FAQ

Communication, communication, communication.

Before you even send me the stems, we’ll have a call to discuss your goals for the record. What are your inspirations? What are the references? What do you like about the demo in its current form, and what do you think could be improved?

I take your notes and jump into the first pass of the mix. It’s a little bit like sculpting a block of marble into a statue: The broader gestures and energy should hopefully be there in that first pass, but there may be a few details you hear that I don’t and vice versa, and now we’ll concentrate on those.

I offer two rounds of revisions. Two rounds of notes, I’ve found, is the perfect balance between getting the details right but not over-polishing the record. If additional mix revisions are necessary, I can handle those on an hourly basis.

Every artist has a different workflow depending on the genre and how you record music, so don’t worry if what I write below is scary or confusing. I can walk you through how to prepare the files.

The assets I typically need for mixing are:

1. Labeled, time-aligned stems of the session at the highest resolution possible (e.g. 24-bit WAV)

2. Vocals both with and without processing. If you record with Autotune, you’ll want to print those files with Autotune turned on.

3. The demo mix (whatever you’ve been listening to non-stop before you turned it over to me!)

The assets I typically need for mastering are:

1. Final Mix in 24-bit WAV format with and without additional any processing on the master buss

2. Instrumental Mix in 24-bit WAV format with and without any additional processing on the master buss

3. Vocal Only Mix in 24-bit WAV format with and without any additional processing on the master buss

4. All files should have at least -6dB headroom

Unfortunately, the short answer is no.

This is something that I used to offer but (more often than not) I found that it ended up being counterproductive. I understand that as an artist it can be re-assuring to hear your track on the same set of speakers as the mix-engineer, and make sure that the mix-engineer is listening to your vision/concerns in real-time. However, after clients listened back to the mixes on their personal monitoring situation, revision lists would get longer and clients would end up, more or less, wanting to revert overall tonal quality and levels to something closer to the original.

…and it makes sense. It takes more than listening through some references for a couple minutes to really get a feel for a specific room and set of monitors.

I’m always more than happy to get on a call to clear up any notes you have in your revisions.

That being said, once we’ve signed off on a final mix and you’d still like to hear the final mix in my room (on the Augsburger monitors) we can discuss an hourly studio rate. During this meet-up we can make small level changes and/or tweaks.

Before I begin mixing there are a few steps that ensure the mixing process is smooth and streamlined.

“Comping” refers to the process of selecting the best performance from a set of takes. This can be a very personal process that should be handled by the artist and/or producer.

Depending on the style of the track, you might have some doubled vocals, and/or harmony vocals. In order to have your track be competitive with other releases in a “vocal forward” style you might want to consider aligning the doubles. This can be done manually by nudging, BUT the most efficient way is to use plugins such as Vocalign Pro or Revoice Pro. This is done to make sure that all the vocals are glued together. If you have several layered vocal takes that aren’t aligned you’d notice that it might get distracting when there are subtle timing difference.

“Tuning” refers to pitch correcting vocals. Obviously this is a very stylistic choice. On one end of the spectrum you’ve got the full-on T-Pain, or “808 and Heartbreaks” Auto-Tune which should be printed on the stems you send over if this is your desired sound. For this style of vocal I understand how much of this is a part of the performance. On the other end, you’ve got the transparent Auto-Tune that is there to elevate the vocals, and keep them consistent. I personally find that every vocal can gain from some subtle tuning, especially when doubles, and harmonies are involved.

As I mentioned earlier, comping should be handled by the artist producer, however I am more that competent/proficient to take care of these other tasks. Let me know if this is something you think will be necessary, and we can discuss a rate that reflects the amount of time these edits will take.

When I send you back a mix, the first thing you need to do is listen to the mix at least five to ten times and let your ears adjust. If you’ve been living with your demo for a while, sometimes the smallest changes in the mix can make you squirm on first listen. That’s OK! It’s part of the process. Giving your ears some time to adjust lets you assess the new mix more objectively.

This is the only question I want you to be focusing on at first: Does this mix make me feel something? This is how most people engage with music, not paying close attention to the details but rather to the broader feeling the record brings them. Keep your focus on the big picture. Don’t get caught in the weeds.

I include a link to a private Google doc where we can share notes – both broad notes about the mix itself and specific notes about certain moments in the record. I’ve found that revisions go smoothest when each note is clear and actionable. Time stamps (e.g. “@ 2:35”), clear direction (e.g. “guitar could be louder here”), and references if applicable (e.g. “delay sort of like 3:10 in this Big Sean record”).

It’s best practice to get revision notes back to me within 24 hours. If you have other people on your team giving notes, make sure you consolidate and clear up any contradicting feedback!

Mixing is ultimately a creative task. There are going to be certain decisions I make that will positively thrill you, and others that you simply just don’t like. All that is OK! You never have to worry about hurting my feelings. The back-and-forth is what’s exciting to me. It’s how I learn how to hear the world through your ears.

With my current schedule, I usually have an initial mix for a singular track within 3 business days after our initial call.

If for some reason, it takes longer (a larger than average track count, or I’m out on vacation) I’ll make sure to let you know.

I love working across full projects. It gives an album a certain level of consistency that can really have an impact on the listener.

Before I take on full projects, I like to work on one key single with you before we move into the others. This gives both of us a chance to see how we like working together before we commit to the full statement of work.

Once you’ve signed off on the mix or mixes, I deliver the following:

-final mix with reference limiting (i.e. the mix with my mastering processing)

-final mixed version with -6dB headroom in 24-bit stereo WAV format

-instrumental version with -6dB headroom in 24-bit stereo WAV format

-vocals only version with -6dB headroom in 24-bit stereo WAV format

-mixed stems in 24-bit WAV format

If you or your record label have additional deliverable requirements, let me know and we can coordinate.

I can accommodate both independent and major label projects. If you are signed to a major label, chances are I am already in their various payment systems and it’s fairly straightforward.

For independent artists and labels, I accept pretty much all major payment options (no crypto). I ask for 50% payment to begin the work, and request the remainder upon completion. I don’t send final deliverable files until I have received the balance of the invoice.

Although rare, this does happen. That being said, I still expect to be paid in full, as I allotted time in my schedule to complete this mix to the best of my ability. Most often, clients reach out to me because they’ve heard something I’ve mixed in the past, so this usually means they have an idea of my style and approach.

This is one reason I recommend that I mix one track to completion before I work on a complete project. I find my rates are very reasonable if you happen to have reservations on my mix, and decide to work with somebody else.

I reserve the right to step away from a project at any point if it is in our best interest. This might be because I find that our visions don’t align, or that it seems like I’m not the mixer for a specific project. I will make sure to send the mixes, and stems for the track(s) from the point where we left off. Feel free to use these stems moving forward, or as a reference for the next mix engineer.