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paying for mix down and matering

hey i got my first track done since ive been down here in LA, and i found someone who can mix down and master it. they said $400 us. what do you guys think about that

also what are some thing i should be aware of when looking to get this done?. This is all very new to me

$400 seems rather steep for one track. I've seen some reputable (and not-so-reputable) services online who can do it for a fraction of the cost.

One of the biggest things to look out for is experience. Has this guy mixed and mastered trance before? Or is he only used to a certain genre (eg thrash metal).

good piont thats what i was thinking about, where could i go to get this done, website??

i need the individual tracks EQed leveled with each other right, then the master mix

Mixdowns are trickier, and that's probably where most of the cost is coming from.

The thing with mixdowns is being able to provide the engineer your song in the format he/she supports. Some engineers prefer mechanical methods such as ADAT, where some will only use a DAW like ProTools or Logic. They very seldom will mix a track down in Reason for you, in fact you will probably be required to export each channel in it's raw state (ie no effects).

To be honest it would be easier and cheaper for you to self-contain your reason project and let a friend who is more experienced with Reason to do a better job for you.

man do it urself using for example something like IZotope Ozone its so simple and it has some presets. You dont ahve to make it vinyl ready as there are people at record labels who do this job u just have to make it sound good

i would have thought you will get to sit in with the engineer and tell him what you want as far as the mixing is concerned. be aware that if you are not present during the mixing then the track will end up sounding how the engineers thinks it should sound. you can be there asking things to be more prominant and then he can get it as balanced as he can while making it sound how you want it to.

if you get a few hours sat in a decent studio, with a professional engineer, then the price is justified. and if it is within your money situation then you should go for it. but remember that it is always good to learn how to mix tracks yourself. otherwise you will need this guy for every track you wanna complete...

make sure you get to hear some of his work beforehand

$400 seems way too steep for one track. That guy better be the best in the business for that price. You definately would want to be present at the studio to oversee the process, especially at that price. I've seen much more reasonable prices online for mixing and mastering. You'd probably get the same result, or better.

I think it would be cheaper, and more convenient for you if you learn how to EQ and mix your own tracks. Even I was able to get the hang of it. If you just don't have the time, I understand, but I think you would find it worthwhile to learn. You can still pay someone to master your tracks, or get a friend to do it. You can get tracks mastered online for $25 a pop. It's usually better to get someone else to master your tracks anyway, because they will be listening to it with fresh ears.

That's pretty steep if the track isn't being signed to a "major" label and it's just for you, although I'm sure the quality would be worth the money. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative with the same quality, if not more IMO, check out http://www.purefocus.ca They're very affordable and have amazing results (the site has before/after samples).

Why not just get better at mixing, then let someone master your track for you, such as www.emasters.co.uk
400$ is a lot for a track.

thanks for the advice everyone. i actually just mixed down and mastered my first track that i feel good about. i had it sounding good on my computer but when i burnt it to disc and played it in the car it was alot diffrent, so i had to go back and forth like 8 times burning then listening , then changing burning and listening. but i finally got it just about perfect. but this took we almost a week to do.

maybe i just need proper monitors im using stupid computer speaker now and there way to bassy

yeah i dont think im gonna bother with this guy. he works at guitar center in LA, if any is familiar with that place.

i will check these online sites out, they look like there geared more for dance music, i dont think this guy does that type.

thanks guys

quote:

Originally posted by richg101 i would have thought you will get to sit in with the engineer and tell him what you want as far as the mixing is concerned. be aware that if you are not present during the mixing then the track will end up sounding how the engineers thinks it should sound. you can be there asking things to be more prominant and then he can get it as balanced as he can while making it sound how you want it to. if you get a few hours sat in a decent studio, with a professional engineer, then the price is justified. and if it is within your money situation then you should go for it. but remember that it is always good to learn how to mix tracks yourself. otherwise you will need this guy for every track you wanna complete...

Thanks. Since EDM is a highly "do-it-yourself" environment, many people don't understand or necessitate having something like this done professionally. $400 in LA sounds about average. I'm sure you can probably find somebody who will do it for less. It also depends on how much work is involved. Any online joint can slap your tracks together for $25, but what are you getting for it? My guess is something that sounds like you could have done it home for cheaper.

I'm an audio engineer by trade and the mixdown is often part of the price of the engineering and mastering. For all these services, $400 is cheap. Again, it depends on the work involved and of course, the demand for the engineer. You bet your arse that somebody like Francois K is charging that just for the initial session.

So it's all a matter of perspective. Audio engineers are trained professionals to do exactly what thier name implies, engineer the audio tracks. That means, they know exactly what to do with what sounds and where. When you're mixdown is complete, you bet that if you paid for quality, you're gonna get it.

quote:

Originally posted by lowski thanks for the advice everyone. i actually just mixed down and mastered my first track that i feel good about. i had it sounding good on my computer but when i burnt it to disc and played it in the car it was alot diffrent, so i had to go back and forth like 8 times burning then listening , then changing burning and listening. but i finally got it just about perfect. but this took we almost a week to do. maybe i just need proper monitors im using stupid computer speaker now and there way to bassy yeah i dont think im gonna bother with this guy. he works at guitar center in LA, if any is familiar with that place. i will check these online sites out, they look like there geared more for dance music, i dont think this guy does that type. thanks guys

Yeah get yourself some monitors first, no wonder you can't mix properly, you can't hear what you are mixing! Save up for a while then buy a set, then your mixing will improve greatly.

Id say save that 400$ and get some proper monitors and learn to master yourself.

As stated above, really, if youre going to send your tracks in to be mastered by a 3rd party individual, atleast be able to sit down with them and talk how you want your mix to sound. If you dont, hell most likely do it as he likes it sounding.

RickyM, your right. i will get some monitors asap. im looking to spend $1000us+/- will that be enough for something good? i was looking at these mackie monitor that sounded pretty good, what do you think?

do most people do there own mixing and mastering?itseems like a lot to learn and i dont even know where to go to learn. i need set guidelines, and i am just using reason.

also how do i know the over all levels are right, even when i get monitors. i need something to compaire it to


last thing i was looking at purefocus.ca. it looks good but i need something/someone that can do a mixdown in reason and send it back to me(if anyone even does this??). i need to see how its done so i have something to go off of,to do it myself for following tracks

I would say most people try to do their own mixdown and probably do okay (unless they slap a compressor in the master out at this stage in which case they should give up) then try to master and ruin their song.

I dont think ppl should master their own tracks unless they really really really know what their doing and have the equipment to hear what their doing.

A well mixed trakc should be 90% of the way there anyway, mastering is more tailoring your song to suit the transmission medium e.g. CD or vinyl etc and to add 'somethng more' to your music be that loudness, brightness etc

FJ

quote:

Originally posted by flutlicht junky I would say most people try to do their own mixdown and probably do okay (unless they slap a compressor in the master out at this stage in which case they should give up) then try to master and ruin their song. I dont think ppl should master their own tracks unless they really really really know what their doing and have the equipment to hear what their doing. A well mixed trakc should be 90% of the way there anyway, mastering is more tailoring your song to suit the transmission medium e.g. CD or vinyl etc and to add 'somethng more' to your music be that loudness, brightness etc FJ

To be honest. The only way I'd let another dj do this is if they plan on getting it published. But for demo purposes, save yourself some money, buy some good monitors and a decent DAW to do it at home.

Do the mixdown yes but no so sure about mastering, it's not needed for demos. Unless you know what your doing becuase you should be getting it right in the mix

quote:

Originally posted by flutlicht junky Do the mixdown yes but no so sure about mastering, it's not needed for demos. Unless you know what your doing becuase you should be getting it right in the mix

The only way an amateur will ever learn how to do it is by practice and making the mistakes that everyone else makes when they start (like slapping a compressor on the master channel ).

Though, technically, a limiter is often a form of a compressor that goes on the master channel.

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