailed input without the travel.

I'm not sure $500-$800 will cover it. Where I work that would get you 3 or 4 songs.
 
... I'm their mixing engineer however, I seriously need to get up with someone who's been doing this for years and knows how to make everything mix correctly.

....

I just personally can't get what I hear in my head out on Logic Pro X.

Not that it really matters here...but you should probably refer to yourself as their producer instead of as their "mixing engineer".
Producers generally act as the "guiding light", but often have a mix engineer executing what the producer hears in his head because the producer may not be fully versed in the technology or have the skills to do it himself.

Being in Kentucky...the big music biz hub in Nashville is not that far from you...but like BSG said, you may only get 3-4 songs for your budget...but, you may also get a lot of knowledge too, and then maybe you can do the rest yourself...?
Oh...lot's of place will charge more for you to sit there..only because they then have to schedule the mixing time. When they can do it at their leisure, they have more flexibility.

All that said...why not post a couple of tunes over in the MP3 Clinic on this site, and identify what it is you like and don't like about them. Maybe you can get enough tips here so you can continue on your own without the need for hiring out.
Also...there are people here who can mix things for you (again, put up some samples)...but the whole "being there" thing will be awkward for them, since the studios are private, in their homes...and it's just not accommodating for anyone being there.
Still, you can do a lot via internet...it's easy enough to pass files back and forth.
 
Is it an issue of not being used to logic? I mean if that's the case just bounce it into the DAW of your choice.

Maybe I misunderstood though.
 
Is it an issue of not being used to logic? I mean if that's the case just bounce it into the DAW of your choice.

Maybe I misunderstood though.

It is if he wants to be able to play around with the session after the final mix has been printed and released.
 
It is if he wants to be able to play around with the session after the final mix has been printed and released.


Yea I would love to be able to do whatever I wanted to it after the final mix was done and released. I just need a very experienced Mix engineer that can follow my vision for what I need to be done with the music but with there own skills of course. I want to learn from the experience as well so I mean I don't necessarily need to be in the room but like a Skype during the mixing would be awesome! Either way Skype or not I still am willing to pay for someone to work on one of our songs that was recently copyrighted. If anyone is interested please feel free to contact me on here or chriscressky@gmail.com
 
I hope you find someone who works well with you but if you're struggling maybe consider splitting up your achievements.

Wanting full constant control and input, an education, final mixes, and the ability to go in and have full control of the sessions after the fact screams nightmare to me.
I'd want about £5000 per track for that. ;)

Don't get me wrong, I understand your position and maybe you'll find someone, but it might be easier to find an engineer who does his thing and does it in such a way that you're happy.
As a separate endeavour, maybe find someone to train you?

I'm only speaking for myself, but just sharing my perspective.
 
I'm with Steen. For that I would charge an arm and a leg. You have to remember that mixing isn't just a technical exercise, but an artistic one as well. Having someone standing over you and micromanaging everything you do will just be a frustrating experience that will end up with a poor result.

It would be much better to let the mix engineer do his thing, tweak as necessary to get the result that you want, then deconstruct what was done after the fact.

This is why it would be good to find someone who uses Logic. He could then send you the session of the mix, and you can open it up and see what was done.

I have done that with some clients. I have no problem answering questions about how and why I have done something, after I have done it. But if someone was asking these questions every step of the way, it would pull me out of the creative head-space necessary to create a good mix. Which would be frustrating for everyone involved.
 
Not at all.

The reason you hire a mix engineer is because you like the way they mix, and you want that sort of result. If you try to hire someone to do everything exactly like you would do it, it defeats the purpose.

There is a time and a place or everything, it all shouldn't be done at once.

When I mix other people's stuff, I will ask for references of things they like the sound of, create a mix in that direction, then send it to the client for tweaks and suggestions. Rinse, repeat. I and my alone during the mixing process, always. Then I tweak things with the client. Then, once the client is happy with everything, I do and final cleanup and send them the master mix.
 
Everyone who has replied to this, I appreciate all information and guidance! I'm with steen as well on that part. I never really thought about hovering over someone...i just more or less would like to be around to make sure when it needs to be tweeked I could give the guidance in real time instead of email or whatever. I completely agree with allowing the mix engineer do his part, I wouldn't be picking at everything while they do their job. I just would love the experience of more or less job shadowing until I needed to critic what needed to be critic. I hope that kinda explains my position a little bit better
 
You remember how your mother used to kick you out of the kitchen on thanksgiving when she was cooking?
The rule was always unless you're actually useful with exactly what she wanted done, get the hell out.

Mixing is the same way.
:D
 
What is inevitable in many studio situations is that the engineer is going to try and please the client. That is just their nature, they are service people first and foremost. I try to stay immune to this tendency myself, but it is very difficult. Most of my clients understand that my standards are far higher and more informed than theirs, and that the best thing to do is just stay away and see what I come up with. If I am trying to please myself, the game changes radically. With the ease of recall offered by the DAW, any mix can be recalled and tweaked so easily, and I think you are better served just letting someone do their thing with this simple guideline....Make it sound awesome, man. It will be cheaper, quicker, and even if you don't get to watch and learn, after all, this is not the usual duty of a mixer, and all you will do is slow down the process and negatively impact it. After you get what you want, or reasonably close, and have paid the toll, most people are more than happy to share their techniques or tricks with a paying client. But breathing down their neck and trying to guide someone when they know far more than you is to just mess the workflow up with no advantage.....
 
Nothing kills my creativity and motivation like a client hung up on details at the beginning of the mix process. It's frustrating to deal with questions, requests and suggestions like "turn those two words up there", "pan that just slightly more to the left" and "you're going to put reverb on my voice, right?" when you haven't even sorted out basic level and tone settings. If you must have input at that point in the process then mix it yourself.
 
Although I am a "rookie" at this, completing my first project, there is no way I could have done this with the artist/band over my shoulder. First off, we were dealing with a very imperfect mix, and a ton of time had to go into to first just fixing the dang thing to even make it "mixable". Then what I learned is how incredibly interrelated everything I did was. I can't just "turn that up" or "make that more like this", because it throws off the balance of the whole thing.

It's really fun though, when I do get great feedback from the artist that respects the process. On the current mix we are working on, they do give me feedback, but it is based on the end result they want to hear, not micro guesses on how to get it. The last one was "sounds good but it overall sounds a bit 'thin', can we get some more 'beefy roundess'".

Now that's feedback I can work with!! Good thing I have that "BeefyRounder" plug-in ;-)
 
Home recording is a bit different in that often times a two input interface is all that's needed. If you have a lot of tracks i can see where mixing could be a nightmare.

Hoeever, recording a band with an analog style workflow can be pretty smooth and fast

A good band in a room going through a console to tape (or DAW) practially mixes itself.

Even setting up headphone mixes are getting you closer to the final mix.

The band is always involved, and they have a good vision on the final outcome.

It's imortant in my veiw to take notes, either on paper or in your head. But you as an engineer are taking notice of what the band likes and/or doesn't like.

By the time tracking and overdubs are done, pretty much everyone is on the same page.

Then you send them home with a rough. Give it a day for the band to comment on changes or what they like, then get to work mixing.

While my mixes may not be Grammy award winners, the bands I've worked with have all been happy.

For me, the mix starts at the arranging and tracking and it just builds from there. Everyone is involved in the process up till final mixdown

Then they all get kicked out. Lol :D
 
Everyone who has replied to this, I appreciate all information and guidance! I'm with steen as well on that part. I never really thought about hovering over someone...i just more or less would like to be around to make sure when it needs to be tweeked I could give the guidance in real time instead of email or whatever. I completely agree with allowing the mix engineer do his part, I wouldn't be picking at everything while they do their job. I just would love the experience of more or less job shadowing until I needed to critic what needed to be critic. I hope that kinda explains my position a little bit better

There are two distinct requests here - one to mix the product for you, one to train. Doing one while trying to accomplish the other is going to cause one (or both) of those to suffer.

Plus, each engineer has their own style and tools. The basics of how to EQ, compress, etc can be learned for free on youtube, once past that it's all preference and style (that's where the 'art' comes into the mixing process). So you'll only be learning how one particular engineer approaches their craft.

It sounds like you really want more basic/fundamentals training, so I'd suggest getting your butt on youtube and start finding tutorials that answer questions you have. Or start asking questions on this forum. Maybe use one of the songs you're working on as a test subject, then compare it to the finished product you'll have later from the engineer. Then maybe they'll even field a few questions about how they got this or that to sound the way they did (and you did not).

While I always do some back and forth with an artist when doing mixes, in general it's more a situation of completing a first blush mix and then having them provide some very general guidance from there. During those first hours with the mix a lot of mundane stuff occurs as has been previously explained. Your interest should be in those later modifications, as most of the earlier adjustments and readying of the tracks is just applying fundamental mixing principles. The magic if you want to call it that is getting specific problems resolved and balancing things so mastering isn't a nightmare. That happens later in process.
 
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