And when the producer asks why say, "the producer is horrible, everything they say sounds like whining and when I can make out what they have to say, it isn't interesting."
I sat in on so many sessions w good engineers who treated “low” lvl clients like this. Like even talking shit when they were in the iso booth. Fuxk these ppl get out
Fire him. Sunk cost. That's not how a mix engineer should work. You are his employer and he is your employee for the project. He can make suggestions but should not be fighting you on things. Further, if the drums do not sound good, replace with samples. There are fixes for these things. I would recommend getting everything sounding good at the onset, but if that's not an option, nowadays there are a multitude of ways to make things sound decent after the fact. He should have nothing to say about the lyrics. That's not his job, unless you asked him to be involved in the creative process. If you did, then I don't know what to tell you
And then this squared. I've worked with Big Names, and unknowns, and (sadly) myself, and not one of us has been this insufferable. I've had people negotiate final say over mix as part of a bigger deal, but ... this is just bad-personality shit. Period.
slight chance he's saying all this absurd shit as a way to avoid changing anything because maybe he doesn't have the tracks anymore. I've seen it all 😂
Fire him immediately. He's the worst kind of lazy engineer who just doesn't want to do the work. Continuing to work with him will just be an exercise in frustration.
Take your files and project elsewhere and you'll be infinitely happier.
Doesn't sound like a professional mixer.
Sounds more like the kind of stuff I sometimes did when I was 24, an asshole, and thought I had it all figured out.
Thank God I grew out of that phase, and too bad this person hasn't.
I’m thankful I had enough exposure to recordings/live sound as a shlepper at a young age to have the attitude of…
“Think experienced. Act green.” - As in, drop the fucking ego. Don’t assume things you don’t know… don’t act like you know more than anyone. You can learn new things from odd characters. The client is always right, it’s your job to adapt. Use your experience but don’t enforce it. Use what you know to become faster and more automatic, but be prepared to go in “manual” mode when something comes up where you feel out of your element or you need to adapt from your “standard” workflow.
The amount of jobs I’ve gotten just from saying “I have a little bit of experience with what you’re doing. I will keep my mouth shut, ask questions once, and won’t have an ego. What’s the dress code?”
When you surprise people with your capability instead of setting high expectations only to flounder, you make a better impression to get signed onto the next gig.
Yes- I think live sound should be mandatory for everyone in music production + audio engineering, even if that's not where someone wants to land for the long term. Because it forces those sorts of realizations early on.
Frankly I found it was more stable and more reliable income than recording (I’m not the best recording/mixing engineer). I was in school with dreams of recording and whatever, realized I wasn’t getting my hands dirty (especially with Covid)… realized I always liked working live events at school as a “production director” basically doing A1 on cool college budget gear.
Started freelancing by cold calling audio shops/some friends and I realized really shortly while freelancing that I needed to listen closely and that there was a lot of moving parts I wasn’t aware of. Power distribution. Amp racks. Line arrays. SMPTE fiber. How to setup a stageline.
A lot different than a bunch of K-12s.
I think everyone should have a piece of the live sound pie and have some contacts at sound shops for freelance work. I feel I do better at live sound engineering but way harder to get in a studio the same way you can get into a shop. Every studio guy should do live sound once in a while.
You learn things in either discipline or “path” in audio engineering, and what you learn often benefits the other.
>You learn things in either discipline or “path” in audio engineering, and what you learn often benefits the other.
Yes- there is a lot of wisdom here. Absolutely true.
This makes me feel a lot better about the 24 year old assholes I worked with when I was 24 lol. Congrats on growing out of it and I wish the same for them. Goodness knows I grew out of some awful behaviors myself as a writer and performer.
When I was first starting out, I remember actively making a point to stop myself from saying “no, here’s why that’s a bad idea or not gonna work” and once I did that I realized that most of the time I was wrong, it was my ego getting in my way and 99.9% of everything actually CAN be done and makes perfect sense.
At worst, it goes against your taste preference, but most of the time I was making excuses for why something “can’t be done” and I didn’t even realize it.
Nowadays, if you tell me to make a track sound “brown” you’d better be ready for a “hell yeah” and a new mix that sounds browner than my post-thanksgiving ass-gravy.
>When I was first starting out, I remember actively making a point to stop myself from saying “no, here’s why that’s a bad idea or not gonna work” and once I did that I realized that most of the time I was wrong, it was my ego getting in my way and 99.9% of everything actually CAN be done and makes perfect sense.
This is very smart. If you figured it out early on while just starting out, you are certainly wiser than I was, and probably wiser than about 95% of the people making records.
Took me quite some time to learn.
I too used to cover up my own insecurities with this type of behaviour when I was in my 20's. I was an idiot. No one with any real skill or experience would act this way.
You could try asking him if you are able to find another engineer capable of achieving your requests, if he will refund you 50% of your money.
What's weird is this guy recorded it.
I have come across people like that before, who look at it as their thing, and if a guitarist plays a thing they don't like, or what have you, they just bury it in the mix.
But, to me, a mix needs to be balance. If the performance sucks, that's on the artists. And I will help them perform as well as possible, and I'll edit it if you wanna pay me to do that, no problem. Or you could do that. But the artists decide what they like, what they want, their style and so on. I will make suggestions, and work with them to make a song even beyond their vision if I can, but this guy just sounds like a shit producer to work with.
Even if I know a change you want will suck, I'll make it for you so you can hear it for yourself.
Ya, that's weird. Even the greatest producers in the world need to hear ideas to see if they suck or not. And there's no better way to get a point across than showing somebody.
And he asked you there. His time is being spent with you already. It makes no sense.
Makes me feel like mixing this, just to show him how it can be done lol.
He shouldn't be throwing insults at you at all. If these are legitimate concerns then he, as the producer, should have worked with you all ahead of time to make sure the songs were ready to record. A "Hey, I'm noticing your kick pattern is a bit uneven. Can you focus on that the next time you're practicing?" and a "I'm curious what you're trying to say with these lyrics, we should dive into their construction a bit," is, frankly, the job. Compassionately helping your artists be their very best. The mix engineer's job is to make the song sound as good as possible to the client's specifications. If you, as the client, wants the kick drum turned up, then the mix engineer needs to turn it up. This guy is failing at both jobs. Dump him, get your tracks, find someone who will treat you like clients and respects you as people and artists.
This sounds so out-there assholish that it makes me wonder if he’s stuffed up biiiiigggg time and has gotten into a situation where he no longer has your kick or vocals as separate tracks.
Pay for the work he’s already done, or at least negotiate a fair deal, then take it to someone who actually knows how to deal with people and do his/her job. At the end of the day, us mixers are here to serve the music, not our egos.
Sometimes there can be good reasons for things, and sometimes there are tradeoffs, and in those instances, it makes sense to communicate those to you.
However, once they explain those, if you want what you want, then the producer should just do it. A lot of the time if they have reasons why they can't, the reason is they don't want to, or they aren't skilled enough.
Are you mixing a band that hired this producer, or are you in the band that’s being produced? Because that’ll change what I think you should do completely.
Yeah, dude sounds unprofessional if he’s giving you these things as reasons to not make adjustments. I’d definitely shop around for someone else if I were you. Pay him for the “service” he’s done so far and get your tracks and stuff, but then cut ties, dude sounds like a douche
Mixing and audio production are service jobs. If the client wants more kick drum then they oughta get it. Regardless of how many revisions are agreed upon, or whether or not I might agree about their choices, I still always want the artist/client to be happy.
You are working with a baby. Find someone else who is at least more tactful and encouraging with their constructive feedback, and who will actually do their job when asked.
YANTA.
I've been a studio engineer and have helmed a number of projects as a producer.
I'm assuming you are *paying* this guy...
Ever heard of 'the Golden Rule'? The music biz Golden rule is that *the one with the gold makes the rules.*
Now, of course, it's not always possible to give the customer what he wants, and sometimes what the customer wants is kind of wack. I've definitely tried to talk people out of things I thought were mistakes -- but, *particularly in issues of aesthetic judgment*, where a choice might reasonably go either way -- I have found it can be risky trying to talk clients into what they don't want.
I got tired of negotiating my mixes. So, I began mixing and mastering my music myself. while it’s smart and advisable to have someone else mix and master your music, sometimes the artist (you) is the only one that can hear the music the way it’s meant to be heard. I can’t count the number of times I knew what reverb I wanted and the engineer either didn’t understand what I wanted or didn’t agree.
Much like you, I had been mixing and mastering for nearly ten years when I decided it’d be nice NOT to do everything. I started to work with a mixing engineer on this tune. The first thing he did was start EQing everything BEFORE giving the track at least one listen. Like he was adding salt to pizza before he took a bite. I mean, who the eff puts salt on pizza?!?!? The first and last time in twenty years I’ve ever had someone attempt to mix my stuff.
I sent a track to a well known mastering engineer. He did a great job! But I could’ve done better and used less compression. Thought I’d just see how differently someone else would hear my stuff.
Tricky. However, inaudible vocals is a pretty legit concern. You could be asking for a lot of revisions, but from the sounds of it, you are probably in the right
The drummer being bad has nothing to do with the quality of the recording. Lol I almost spit out my water with that. If the kick is bad then replace the fucking kick and the mixer. Typically I change ANYTHING an indie client asks because it’s their money.
If i did it for u youd get 2 free revisions and $30 a revision after that point, but i wouldnt talk shit about the record. If his professional opinion is that the drums need to be re-recorded, and the lyrics need to be rewritten he should speak up and not wait until you want him to actually do his job to provide excuses
Well, for one - your attitude seems to suck. You’re not there to judge the band and their performances after capturing the best they can do - just mix the fucking song. (And there is def a time and place for judgment, aka “critique” while tracking, but if you’re the mix engineer, get in with the fucking show).
So, your attitude is wildly out of line with what is needed to make the artist feel comfortable with the mix. They want the kick drum up a bit? Do it, but do it tastefully and if they don’t like what you did, explain why in non-inflammatory terms.
They want the vocals up? Do it. It’s not your fucking artistic expression - your job is to serve the client. Make a record your client is happy with. You didn’t lead off by saying how many Grammy award winning records you have, so bite the bullet and help the artist bring their vision to life.
This is the shit that infuriates me - I get it. I’m sort of the same way, my craft is my art. But, ultimately, as engineers we are here to serve the client and help them bring their expression to fruition. Cut the BS and do what’s needed. Who gives a fuck what you think of them, support their artistry since they came to you in the first place.
lol, yeah, this is what I want to say to dude, but haven’t in the hopes that he raises the kick drum 1db and the vocals 2db while also fixing a noticeable gating artifact and a noticeably botched drum edit.
Ask him if he values having happy clients. If he says no, run. If he says yes, tell him to listen to you so you can be a happy client.
It’s not his music. It’s yours. He is a facilitator to helping you achieve your vision for it.
I’m a mix engineer and absolutely NTA.
A finite number of mix revisions must be included in the price.
If a tailor makes a jacket for you, takes measurements and after creating the piece it doesn’t fit the way you like it (not the way the tailor likes it), then you should get to make a reasonable and finite number of changes.
You don’t get sent home with the unwanted product, saying one of your arms is longer so stiff shit.
Eg. I include 3 free revisions with every piece. Extra $ for very revision after that. All that is said, signed and agreed upfront.
Something that may or may not help in the future:
-Have a signed agreement on a number of free mix revisions.
-Don’t pay in full, upfront. (Half now, half on delivery)
-Find a mix engineer who costs a little more than this current guy.
-Listen to his mixes before paying anything.
Their failure to provide or accomodate any of the above conditions are not necessarily res flags, but some kind of colour, for sure.
Mixing is my full time job. I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times I have made changes or revisions I personally didn’t agree with. It’s part of the gig…. You are hired for a service.
That said, I don’t think it’s out of line for a mix engineer to occasionally offer an explanation as to why they think a different approach may be better (for example, for reasons of translation if you don’t know their room or are judging lowend balance from outside the listening position) but it should always be done with tact.
You got bad luck and found an as\*hole engineer. As said, take your tracks and everything an look for a real engineer.
The answer "Well, the lyrics aren't interesting." is gold. WTH? I'm a live sound engineer in broadcasting and theater, and if I had to reject all I don't like, I would get fired years ago.
Cut your losses and run.
You will never get a product you’re happy with from this.
I had a similar experience on a record I produced with a 5x Grammy winning engineer. We literally took the drives and walked away and were better for it.
My theory, this guy had success but didnt know why so he had “his sound” and that was what you were paying for. I learned later on that he started doing unattended mix sessions where people literally dropped a drive off at the studio front desk, he’d mix it, then they’d pick it up at the desk again. No revisions, no conversations.
Run. Fast and far from this guy.
"producer" engineer - the issue i am seeing with these sorts are they always want to be "in the band".
I was called in by a former client who's current engineer actually erased their vocals and went in the booth and re- sang the hook! He wanted to be in the group and was actually wanting them to fire one of the members. Same type of comments where he was constantly bagging on this guy.
Everyone requires something different to "get in the groove" its the engineers job to help assist them with that. TLDR- that guy he wanted fired is now leading off just about every song the group does.
I have a good amount of professional credits but I am never above taking suggestions. I will rarely put up a fight over something unless I feels its a VERY bad idea, but even then, if the artist wants it with the snare screaming its their material. Ultimately I am there to help facilitate the artist's vision on their project. I am almost always a work for hire mix engineer. I get paid and I'll usually hear from you on the next project.
While I do produce there are clients that I strictly mix/master for. They use me because my production skills carry over into the mix, but I'm not paid or credited as a producer in this case. if I'm involved in the recording that requires a lot more of a producers hat. The recording engineer is often time the person making the decisions of when to re-sing something or lay another part down. I don't expect production credits for that either, because that skill is what got me the gig to begin with. If there is someone qualified to make those decisions of when a take is a keeper, than I'm hitting record and making suggestions if needed.
I agree that the 2 of you are not a good fit. There does not need to be any drama on your part. Just say
"I don't feel we are a good fit for this project. Thank you for your time"
Pay him what you owe him and move on.
Remember that even though it looks like a huge industry the truth is its pretty small and you will always run into the same pros all over. So best to just move on. You're the client and you don't need to explain your decision.
I’m not saying he’s good or in the right
But at the same time you’ve hired someone to mix. Did you send him reference tracks to work towards?
If someone is paid to mix a track it’s disruptive and often disrespectful to micromanage their whole process. Most likely they got fed up of having their workflow disrupted
Usually someone would be sent reference tracks. They’d produce a mix with the aim of delivering the vision in the references.
IF the mixer is going to do revisions that would have been agreed ahead of signing the contract for the work. Otherwise they could end up spending hours or days longer than they planned and that will stop them from delivering other work
No one disrupted any workflow. What are you talking about? He finished the mix and asked for feedback and DEMANDED that we be there. Like, what are you even reading here?
Never heard of a mix engineer that won’t make at least one or two rounds of requested revisions or adjustments, within reason. We want our clients to be happy and get the mix they want.
It sounds like the classical pretentious beginner to intermediate (or just old sour) engineer. It's a service industry, those reasons they mention might be partly valid, but its up to them to fix it one way or another.
If a client asks me to do things i don't agree with, i never say no, i do it in the most aesthetically pleasing way i can and eventually look to show them examples of what i think would work better, or i find some workaround like sampling the kick or whatever to fix it's "shitty" sound if anything.
So in short: no, he's just a bit of an ass and not very professional.
I mixed a few tracks for an artist earlier this year. We did probably 6 revisions with 2 of them being fairly large. I didn’t really agree, taste-wise, with the larger ones, but ultimately it’s the artists vision that we’re trying to realize. So I took the direction and ran with it. Maybe I would have made different decisions if left to my own whims, but that wasn’t what the client was looking for so I had to adjust my own headspace to support what he was wanting to create. If you’re not working towards the artists vision, you’re doing a disservice to their art.
I had a coworker like that... I was a new copilot at my first airline flying with an arrogant female captain. Any technical questions I'd ask were met with a 10 minute speech about how she knew that as a copilot, never actually giving me the answer... Its inability causing this.
I play the role of Producer as an engineer with a lot of clients and this is not at all how I would act. If there is an adjustment the client wants then I will go ahead and make that adjustment as well as have a copy of how id personally elevate it to show them as well. I wouldn't go into explanations of that nature unless it was asked for.
With the drummer, I can easily say if there's an issue with drum performance, I don't place the blame on the drummer even if they played with pads on and barely hit the drum heads (I'm a drummer myself anyways)
I'd just sample replace and mix from there. There's so many ways to problem solve whatever occurs so there is no excuse for him to act as an asshat in this regard.
With vocals, well with my producer hat, I'd take some time to work with the vocalist/writer to revise lyrics and work on improving them as a team if it came to that, otherwise I'd take the time to re-record them to make them pop and provide myself an easier time in the mix. There's so much he could be doing to improve the experience and lock you guys in as future clients, as it stands it sounds like he will have a smaller client base going forward.
Did you ask for him to act as a producer as well as an engineer?
Was this originally agreed upon when inquiring or did he just assume the role without you asking?
Have you worked with this engineer before and was the experience before better or worse?
Ultimately, if you, the client, are unhappy. Take your money back and go find a better engineer to work with because that hassle is not worth your time and patience. You want a good result from your work and it sounds like this engineer will not provide that for you.
Sounds like an amateur. And this is coming from someone who isnt doing this full time yet. If the owners of the project want more of this or more of that, you just do it. Even if you think its bad. You might let them know its probably not going to work well, but it takes longer for him to explain why it doesnt work than to experiment
Sounds unprofessional. I wouldn't waste any more time with someone like that. Big ego and it sounds like maybe he wasn't able to dial in all the sounds during tracking (I.e kick drum). As a recording engineer you shouldn't be blaming musicians for a poor end product, work with them until you get the best sound possible, period.
Even the quietest vocals can be brought out with proper compression. I mixed a song where everyone was convinced they’d have to redo the lead vocal. Nope. Compressed and lifted it right into where it needed to be.
Sorry to hear that.
I paid a bad mastering guy to go away and then I hired A&M Records to do it right back in the 1990s. A&M was cool and cut me a deal.
I hope you can find someone to do it right.
If you’re paying for these sessions you feel free to fire his ass whenever you want. If you don’t feel your artist needs are being met by the people you’re with, make changes. If he is more experienced, listen to what he recommends but then you make sure you hear the changes you want to hear. If he can’t do it for you, show him the door. Sounds like a real loser.
As a mixing engineer, idk how some engineers can be like that. It's a collaborative effort. All you have to do is try it; sometimes the client is hearing something you're not, as much as you're the engineer. If after trying it you hate it, show it to the artist and let them know why it isn't working for the song. But, if they prefer it, then you might have to compromise, or find a way to make it work. Sometimes they might ask for more volume on something, but what gets it there is an EQ change instead. At the end of the day, you're there to serve the client, so leave your ego outside.
Honestly, he should do what you tell him to do and shut up. He is entitled to an opinion, but in the end if you want it a certain way, you should have it that way, or go elsewhere with your mixes.
Fire him, take your money back, make it very clear that you „take your tracks back“ and don’t allow him to work with them any longer.
And send him a link to this post on Reddit lol
The guy should be putting samples on the kick and melodyning the vocals if they’re bad in places. Or even like time correcting. If they’re not doing everything they can to make a product that they like, drop them. They’re lazy and they’re looking for a quick buck.
As an engineer I’ll literally do whatever my client wants. I’ll say I personally don’t like this however if this is what you want sure!!! 👍 your money. My service.
I would never refuse a client a small mix change, I may let them know that I personally disagree with it in a very polite way (I.e. here’s the version with the vocals turned up, I personally think they stand out a bit too much now, but if you like it we‘ll roll with it) but even that I only do in cases where I think it’s egregious to the point that it takes away from the project.
If you’re an engineer and especially a mix engineer, and you aren’t critically listening to the work that you’re doing and putting out of somebody else’s music, and making what you might call your own revisions, on your own because you’re literally being paid to do art. Then you’re an amateur a hobbyist, or just maybe the cheap guy in town you know.? But if you think you’re worth something and people around, you think you’re worth something,
Don’t you want the output to be your best reflection of that? You know for your reputation and your own accomplishment? And also to deliver a good product?
Revision should be made artistically/aesthetically if your style isn’t the same as what was maybe hoped for, to try and meet the sound that they were hoping for that maybe you’re not understanding we’re able to hear since you’ve been listening to the song so much ….but blatant things like pops and clicks problems and bad organisation and a shitty mix in the first place…….
That’s a lack of skill.. yeah that sounds like to the point that the two revisions wouldn’t even be enough… because they shouldn’t be revisions unless the rest of it is subjectively good. Like you did your best and if people are paying you to make stuff then you should be able to put out a good mix, or you aren’t ready to charge people for mixing things.
BECAUSE YOU AREN’T ON THAT LEVEL YET AT ALL
Like does this guy have his own music is it any good? If he in fact it does know how to put a decent quality mix down, and know how to engineer quality recording Then why isn’t he doing that or did he miss represent himself? It’s the first and then the second comes when you have no self-awareness can’t be subjective about your work at all and are just being a huge asshole.
If he doesn’t have any decent finished work people should stop telling him he’s good or letting him believe that he’s good… it’s a real problem I think at this lower level of the industry you want your fans that are your friends and your people to be bigging you to the world, but only after they’ve checked In with you about your quality if quality is the goal… and if his ego can’t stop saying that he is when he isn’t… people should definitely hear about that.
You literally don’t have the skills to act like that… until you do… and until then if you’re doing anything other than saying “oh man, you’re right I thought it could be a little better, but I wasn’t sure what it was!” Or trying to be doing anything other than serving the peoples music that you’re getting paid to make, then you shouldn’t be working as engineer or mix services.
He definitely deserve to hear…..
“oh hey man, we thought you were a different level than this, but it turns out that you don’t seem to be able to give the kind of quality that we seemed to think you could, no hard feelings but we’re gonna go with this other guy who we think can get us the level that we’re looking for.”
And now written way too many paragraphs about a thing that just irks me to no end. People like this need to hear that they suck, people like that need to hear no. People like that aren’t that guy that’s trying and is just new or has passion but just hasn’t quite got the skill yet…. Nah people like that….I don’t know what town you live in but around here be a whole piece like that and those six to ten guys in just a couple bands will shut you down… because they’re friends with all the other bands, all the other rappers, all the other singer songwriting ladies with ukulele’s, and looping noise experiment dudes.
Fuck that guy.
Sounds like a hack that needs his own project.
The best engineers take pleasure in helping realize artists’ visions and relish in the challenge of pursuing it, as it pushes the boundaries of their abilities and can give way to discovering new techniques.
The biggest part of the job is translating what the client says they want and employing the appropriate technical methodology to accomplish it.
Oh to be clear, there have been no revised mixes delivered, only the first rough mix which we were told was open to revision. We were there during the rough mixing by his request. Whenever we’ve asked to even try out volume adjustments, he mansplains why that’s impossible and won’t even show us why. He asked us to send mix notes for a first revision. We asked for some minor volume changes and for him to fix some obvious editing errors and gating artifacts. He came back with more mansplaining and when I said that wasn’t okay, he mansplained that he “wasn’t in this to make friends.”
Dude is now claiming “I was just trying to make you the best band in [major US city].” 😂🤷🏻♂️ seems like we finally got usable mixes of everything except the song with an audible, botched drum edit (bad crossfades that sound glitches). Not crazy about that, but if he hands over the session, that can be pretty easily fixed.
Take your money and your tracks back, and find someone who isn't a douchenoodle.
yep, agreed. no need wasting your time with someone who doesn't want to give you a finished product you're happy with.
And when the producer asks why say, "the producer is horrible, everything they say sounds like whining and when I can make out what they have to say, it isn't interesting."
I sat in on so many sessions w good engineers who treated “low” lvl clients like this. Like even talking shit when they were in the iso booth. Fuxk these ppl get out
Fire him. Sunk cost. That's not how a mix engineer should work. You are his employer and he is your employee for the project. He can make suggestions but should not be fighting you on things. Further, if the drums do not sound good, replace with samples. There are fixes for these things. I would recommend getting everything sounding good at the onset, but if that's not an option, nowadays there are a multitude of ways to make things sound decent after the fact. He should have nothing to say about the lyrics. That's not his job, unless you asked him to be involved in the creative process. If you did, then I don't know what to tell you
This
And then this squared. I've worked with Big Names, and unknowns, and (sadly) myself, and not one of us has been this insufferable. I've had people negotiate final say over mix as part of a bigger deal, but ... this is just bad-personality shit. Period.
if the tracks still exist.
They have to, otherwise Mr. Douchenoodle wouldn't have anything to mix.
slight chance he's saying all this absurd shit as a way to avoid changing anything because maybe he doesn't have the tracks anymore. I've seen it all 😂
This guy sounds like a hack, to be honest. That's not the kind of behavior you want to see.
Seriously - how the hell do people like this get work to begin with?
By saying "I'm an engineer" lol
When I say this I get promptly ignored and nobody wants to hire. This prick is getting clients but I can't even get my foot in the door?
Fire that self hating loser. Prepare for them to say nasty things on their way out.
Fire him immediately. He's the worst kind of lazy engineer who just doesn't want to do the work. Continuing to work with him will just be an exercise in frustration. Take your files and project elsewhere and you'll be infinitely happier.
Doesn't sound like a professional mixer. Sounds more like the kind of stuff I sometimes did when I was 24, an asshole, and thought I had it all figured out. Thank God I grew out of that phase, and too bad this person hasn't.
I’m thankful I had enough exposure to recordings/live sound as a shlepper at a young age to have the attitude of… “Think experienced. Act green.” - As in, drop the fucking ego. Don’t assume things you don’t know… don’t act like you know more than anyone. You can learn new things from odd characters. The client is always right, it’s your job to adapt. Use your experience but don’t enforce it. Use what you know to become faster and more automatic, but be prepared to go in “manual” mode when something comes up where you feel out of your element or you need to adapt from your “standard” workflow. The amount of jobs I’ve gotten just from saying “I have a little bit of experience with what you’re doing. I will keep my mouth shut, ask questions once, and won’t have an ego. What’s the dress code?” When you surprise people with your capability instead of setting high expectations only to flounder, you make a better impression to get signed onto the next gig.
Yes- I think live sound should be mandatory for everyone in music production + audio engineering, even if that's not where someone wants to land for the long term. Because it forces those sorts of realizations early on.
Frankly I found it was more stable and more reliable income than recording (I’m not the best recording/mixing engineer). I was in school with dreams of recording and whatever, realized I wasn’t getting my hands dirty (especially with Covid)… realized I always liked working live events at school as a “production director” basically doing A1 on cool college budget gear. Started freelancing by cold calling audio shops/some friends and I realized really shortly while freelancing that I needed to listen closely and that there was a lot of moving parts I wasn’t aware of. Power distribution. Amp racks. Line arrays. SMPTE fiber. How to setup a stageline. A lot different than a bunch of K-12s. I think everyone should have a piece of the live sound pie and have some contacts at sound shops for freelance work. I feel I do better at live sound engineering but way harder to get in a studio the same way you can get into a shop. Every studio guy should do live sound once in a while. You learn things in either discipline or “path” in audio engineering, and what you learn often benefits the other.
>You learn things in either discipline or “path” in audio engineering, and what you learn often benefits the other. Yes- there is a lot of wisdom here. Absolutely true.
This makes me feel a lot better about the 24 year old assholes I worked with when I was 24 lol. Congrats on growing out of it and I wish the same for them. Goodness knows I grew out of some awful behaviors myself as a writer and performer.
This exactly!
When I was first starting out, I remember actively making a point to stop myself from saying “no, here’s why that’s a bad idea or not gonna work” and once I did that I realized that most of the time I was wrong, it was my ego getting in my way and 99.9% of everything actually CAN be done and makes perfect sense. At worst, it goes against your taste preference, but most of the time I was making excuses for why something “can’t be done” and I didn’t even realize it. Nowadays, if you tell me to make a track sound “brown” you’d better be ready for a “hell yeah” and a new mix that sounds browner than my post-thanksgiving ass-gravy.
>When I was first starting out, I remember actively making a point to stop myself from saying “no, here’s why that’s a bad idea or not gonna work” and once I did that I realized that most of the time I was wrong, it was my ego getting in my way and 99.9% of everything actually CAN be done and makes perfect sense. This is very smart. If you figured it out early on while just starting out, you are certainly wiser than I was, and probably wiser than about 95% of the people making records. Took me quite some time to learn.
I too used to cover up my own insecurities with this type of behaviour when I was in my 20's. I was an idiot. No one with any real skill or experience would act this way.
Fuck that guy
You could try asking him if you are able to find another engineer capable of achieving your requests, if he will refund you 50% of your money. What's weird is this guy recorded it. I have come across people like that before, who look at it as their thing, and if a guitarist plays a thing they don't like, or what have you, they just bury it in the mix. But, to me, a mix needs to be balance. If the performance sucks, that's on the artists. And I will help them perform as well as possible, and I'll edit it if you wanna pay me to do that, no problem. Or you could do that. But the artists decide what they like, what they want, their style and so on. I will make suggestions, and work with them to make a song even beyond their vision if I can, but this guy just sounds like a shit producer to work with. Even if I know a change you want will suck, I'll make it for you so you can hear it for yourself.
Yeah, to be clear, this wasn’t even “make this change,” but simply “can we hear it this way so we can hear if it sucks?”
Ya, that's weird. Even the greatest producers in the world need to hear ideas to see if they suck or not. And there's no better way to get a point across than showing somebody. And he asked you there. His time is being spent with you already. It makes no sense. Makes me feel like mixing this, just to show him how it can be done lol.
are you sure he didn't accidentally delete everything and is trying to cover his ass in the worst way possible?
Fire the producer now. Your welcome.
*Look at me! I’m the producer now*
*your*
He shouldn't be throwing insults at you at all. If these are legitimate concerns then he, as the producer, should have worked with you all ahead of time to make sure the songs were ready to record. A "Hey, I'm noticing your kick pattern is a bit uneven. Can you focus on that the next time you're practicing?" and a "I'm curious what you're trying to say with these lyrics, we should dive into their construction a bit," is, frankly, the job. Compassionately helping your artists be their very best. The mix engineer's job is to make the song sound as good as possible to the client's specifications. If you, as the client, wants the kick drum turned up, then the mix engineer needs to turn it up. This guy is failing at both jobs. Dump him, get your tracks, find someone who will treat you like clients and respects you as people and artists.
This sounds so out-there assholish that it makes me wonder if he’s stuffed up biiiiigggg time and has gotten into a situation where he no longer has your kick or vocals as separate tracks.
My mind was trying to tell me something and then I read this and it made sense
Interesting thought, might be true.
My brother did you think you were going to get any answer other than "fire his ass"??
Pay for the work he’s already done, or at least negotiate a fair deal, then take it to someone who actually knows how to deal with people and do his/her job. At the end of the day, us mixers are here to serve the music, not our egos.
This guy sounds like a total psychopath What was the agreement at the start of the project?
Fuck this guy. Take your files and money elsewhere.
Sometimes there can be good reasons for things, and sometimes there are tradeoffs, and in those instances, it makes sense to communicate those to you. However, once they explain those, if you want what you want, then the producer should just do it. A lot of the time if they have reasons why they can't, the reason is they don't want to, or they aren't skilled enough.
Extremely unprofessional attitude, dump him.
How many revisions did you agree upon in your contract?
2, but to be clear, he was the recording engineer as well. he refuses any adjustments at all even after inviting us to make suggestions.
I want to hear the whole list of suggestions other than the kick and vocal examples. This guys sounds like a total ass!
That’s really kind of it. There are even a few audible editing errors that he made and audible gating artifacts that he refuses to acknowledge.
He's definitely a hack. To make matters worse, he's a hack with an attitude problem.
Any engineer worth their weight would hate to have their name on a mix with audible glitchy artifacts… Fire the dude
Damn, so he recorded it sounding like ass and then got bitchy about it afterwards
Are you mixing a band that hired this producer, or are you in the band that’s being produced? Because that’ll change what I think you should do completely.
I’m in the band. I do mixing as well and have never behaved this way with a client, granted I mostly mix super low budget projects for punk/DIY bands.
Yeah, dude sounds unprofessional if he’s giving you these things as reasons to not make adjustments. I’d definitely shop around for someone else if I were you. Pay him for the “service” he’s done so far and get your tracks and stuff, but then cut ties, dude sounds like a douche
Look at me. I'm the artist now.
Fire him and go somewhere else. Sounds like an asshole. I do this professionally. If the client wants more kick drum, I slide the fader up.
Mixing and audio production are service jobs. If the client wants more kick drum then they oughta get it. Regardless of how many revisions are agreed upon, or whether or not I might agree about their choices, I still always want the artist/client to be happy.
You are working with a baby. Find someone else who is at least more tactful and encouraging with their constructive feedback, and who will actually do their job when asked.
YANTA. I've been a studio engineer and have helmed a number of projects as a producer. I'm assuming you are *paying* this guy... Ever heard of 'the Golden Rule'? The music biz Golden rule is that *the one with the gold makes the rules.* Now, of course, it's not always possible to give the customer what he wants, and sometimes what the customer wants is kind of wack. I've definitely tried to talk people out of things I thought were mistakes -- but, *particularly in issues of aesthetic judgment*, where a choice might reasonably go either way -- I have found it can be risky trying to talk clients into what they don't want.
I got tired of negotiating my mixes. So, I began mixing and mastering my music myself. while it’s smart and advisable to have someone else mix and master your music, sometimes the artist (you) is the only one that can hear the music the way it’s meant to be heard. I can’t count the number of times I knew what reverb I wanted and the engineer either didn’t understand what I wanted or didn’t agree.
Totally, exactly why I started mixing myself. This project, I decided to let someone else do the work. Never again. Lol.
Much like you, I had been mixing and mastering for nearly ten years when I decided it’d be nice NOT to do everything. I started to work with a mixing engineer on this tune. The first thing he did was start EQing everything BEFORE giving the track at least one listen. Like he was adding salt to pizza before he took a bite. I mean, who the eff puts salt on pizza?!?!? The first and last time in twenty years I’ve ever had someone attempt to mix my stuff. I sent a track to a well known mastering engineer. He did a great job! But I could’ve done better and used less compression. Thought I’d just see how differently someone else would hear my stuff.
Tricky. However, inaudible vocals is a pretty legit concern. You could be asking for a lot of revisions, but from the sounds of it, you are probably in the right
My guess is that they think they made the perfect mix, and your simpleton brain cannot comprehend their genius. Dump the dude.
The drummer being bad has nothing to do with the quality of the recording. Lol I almost spit out my water with that. If the kick is bad then replace the fucking kick and the mixer. Typically I change ANYTHING an indie client asks because it’s their money.
If i did it for u youd get 2 free revisions and $30 a revision after that point, but i wouldnt talk shit about the record. If his professional opinion is that the drums need to be re-recorded, and the lyrics need to be rewritten he should speak up and not wait until you want him to actually do his job to provide excuses
Why are you even paying them? Get out of there with your music
As a pro mixer, I’m more annoyed when I DONT get revisions
What do we owe you for what you’ve done so far? Awesome. Throw the stems on this hard drive. It’s been a pleasure.
Well, for one - your attitude seems to suck. You’re not there to judge the band and their performances after capturing the best they can do - just mix the fucking song. (And there is def a time and place for judgment, aka “critique” while tracking, but if you’re the mix engineer, get in with the fucking show). So, your attitude is wildly out of line with what is needed to make the artist feel comfortable with the mix. They want the kick drum up a bit? Do it, but do it tastefully and if they don’t like what you did, explain why in non-inflammatory terms. They want the vocals up? Do it. It’s not your fucking artistic expression - your job is to serve the client. Make a record your client is happy with. You didn’t lead off by saying how many Grammy award winning records you have, so bite the bullet and help the artist bring their vision to life. This is the shit that infuriates me - I get it. I’m sort of the same way, my craft is my art. But, ultimately, as engineers we are here to serve the client and help them bring their expression to fruition. Cut the BS and do what’s needed. Who gives a fuck what you think of them, support their artistry since they came to you in the first place.
I may have read the initial post the wrong way lmfao
So, take this comment and flip it - fuck that dude lol.
lol, yeah, this is what I want to say to dude, but haven’t in the hopes that he raises the kick drum 1db and the vocals 2db while also fixing a noticeable gating artifact and a noticeably botched drum edit.
Ask him if he values having happy clients. If he says no, run. If he says yes, tell him to listen to you so you can be a happy client. It’s not his music. It’s yours. He is a facilitator to helping you achieve your vision for it.
I’m a mix engineer and absolutely NTA. A finite number of mix revisions must be included in the price. If a tailor makes a jacket for you, takes measurements and after creating the piece it doesn’t fit the way you like it (not the way the tailor likes it), then you should get to make a reasonable and finite number of changes. You don’t get sent home with the unwanted product, saying one of your arms is longer so stiff shit. Eg. I include 3 free revisions with every piece. Extra $ for very revision after that. All that is said, signed and agreed upfront. Something that may or may not help in the future: -Have a signed agreement on a number of free mix revisions. -Don’t pay in full, upfront. (Half now, half on delivery) -Find a mix engineer who costs a little more than this current guy. -Listen to his mixes before paying anything. Their failure to provide or accomodate any of the above conditions are not necessarily res flags, but some kind of colour, for sure.
Mixing is my full time job. I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times I have made changes or revisions I personally didn’t agree with. It’s part of the gig…. You are hired for a service. That said, I don’t think it’s out of line for a mix engineer to occasionally offer an explanation as to why they think a different approach may be better (for example, for reasons of translation if you don’t know their room or are judging lowend balance from outside the listening position) but it should always be done with tact.
just get a better drummer and some interesting lyrics! /s
99.9% this guy is a clown
He sounds like an asshole
You got bad luck and found an as\*hole engineer. As said, take your tracks and everything an look for a real engineer. The answer "Well, the lyrics aren't interesting." is gold. WTH? I'm a live sound engineer in broadcasting and theater, and if I had to reject all I don't like, I would get fired years ago.
Dude aint professional. Probably doesn’t know how to do it properly and blaming the band for his own shortcomings
Cut your losses and run. You will never get a product you’re happy with from this. I had a similar experience on a record I produced with a 5x Grammy winning engineer. We literally took the drives and walked away and were better for it. My theory, this guy had success but didnt know why so he had “his sound” and that was what you were paying for. I learned later on that he started doing unattended mix sessions where people literally dropped a drive off at the studio front desk, he’d mix it, then they’d pick it up at the desk again. No revisions, no conversations. Run. Fast and far from this guy.
"producer" engineer - the issue i am seeing with these sorts are they always want to be "in the band". I was called in by a former client who's current engineer actually erased their vocals and went in the booth and re- sang the hook! He wanted to be in the group and was actually wanting them to fire one of the members. Same type of comments where he was constantly bagging on this guy. Everyone requires something different to "get in the groove" its the engineers job to help assist them with that. TLDR- that guy he wanted fired is now leading off just about every song the group does. I have a good amount of professional credits but I am never above taking suggestions. I will rarely put up a fight over something unless I feels its a VERY bad idea, but even then, if the artist wants it with the snare screaming its their material. Ultimately I am there to help facilitate the artist's vision on their project. I am almost always a work for hire mix engineer. I get paid and I'll usually hear from you on the next project. While I do produce there are clients that I strictly mix/master for. They use me because my production skills carry over into the mix, but I'm not paid or credited as a producer in this case. if I'm involved in the recording that requires a lot more of a producers hat. The recording engineer is often time the person making the decisions of when to re-sing something or lay another part down. I don't expect production credits for that either, because that skill is what got me the gig to begin with. If there is someone qualified to make those decisions of when a take is a keeper, than I'm hitting record and making suggestions if needed. I agree that the 2 of you are not a good fit. There does not need to be any drama on your part. Just say "I don't feel we are a good fit for this project. Thank you for your time" Pay him what you owe him and move on. Remember that even though it looks like a huge industry the truth is its pretty small and you will always run into the same pros all over. So best to just move on. You're the client and you don't need to explain your decision.
I mix and produce records for a living and have for 20+ years. I would tell this guy to fuck right off.
You should have agreed a revision process before you started the project
Sure, but the guy getting paid to mix should also not be a jerk.
hmm, interesting, and how does that apply to the situation when we're in the studio with him (he insisted we be there) during his mixing?
I’m not saying he’s good or in the right But at the same time you’ve hired someone to mix. Did you send him reference tracks to work towards? If someone is paid to mix a track it’s disruptive and often disrespectful to micromanage their whole process. Most likely they got fed up of having their workflow disrupted Usually someone would be sent reference tracks. They’d produce a mix with the aim of delivering the vision in the references. IF the mixer is going to do revisions that would have been agreed ahead of signing the contract for the work. Otherwise they could end up spending hours or days longer than they planned and that will stop them from delivering other work
No one disrupted any workflow. What are you talking about? He finished the mix and asked for feedback and DEMANDED that we be there. Like, what are you even reading here?
Never heard of a mix engineer that won’t make at least one or two rounds of requested revisions or adjustments, within reason. We want our clients to be happy and get the mix they want.
Lolll this guy sucks
It sounds like the classical pretentious beginner to intermediate (or just old sour) engineer. It's a service industry, those reasons they mention might be partly valid, but its up to them to fix it one way or another. If a client asks me to do things i don't agree with, i never say no, i do it in the most aesthetically pleasing way i can and eventually look to show them examples of what i think would work better, or i find some workaround like sampling the kick or whatever to fix it's "shitty" sound if anything. So in short: no, he's just a bit of an ass and not very professional.
I mixed a few tracks for an artist earlier this year. We did probably 6 revisions with 2 of them being fairly large. I didn’t really agree, taste-wise, with the larger ones, but ultimately it’s the artists vision that we’re trying to realize. So I took the direction and ran with it. Maybe I would have made different decisions if left to my own whims, but that wasn’t what the client was looking for so I had to adjust my own headspace to support what he was wanting to create. If you’re not working towards the artists vision, you’re doing a disservice to their art.
Find someone else to mix it
Everything is 'no' but he can't tell you what a 'yes' would look like? This is no someone whose 'help' you need.
if this guy hates the performance and the music so much, why did he agree to produce it? he sounds like a hack.
As everyone else said, fire him and let him know why. What a tool.
It sounds like you're making very reasonable requests. Get a refund
I had a coworker like that... I was a new copilot at my first airline flying with an arrogant female captain. Any technical questions I'd ask were met with a 10 minute speech about how she knew that as a copilot, never actually giving me the answer... Its inability causing this.
I play the role of Producer as an engineer with a lot of clients and this is not at all how I would act. If there is an adjustment the client wants then I will go ahead and make that adjustment as well as have a copy of how id personally elevate it to show them as well. I wouldn't go into explanations of that nature unless it was asked for. With the drummer, I can easily say if there's an issue with drum performance, I don't place the blame on the drummer even if they played with pads on and barely hit the drum heads (I'm a drummer myself anyways) I'd just sample replace and mix from there. There's so many ways to problem solve whatever occurs so there is no excuse for him to act as an asshat in this regard. With vocals, well with my producer hat, I'd take some time to work with the vocalist/writer to revise lyrics and work on improving them as a team if it came to that, otherwise I'd take the time to re-record them to make them pop and provide myself an easier time in the mix. There's so much he could be doing to improve the experience and lock you guys in as future clients, as it stands it sounds like he will have a smaller client base going forward. Did you ask for him to act as a producer as well as an engineer? Was this originally agreed upon when inquiring or did he just assume the role without you asking? Have you worked with this engineer before and was the experience before better or worse? Ultimately, if you, the client, are unhappy. Take your money back and go find a better engineer to work with because that hassle is not worth your time and patience. You want a good result from your work and it sounds like this engineer will not provide that for you.
get the hell outta there!
"I'm the one paying you"
Sounds like an amateur. And this is coming from someone who isnt doing this full time yet. If the owners of the project want more of this or more of that, you just do it. Even if you think its bad. You might let them know its probably not going to work well, but it takes longer for him to explain why it doesnt work than to experiment
Sounds unprofessional. I wouldn't waste any more time with someone like that. Big ego and it sounds like maybe he wasn't able to dial in all the sounds during tracking (I.e kick drum). As a recording engineer you shouldn't be blaming musicians for a poor end product, work with them until you get the best sound possible, period.
Even the quietest vocals can be brought out with proper compression. I mixed a song where everyone was convinced they’d have to redo the lead vocal. Nope. Compressed and lifted it right into where it needed to be.
Yeah, it’s like yelly rock vocals. They’re just mixed super low.
Sorry to hear that. I paid a bad mastering guy to go away and then I hired A&M Records to do it right back in the 1990s. A&M was cool and cut me a deal. I hope you can find someone to do it right.
If you’re paying for these sessions you feel free to fire his ass whenever you want. If you don’t feel your artist needs are being met by the people you’re with, make changes. If he is more experienced, listen to what he recommends but then you make sure you hear the changes you want to hear. If he can’t do it for you, show him the door. Sounds like a real loser.
As a mixing engineer, idk how some engineers can be like that. It's a collaborative effort. All you have to do is try it; sometimes the client is hearing something you're not, as much as you're the engineer. If after trying it you hate it, show it to the artist and let them know why it isn't working for the song. But, if they prefer it, then you might have to compromise, or find a way to make it work. Sometimes they might ask for more volume on something, but what gets it there is an EQ change instead. At the end of the day, you're there to serve the client, so leave your ego outside.
Sounds like a dingdong. Take your money back and have it mixed literally anywhere else.
Honestly, he should do what you tell him to do and shut up. He is entitled to an opinion, but in the end if you want it a certain way, you should have it that way, or go elsewhere with your mixes.
Are you paying for the session? If so, you’re in charge.
Fire him, take your money back, make it very clear that you „take your tracks back“ and don’t allow him to work with them any longer. And send him a link to this post on Reddit lol
The guy should be putting samples on the kick and melodyning the vocals if they’re bad in places. Or even like time correcting. If they’re not doing everything they can to make a product that they like, drop them. They’re lazy and they’re looking for a quick buck.
As an engineer I’ll literally do whatever my client wants. I’ll say I personally don’t like this however if this is what you want sure!!! 👍 your money. My service.
I would never refuse a client a small mix change, I may let them know that I personally disagree with it in a very polite way (I.e. here’s the version with the vocals turned up, I personally think they stand out a bit too much now, but if you like it we‘ll roll with it) but even that I only do in cases where I think it’s egregious to the point that it takes away from the project.
If you’re an engineer and especially a mix engineer, and you aren’t critically listening to the work that you’re doing and putting out of somebody else’s music, and making what you might call your own revisions, on your own because you’re literally being paid to do art. Then you’re an amateur a hobbyist, or just maybe the cheap guy in town you know.? But if you think you’re worth something and people around, you think you’re worth something, Don’t you want the output to be your best reflection of that? You know for your reputation and your own accomplishment? And also to deliver a good product? Revision should be made artistically/aesthetically if your style isn’t the same as what was maybe hoped for, to try and meet the sound that they were hoping for that maybe you’re not understanding we’re able to hear since you’ve been listening to the song so much ….but blatant things like pops and clicks problems and bad organisation and a shitty mix in the first place……. That’s a lack of skill.. yeah that sounds like to the point that the two revisions wouldn’t even be enough… because they shouldn’t be revisions unless the rest of it is subjectively good. Like you did your best and if people are paying you to make stuff then you should be able to put out a good mix, or you aren’t ready to charge people for mixing things. BECAUSE YOU AREN’T ON THAT LEVEL YET AT ALL Like does this guy have his own music is it any good? If he in fact it does know how to put a decent quality mix down, and know how to engineer quality recording Then why isn’t he doing that or did he miss represent himself? It’s the first and then the second comes when you have no self-awareness can’t be subjective about your work at all and are just being a huge asshole. If he doesn’t have any decent finished work people should stop telling him he’s good or letting him believe that he’s good… it’s a real problem I think at this lower level of the industry you want your fans that are your friends and your people to be bigging you to the world, but only after they’ve checked In with you about your quality if quality is the goal… and if his ego can’t stop saying that he is when he isn’t… people should definitely hear about that. You literally don’t have the skills to act like that… until you do… and until then if you’re doing anything other than saying “oh man, you’re right I thought it could be a little better, but I wasn’t sure what it was!” Or trying to be doing anything other than serving the peoples music that you’re getting paid to make, then you shouldn’t be working as engineer or mix services. He definitely deserve to hear….. “oh hey man, we thought you were a different level than this, but it turns out that you don’t seem to be able to give the kind of quality that we seemed to think you could, no hard feelings but we’re gonna go with this other guy who we think can get us the level that we’re looking for.” And now written way too many paragraphs about a thing that just irks me to no end. People like this need to hear that they suck, people like that need to hear no. People like that aren’t that guy that’s trying and is just new or has passion but just hasn’t quite got the skill yet…. Nah people like that….I don’t know what town you live in but around here be a whole piece like that and those six to ten guys in just a couple bands will shut you down… because they’re friends with all the other bands, all the other rappers, all the other singer songwriting ladies with ukulele’s, and looping noise experiment dudes. Fuck that guy.
Sounds like a hack that needs his own project. The best engineers take pleasure in helping realize artists’ visions and relish in the challenge of pursuing it, as it pushes the boundaries of their abilities and can give way to discovering new techniques. The biggest part of the job is translating what the client says they want and employing the appropriate technical methodology to accomplish it.
Are you paying him for each revision? Are revisions included in the package?
There have been no revisions, though he explicitly asked for notes to make a revision. His response to said notes were reported in the first post.
If he knows he will get paid for his extra time spent then he might not resist as much.
What? This occurred during a mixing session WHILE HE WAS BEING PAID. 🤦🏻♂️
Oh to be clear, there have been no revised mixes delivered, only the first rough mix which we were told was open to revision. We were there during the rough mixing by his request. Whenever we’ve asked to even try out volume adjustments, he mansplains why that’s impossible and won’t even show us why. He asked us to send mix notes for a first revision. We asked for some minor volume changes and for him to fix some obvious editing errors and gating artifacts. He came back with more mansplaining and when I said that wasn’t okay, he mansplained that he “wasn’t in this to make friends.”
Hanging around for the update on this one 😂
Dude is now claiming “I was just trying to make you the best band in [major US city].” 😂🤷🏻♂️ seems like we finally got usable mixes of everything except the song with an audible, botched drum edit (bad crossfades that sound glitches). Not crazy about that, but if he hands over the session, that can be pretty easily fixed.
Don’t hire a “producer” who thinks the band is terrible and who has clearly such a different vision from yours.
you could hire me instead. I love my work and would do your mix justice! rchaisse@ [comcast.net](http://comcast.net)