Hi folks.
Quick question for those of you who mix/master for a living ... if such a thing is even possible.
How did you attract those first paying clients???
How did you get started?
I've taken some courses, I have good ears, invested in some software/gear and learned how to use it. Most important, I love the work!! I'm confident that I'm ok at it, and getting better. But now that the mixing course is over, I'm feeling like I'm going nowhere.
I'm worried that it's me, kinda peeing against the tide... or rather, me against everybody else with a home-based set-up, yelling into the overwhelming din of the internet, trying to be heard.
In your opinion, should I be pitching my services to bands/artists directly?
Should I approach established big studios, in the hope that they might have some extra work they can farm out to me?
Since I'm blind, I need to use tools that are accessible to me. (Sonar, various plug-ins etc.) I can't just go into a studio and use their Pro Tools rig. Would they be glad to have another pair of ears around the place, anyway??
I'm hoping that in this day and age, it is possible to do this remotely ... get tracks, mix and/or master them, return them to client, send DDP to plant, etc.
I was thinking of putting Craigslist adds in some of the major markets ... NYC, LA, Toronto, London etc.
Or, is there somewhere else more targeted I should be promoting myself? Do people even bother with Myspace?
I'm already bothering lots of smaller indie artists on Facebook ... no nibbles yet.
I will not work for free. Too many of my musician friends pay for nothing, or for "exposure" and a free beer.
But what to charge? What do some of you charge for your time/skills? Contact me privately if you don't want to divulge that here.
Trying to put a value on my time and skills, I'm thinking about $30 an hour for mixing. If a mix took me, for example, 5 hours - probably unrealistically short - that works out to $150 a song, say $1,500 an album-length project, flat rate. Is that a great deal for someone? Or ... hey, i'll mix/master your album for $2K. Reasonable? Or should I be doing whatever I can to undercut everyone, just to get work?
I don't want to be the next music guy to have no business smarts, and I haven't yet found my sharon Osbourne. *shudder*
Sample mixes, all course assignments:
File Name: 6-Silent Water.mp3
File Size: 5.1 MB
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/8ik8pj
File Name: Assignment 10 - How To Be A Woman(Chris Smart).mp3
File Size: 6.8 MB
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/2qg3po
File Name: Assignment 8 - When I'm Gone(Chris Smart-mix2).mp3
File Size: 7 MB
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/od93lb
File Name: Don't Wanna Know.mp3
File Size: 11.8 MB
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/9ahttb
File Name: Half Awake(Chris Smart-mix3).mp3
File Size: 7.8 MB
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/044b2j
File Name: Loved(Chris Smart-mix2).mp3
File Size: 7.6 MB
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/wzp2vi
Thanks for any opinions on all the above!
Chris
Quick question for those of you who mix/master for a living ... if such a thing is even possible.
How did you attract those first paying clients???
How did you get started?
I've taken some courses, I have good ears, invested in some software/gear and learned how to use it. Most important, I love the work!! I'm confident that I'm ok at it, and getting better. But now that the mixing course is over, I'm feeling like I'm going nowhere.
I'm worried that it's me, kinda peeing against the tide... or rather, me against everybody else with a home-based set-up, yelling into the overwhelming din of the internet, trying to be heard.
In your opinion, should I be pitching my services to bands/artists directly?
Should I approach established big studios, in the hope that they might have some extra work they can farm out to me?
Since I'm blind, I need to use tools that are accessible to me. (Sonar, various plug-ins etc.) I can't just go into a studio and use their Pro Tools rig. Would they be glad to have another pair of ears around the place, anyway??
I'm hoping that in this day and age, it is possible to do this remotely ... get tracks, mix and/or master them, return them to client, send DDP to plant, etc.
I was thinking of putting Craigslist adds in some of the major markets ... NYC, LA, Toronto, London etc.
Or, is there somewhere else more targeted I should be promoting myself? Do people even bother with Myspace?
I'm already bothering lots of smaller indie artists on Facebook ... no nibbles yet.
I will not work for free. Too many of my musician friends pay for nothing, or for "exposure" and a free beer.
But what to charge? What do some of you charge for your time/skills? Contact me privately if you don't want to divulge that here.
Trying to put a value on my time and skills, I'm thinking about $30 an hour for mixing. If a mix took me, for example, 5 hours - probably unrealistically short - that works out to $150 a song, say $1,500 an album-length project, flat rate. Is that a great deal for someone? Or ... hey, i'll mix/master your album for $2K. Reasonable? Or should I be doing whatever I can to undercut everyone, just to get work?
I don't want to be the next music guy to have no business smarts, and I haven't yet found my sharon Osbourne. *shudder*
Sample mixes, all course assignments:
File Name: 6-Silent Water.mp3
File Size: 5.1 MB
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/8ik8pj
File Name: Assignment 10 - How To Be A Woman(Chris Smart).mp3
File Size: 6.8 MB
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/2qg3po
File Name: Assignment 8 - When I'm Gone(Chris Smart-mix2).mp3
File Size: 7 MB
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/od93lb
File Name: Don't Wanna Know.mp3
File Size: 11.8 MB
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/9ahttb
File Name: Half Awake(Chris Smart-mix3).mp3
File Size: 7.8 MB
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/044b2j
File Name: Loved(Chris Smart-mix2).mp3
File Size: 7.6 MB
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/wzp2vi
Thanks for any opinions on all the above!
Chris