You just can’t beat that moment, listening to a finished mix. Seeing a client happy with the result after all the time and effort that goes into producing and recording the piece is really rewarding. A lot goes into a great mix, not just technical skill. You need great raw material, a vision of where you want the mix go, and a knowledge of music history to inform that vision.

I’ve mixed a lot of music over the years, and I’ve seen many of my clients achieve great things with the mixes I’ve provided for them. Record deals, TV slots, national and international radio play, festival slots. A great mix can make all the difference.

I encourage clients to come to me with references to existing mixes that they like, so I can analyze those mixes and apply anything important to the work at hand. Some clients have a particular song, album, or genre that they are aiming to draw inspiration from. Of course I’m also happy to work to a blank canvas! Even if there is a definite target sound, I encourage clients to try some new things in the mix, as those deviations from a standard formula can really set your mix apart from the crowd.

THE MIXING PROCESS

I like to mix in 3 or 4 hour blocks, here in Whitespace, Dublin. After that the ears get tired so it is best to stop working. Initial mixes of songs usually take around 3 or 4 hours to finish. I give clients a WAV and high quality MP3 to listen to on their own systems. After some days listening, tweaks are usually required. This usually only takes an hour or so. The final mix is then supplied to the client as a WAV to take to be mastered. Overall it is usually a 4 or 5 hour process. Of course, more complex songs with lots of tracks and parts take longer, but that is a good rough guide.

PRICING

I charge €35 per hour for mixing. I do not operate on a fixed rate per song, as I have found there is a huge variation in the time required to do a proper professional mix depending on the complexity of the raw material. A simple rock song won’t take nearly as long as a Radiohead style, prog-rock opus. I encourage clients to come to the mixing sessions, to see where the time goes and to offer advice as we progress. It’s more fun for everyone that way!

MORE DETAIL

You can check out more mix related stuff over on my blog, I’ve tagged all the relevant mixing posts.