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WHAT ARE YOUR RATES?

My mixing rates are £125 per song, with up to two rounds of revisions. An instrumental mix is an extra £10. For overdubbing, session guitar work, and other services, rates are negotiated on a per-project basis. If you're paying me using a service like Paypal, I ask that you also cover any fees incurred.

I WANT YOU TO MIX MY ALBUM. WILL YOU DO THE FIRST SONG FOR FREE AS AN AUDITION?

Nope. I prefer to charge a single, transparent, affordable fee for mixes. This helps make sure that nobody's expectations are misaligned and nobody's feelings get hurt. If you're interested in collaborating with me, let's start with one song and see how it goes. Worst to worst, you wind up with a reference mix or a bonus track.

WHAT IS MIXING AND WHY DO I NEED IT?

"Mixing" is the process of transforming a collection of individual tracks (such as guitar, bass, drums, and vocals) into a cohesive and compelling song. Practically, this means applying effects like compression and equalization, and setting and automating the volume levels of individual tracks. The true joy and true challenge of mixing is being able to hear what the completed song should sound like in the first place. Working with a mixing engineer not only provides you with somebody who knows the technical ins and outs of crafting a final mix, but also somebody who can hear your music with fresh ears.

WHAT ABOUT THIS WHOLE OVERDUBBING THING?

My studio is set up not only for mixing, but also for recording guitars, bass, vocals -- even a full drumset. Some folks I work with are curious to hear how a guitar solo would sound over an instrumental break, how some vocal harmonies would sound on a chorus, or how live drums would sound instead of or in addition to an electronic beat. I'm always game for adding some of these elements to a mix when it makes sense.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY "REMOTE" MIXING AND OVERDUBBING?

My studio is currently based in London, but I work with people all over the world. Emphasizing "remote" work as opposed to in-person or "attended" work means I get to collaborate with more fantastic musicians, and helps keep my rates down. It also means you don’t need to sit around while I do boring things like gating rack toms and EQ’ing vocal tracks.

DO YOU HAVE [EXPENSIVE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT]?

Mixing is much more about ears than it is about gear. It is almost a mathematical certainty that your least favorite album was recorded with lots and lots of fancy equipment. I use a carefully selected set of hardware and software tools that I know very well, and will enable me to mix your songs quickly and efficiently. If you want to geek out about what those specific hardware and software tools are, drop me a line -- or just stare really really hard at the image above.

I'm MADLY IN LOVE WITH A ROUGH MIX I ALREADY DID. CAN YOU MAKE IT SOUND BETTER?

If what you're looking for is "the exact same thing as my rough mix but somehow better," my suggestion is usually that you simply use your rough mix! A mastering engineer can help you apply some finish and polish to the mix you already have, and will likely be a better investment. There is no one "right" way to mix a song, and if you feel that your existing demo or rough mix brings out the best of your song, then you should use your existing demo or rough mix.

DO YOU DO MASTERING?

I am not a mastering engineer, but I am happy to recommend one.

WHO ARE YOU AGAIN?

I'm a musician, mixing engineer, and writer. I used to front the band Get Him Eat Him, and I've played various instruments in a number of other bands including Kleenex Girl Wonder, Lame Drivers, and the Moles. I wrote a book in the 33 1/3 series about Elliott Smith's XO. I also write and consult about product management -- you can learn more about that here.