Recording - Mixing - Mastering
Maxime Philippe
How much mixing time do I get for an Album?
Until it's done.
I usually go until I/we feel like there is nothing else we can do that will improve the mix. I send some versions to the artist as I am progressing to make sure we're moving in the right direction.
If a mix takes longer then estimated, will I need to pay more?
Usually no.
Once we have negotiated and agreed on a price that works for both parties, it's usually a fixed rate until the next unrelated project so no surprises.
In some cases, it's been difficult to estimate the amount of time a project might take, so we made an agreement on a range in which the price may vary if we go past a certain amount of overtime.
How much time doe's it take you to complete a mix?
Some mixes take me 5 to 6 hours and some will take anywhere from 12 to 16 hours.
It all depends on the recording quality, the size of the production.
When Mixing an album, once I have the first mix at around 70 to 75% done, I will transfer my settings to the next tunes to avoid starting from scratch 10 to 13 times. I'll need to rework pretty much everything, but it will take less time since I don't need to rebuild my whole template.
In how much time can we expect a final mixed version of our album?
Usually in about a month.
It can be faster at the client's request, and again depending on the project itself.
I try not to rush the mix of a full-length album. It's really beneficial when I can take a step back to gain a fresh perspective. I usually work on a few albums at a time and go back and forth. Doing so helps me to hear new things I was getting used to and helps me discover new tricks I can apply to your project to improve it even more.
I sometimes work on only one project if we have less time.
How do I know if I am choosing the right engineer?
listen to their work.
I would highly encourage and artist seeking an audio engineer to hear ''before's and after's'' to understand what exactly the engineer brought to the project, and for what price.
EX: Before mix, after mix - Berofre mastering, after mastering
Listen to as many examples as possible provided by the engineer in question. The more you listen to, the more you're going to start to hear how their work sounds specifically.
(Sometimes the recording quality is great so the mix will not need to bring as much change as in the situation of a poor recording. The engineer might have also done the recording, mixing, and mastering. That's where comparing to world-class mixes comes in).
Compare it!
Get some of the best sounding mixes you can find, famous Pop artists tend to have access to some of the top engineers on the planet. ***Make sure to compare sound quality as opposed to musical elements. It is common for someone to think they dislike a mix but in fact its the music they dislike.
Don't be fooled, big names don't mean the best sound For You.
To get the right engineer for your project you need to shop. The more engineers you can compare, the more you will know what sound you prefer and have access to for your music.
Allot of lesser-known engineers charge low fees and do great work. That can sometimes be a Jackpot.
Educate yourself.
Your buying a product, make sure you understand the quality of that product.
You're about to make a vital decision for your band or project. The amount of money you are investing in an album can make or break you financially, so taking a few days to do some listening and comparing to make sure you chose the right person would be one of my highest recommendations. A great mix can change allot and I consider it to be really important in consumer appreciation. We're taking the energy and power of what could be live stage performance and compacting it into tiny earbuds and all kinds of sound systems, yet the goal is to make the experience as energetic and enjoyable. It's not a simple task and it requires lots of very unique skills to do it well.