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Is Internet Mixing/Mastering Right For Me?

Posted by Keith Freund On February - 2 - 2009COMMENT ON THIS POST

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Whether you’ve had experience in a “real” studio or not, it may seem intuitively easier to sit in the control room and tap your engineer on the shoulder when you think something needs changing. Quick yes, but this exercise has several intrinsic deficiencies.


The most important deficiency is the environment. Coming out of your natural setting to listen to your songs on someone else’s system presents a steep learning curve in terms of getting your ears tuned to the room and monitors. But it is vitally important that you do in order for the decisions you make in the heat of the moment and under the duress of the clock to translate to the outside world. If you’ve been in this business long enough, then you know the pride-swallowing experience of leaving one venue thinking you have a spectacular mix, then taking it home, playing it for friends and family, and finding out that the bass has mysteriously disappeared or the highs don’t quite sing the way they did in the control room.


With our methodology, you can take our professional mixes from our studio to all the environments that you know: your home studio, your car, your entertainment system. You can even put them on shuffle with your favorite record in your iPod and see if they blend in. You can take your time on these decisions and make sure that you are happy with your product in every situation.


Time is the second limitation of the attended session paradigm. For example, in order to get acclimated to a new room you could bring in a sampling of your favorite songs and listen to them on the monitors for reference, but then you have to ask yourself if it is worthwhile to pay the studio and engineer for you to listen to your record collection when you can do it in your own space for free or better yet–not even have to spend the time because you already know what your rooms sound like. In commercial studios, the longer you thoughtfully consider your mixing decisions, the lighter your wallet gets. But your music is your art and your decisions should be weighed thoroughly. Don’t you think you’d make better decisions by your own schedule and not sweating the clock and the budget?


Studios have an inherent incentive to keep you going as long as possible to maximize their profits (disclaimer: this is not to imply that all studios want to shake down their clientele, but the impetus is always there regardless of how magnanimous an owner may be). I once knew a studio owner that would come in and regale his clients with literally hours of anecdotes and small talk, all of which were on the clock. With our flat-rate policies, you never have to worry about time, money, or any of that. $80 for a mix, take as long as you need on your decisions—it’s that simple.


Our prices are an extraordinary bargain when you consider some of the working environments we are privy to. With the democratization of audio technology, it has become relatively inexpensive and easy to start up a “recording studio.” In all candor however, the vast majority of studios out there are not worth your time.


Let me just briefly describe the primary studio I work out of. It is a $2.5 million dollar room built in the ‘80s designed by acoustics legend Russ Berger. We have full spectrum studio mains as well as near-field monitors and several networked listening rooms. Compare that to most local recording studios and you are likely to see the value.


At Fix Your Mix, we offer you world-class mixes by professionals in a truly professional environment at a price-point that is simply unbeatable. More importantly, we give you the freedom to take your mixes out of our world and in to yours so that you can make sure your record is something you are proud to put your name on.


So is internet mixing right for you? The answer is a resounding “it depends.” If you have access to a multi-million dollar facility that you are familiar with or maybe have an open ledger, then more power to you. For those of you who don’t, it might be time to give us a try. Send us your tunes and we’ll do a free proof for you. Then you can tell us if our business model is right for you.

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