Introduction
A mixing engineer takes raw recorded audio and transforms it into music. Mixing engineers use a combination of musical and technical knowledge to help create their mix. Mixing engineers often use a combination of both hardware and digital equipment to best suit their different styles of music. A mixing engineer is responsible for creating balance and space within the mix, by using 4 main steps: Adjusting Volume levels; Dynamic Processors; FX Processors; automation and panning. Before starting a mix, an engineer should speak to the producer and artist to understand the style and end goal they are wanting to achieve. Many mixing engineers ask for a couple of reference tracks to help envision the artist and producers end goal.
Qualifications and Experiences required
Most employers would prefer if their mixing engineers had either a degree in music production or sound engineering as this shows the engineer has got a good background knowledge of software and hardware and will be able to do the job with little training. However, if you do not have a degree in music production or sound engineering that doesn’t mean you cannot be a mixing engineer. In the music industry, networking and experience are very important, so you could easily be recommended for some work by someone you have previously worked with. Many mixing engineers start out working in recording studios as assistant engineers and then progress to be a recording engineer. After working as a recording engineer many either work closely with a mixing engineer as an apprentice or they just progress to become a mixing engineer. If you are looking to work as a freelance mixing engineer many start out by offering their services for free or for very little money for some experience as a one off and if the customers are happy, they should hopefully return, and you can charge them a fee.
Skills and Attributes required
Mixing engineers should have extensive knowledge of equipment, DAWs, Dynamic and FX processors and various music genres. It is expected that a mixing engineer knows how to use Pro Tools and Logic Pro X as these DAWs are considered industry standard. Some may also have knowledge of Ableton, Cubase and Reason. Mixing engineers should also have knowledge of analogue mixing desks and should have a good understanding of signal flow and recording. All mixing engineers should understand how to use both hardware and software processors for editing their mixes. Many use a combination of both hardware and software processors depending on the style of music, how much time they have to mix and whether they have access to hardware equipment.
Mixing is still a creative skill and requires an ear for detail to be able to work out different nuances in an arrangement and to hide details in the mix for the listener. Another attribute mixing engineers should possess is communication and networking skills to ensure that you get more work and that the artists you work with are happy. As a mixing engineer you need to be communicating with the artist and/or producer in order to bring their vision to life which is why communication is essential. Failing to meet the brief from the artist or producer could mean you may lose out on future work from them or others and could possibly ruin your reputation. It is important for mixing engineers to have a good reputation and relationships with other producers, artists and recording engineers. Reputation and relationships are even more important to freelance mixing engineers.
Mixing engineers often work on lots of different projects at once and need to be highly organised to make sure they meet deadlines and briefs. Mixing is a profession that requires a lot of concentration for long periods of time so it is important to take breaks as your ears will get tired from listening to the same audio for hours at a time. Mixing engineers need to be flexible and happy to work all hours as to meet deadlines they may have to work late.
Typical Days Work
I asked my lecturer, Jason Ellis, who works part time as a freelance mixing engineer to briefly explain to me what his normal day to day looked like when mixing. Jason works out of a home studio. He explained that he would typically begin the day by reading through the brief given from the artist and listen to the track that he is going to be mixing and any reference tracks he has been given. Once he has done this he would go through the recorded audio and organise the session. Next, he said he would often do some pre fade automation to irradicate any extreme imbalances in dynamics across an audio file. After this he would begin mixing the song and would take regular breaks only working for a couple hours at a time in order to give his ears a break. Jason explained it Is good practice to send over roughly a minute of partially mixed audio to the customer so they can hear some progress and give any feedback on what has been mixed so far. As Jason works freelance, he doesn’t have set working hours and may spend between 6-9 hours a day working. Jason charges per mix as a flat fee and not per hour or per day. This is enticing to customers as it doesn’t matter how long it takes Jason to mix, the fee remains the same. This also encourages Jason to work quickly. Jason explained that it takes him on average 1 or 2 days to mix one song in full.
Studio mixing engineers day would differ to a freelance engineer as a studio mixing engineer would work based on the studios hours and when they have something to mix. Many studio mixing engineers are paid a salary from the studio they are employed by.
Duties and Responsibilities
Mixing engineers need to have good project management and people skills in order to successfully do their jobs. Due to some projects all having the same deadline dates, they need to be highly organised so they can ensure all deadlines are met to the highest quality. Some mixing engineers may work alongside to others to help share the workload on bigger projects. When working with other people, it is essential that the mix engineers communicate among each other, so they know what each person’s role is within a project to ensure there is no confusion. Mixing engineers work alongside producers, artists, record labels, artist managers and many more people. The engineers need to ensure everyone is satisfied with the final project before it is sent over to a mastering engineer.
Financial and Legal issues
Many freelance mixing engineers salaries may vary as they depend on how much work they do. The amount of business they get can vary from month and month and may not always be consistent. The freelance mixing engineer market is also very competitive, so you need to charge according to market rates. In the UK, the price to mix a song depend on how well respected you are as an engineer and who you are mixing for. Many top labels may pay top mixing engineers between £1500 – £4000 for a song. But most serious artists without the backing of a big record label would pay between £250 – £700 per song.
Studio mixing engineers often charge either a day rate to the studio or are employed on a salary. Salaries can range between £40,000 – £100,000, depending on who you are employed by. Or some engineers will charge between £30 – £70 per hour.
As a mixing engineer you do not have any ownership over the material that you work on as you did not compose or perform on the song. Some mixing engineers will negotiate that they receive a 1% share of the master royalties. But many mixing engineers charge more than what they would receive in a share of the master royalties.
Equipment costs are very expensive. If you are freelance and would like to set up a home studio you will spend a lot of money on basic equipment and acoustics treatment for the space that you choose to build your studio. An alternative for a freelance mixing engineer is to rent a studio space when you need to use one as this would work out cheaper than building your own home studio. Working as a studio mixing engineer would mean you do not have to own your own studio and will still have access to the equipment.
Marketing and Promotion
Freelance mixing engineers would typically rely on word of mouth and social media to advertise their services. They would typically use social media to help promote their work and outline exactly what they do while giving examples of previous work. Freelance mixing engineers may also go to networking events where they can promote their services to a wide range of different people. Many engineers use LinkedIn and/ or have their own websites with their contact information.
Studio mixing engineers do not need to rely on marketing their own services as the studio that employs them often does their own marketing and would have a website to promote their services.
Potential Personal Challenges
Working as a freelance mixing engineer working from a home studio can be quite isolating as you are sat alone mixing for long periods of time. It is important to maintain relationships and to still make an effort to go out and socialise. Sometimes it could be worth working with another mixing engineer to change your perspective on your work, as working with another engineer could be beneficial to your own development.
It may be stressful when there are large workloads or when you are managing many deadlines all at once which is why it is important to know your limits, be organised and not burnout. Freelance work is never consistent so you need to be able to hold your nerve when there is less business as this means you will take a dip in salary. To be prepared for when there is less business you should try to have some savings to live off of if there is a time when you are unable to work. Many freelance engineers may work another job on for a more stable income, until they are established.
Career Progression and Development
There is no clear path of progression for a mixing engineer and there are many different options. One path of progression for lots of mixing engineers is to work with big name artists or to work for big record labels. An alternative path could be setting up your own recording studio and renting out the space to other artists or engineers. Some engineers go on to set up their own record labels and many just continue mixing for other people. For example, Andrew Scheps is a grammy award winning mixing engineer who has worked with the Red-Hot Chilli Peppers, Adele, Beyonce and many more. Scheps now owns his own record label and does less mix engineering now.
Works Cited
Berklee (2024). Mixing Engineer | Berklee College of Music. [online] www.berklee.edu. Available at: https://www.berklee.edu/careers/roles/mixing-engineer. (Accessed Sunday 5th January 2025)
Chris Brown: Online Mixing + Mastering Engineer. (2024). Who Owns the Master? [online] Available at: https://www.brownsound.net/who-owns-the-master-exploring-the-legal-rights-of-mixing-and-mastering-engineers/ (Accessed Sunday 5th January 2025)
Morter, L. (2023). Sound Engineer Quotes: Wisdom from the Masters of Sound. [online] MixProdMasters. Available at: https://mixprodmasters.com/audio/sound-engineer-quotes-wisdom-from-the-masters-of-sound/. (Accessed Sunday 5th January 2025)
ONCE, H.M.S. a M.C.-T., Twice, T. and says, T.D.S. (2021). How Much Should a Mix Cost? — SonicScoop. [online] sonicscoop.com. Available at: https://sonicscoop.com/how-much-should-a-mix-cost/. (Accessed Sunday 5th January 2025)
Rayden, M. (2022). What Royalty Rate Do Mixing and Mastering Engineers Get? [online] Major Mixing. Available at: https://majormixing.com/what-royalty-rate-do-mixing-and-mastering-engineers-get/. (Accessed Sunday 5th January 2025)
Soundspace. (n.d.). An Audio Engineer’s Guide to a Successful Business. [online] Available at: https://www.soundspace.co/articles/an-audio-engineers-guide-to-a-successful-business. (Accessed Sunday 5thJanuary 2025)
UK Music. (n.d.). Music Recording / Mixing Engineer. [online] Available at: https://www.ukmusic.org/job-profiles/music-recording-mixing-engineer/. (Accessed Sunday 5th January 2025)
Interviews:
I interviewed Jason Ellis after a university lecture on Wednesday 20th November
