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I often hear horror stories when meeting musicians and recording artist about how they spent hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars to have one song mixed by an engineer only to have the final results sound like complete crap. When I inquire into how they chose the engineer in question, they generally tell me they took the word of the engineer who recorded them that he was more than capable of doing a great job. Obviously this was not the case. What most artists don't understand is, not every engineer can do everything. The saying, "jack of all trades, master of none" really comes into play here. Some engineers are very good at just recording, hence the term 'recording engineer.' Some of those recording engineers actually have the talent to turn around a decent rough mix, while some of them absolutely do not. The sound that most artists are seeking is what most of us hear on the radio today. It's a level of clarity, aesthetics, and sonic quality that the majority of the industry entrusts in the hands of a seasoned mixing engineer. A mixing engineer, in general, is dedicated to just one thing... Mixing and delivering a stellar product to market, making the artist and label happy. The best mixing engineers have developed ears over the years to discern exactly how a song should sound and do it in a tasteful manner. So hopefully this guide will give you some insight as to what you should ask yourself and the engineer before forking over a mortgage payment for your mixing and mastering services. 1) IS MY SONG REALLY READY TO BE MIXED? Many artists think the quality of a record happens in the mix. In reality, it starts at the beginning with the production and arrangement. It's important to understand that an amazing sounding song is predicated on each and every step before it. If the beginning of the chain is week, the whole song will be week. If the beginning is solid and strong, everything else that follows will only make it stronger. In other words, a great Master only happens if there's a great Mix. A great Mix only happens if there are great Recordings. Great Recordings only happen if the Production and Arrangement are great. Mixing will not save any of the prior steps if they are done poorly. Insert cliche phrase here, "you can't polish a turd." 2) DOES THE ENGINEER SPECIALIZE IN MIXING? I cannot stress this enough. Not every engineer is a mixer. When the recording engineer at the studio you booked to record asks if you want your song mixed, say no until you investigate further using the rest of these questions. A great mix is a marriage between artistic and technical proficiency. The engineer mixing it must have the aesthetics and taste that only come with a dedication to mixing records. Not every engineer has ears developed for the nuanced details required for mixing. 3) DOES THE ENGINEER HAVE EXAMPLES OF THEIR WORK? The great thing about choosing a mix engineer is that you have ears, put them to use. Find out if they have examples of their mixes. I would be very concerned if they didn’t. I personally would never hire someone for a job unless I was absolutely certain they would do a great job. 4) ARE ANY OF THE EXAMPLES IN THE SAME GENRE AS MY MUSIC? Not every mixer can mix every genre. An engineer who mixes mostly Country and Rock may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable mixing Hip-Hop or EDM. Some mixers can mix practically anything. If they don’t have examples in your style of music, you may want to be cautious and continue searching. 5) DO THE EXAMPLES MATCH THE SONIC QUALITY OF COMMERCIAL HITS? So, they have examples of their work and you believe they sound good. But, can their mix stand up to the level of quality that the top artists in the music industry possess? Audio plays all kinds of psychoacoustic mind games and can trick the human ear very easily. I recommend you play back their mix examples back to back with commercial records you like that are on the radio and that you see on the Billboard charts. Afterall, these artists are your competition. 6) ARE MY VOCALS IN TUNE OR DO THEY NEED PITCH CORRECTION? I personally believe the vocals are the most important part in a song. They convey emotion greater than any other element. Make sure you record multiple takes and keep the best ones. If your best efforts are slightly off pitch, don’t worry about it. As long as there’s real feeling their, I don’t mind sacrificing perfect pitch. It can be corrected. 7) DOES THE MIX ENGINEER OFFER PITCH CORRECTION? Pitch correction is not really the responsibility of the mixer. Many artists have their vocals pitch corrected by someone who specializes in that field. But not everyone has access to someone like this. If your vocals need pitch correction, make sure the mix engineer offers it and that they’re good at it. 8) DO I HAVE A ROUGH MIX OF MY SONG? I always say, if you gave one song to a thousand different mixers, you would get back a thousand different mixes. Many mix engineers require a rough mix for a reason. They need to hear the song you’ve heard a hundred times while creating it. They need a road map to know the direction you’re trying to take the record. They weren’t there creating with you, so they have no idea that the bass in the second verse is really important to you. A rough mix gives the mixer understanding. 9) DOES THE MIX ENGINEER REQUIRE A DEPOSIT? Most engineers require a deposit of 30-50% of the total cost of the mix before they will begin working on your record. This insures both parties are protected. It proves to the engineer that you’re a serious client, and gives you peace of mind that they will deliver a finished product. 10) DOES THE ENGINEER OFFER MIX REVISIONS? Most mix engineers do revisions. If you find one who doesn’t...run! If you agree to their terms, you will be stuck with whatever they deliver. Some mixers offer a limited amount of revisions, with additional costs for more. Many world class mixers don’t place a limit on revisions. They’ll tweak until the client and label is happy. Because it’s all about the artist’s song, not the engineer’s ego. If you find yourself requesting too many revisions, it may be best to look at what you’re trying to conceive and determine if it’s feasible or give it to a new mixer.
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AuthorMy name is Rob and I'm a music producer in love with creating beautiful sounds. ArchivesCategories |