How I Got Into Mixing

Getting into recording and mixing was not a seamless journey for me. In fact, it was not until a year or two ago that I really knew the type of business I wanted to start.

            Back in high school I had a band that I played bass in and we played a gig almost every weekend. I love to perform and entertain and the stage is one of the most comfortable places for me. I also knew I wanted to go to Rowan University for music education and be a music teacher though, as well.

            I purchased my first recording interface while in high school and I just fell in love with the concept of recording my band or just simply, my practice sessions and track my progress. I never had any formal education in recording; I simply used my ear and had a trial and error type of experience.

           

            If I had to equate how I got to mixing music I would have to connect it to my love for arranging music. All throughout high school and college, I loved to take a certain piece of music and arrange it to fit my style or taste. I do like composing but one of my favorite things to do is take an idea and make it my own with my style. I lived in Sibelius, which is a great notation software for music composers and arrangers.

How does this connect to mixing?

            This connects to mixing because just like arranging, mixing is an art and mixing gives the engineer the opportunity to put his style in the mix. Of course it is the band or artist’s choice how the song sounds but all mix engineers have their style. For example, some mixers might use different techniques on vocals or compression. Maybe they use different plugins to achieve a certain sound they like to advertise. I realized that my love for arranging was not in music notation and composition but in mixing music. Having the background in recording and learning it since high school, I now have honed in on a skill that is extremely needed by any artist or band. I love getting a new mix and then being able to hear the raw recordings but then envision how I want it to sound post-mix.

            I am very fortunate to be involved in almost every aspect of music and I intend to always be connected with everything around music, but for now, I have made mixing a huge part of my life and I want to not only make my music better but help others get the full potential out of their music.

            I would love for you to check out my website to get all the latest info about my studio and myself as well! Also, subscribe to the blog because I will be updating this constantly. I am also going to start putting some tips and trick on here for anyone looking to start in the recording/mixing business or maybe different techniques to maybe help improve your mixing!

Getting Started In Mix Engineering

            Finding your niche in life is probably one of the most rewarding things. I am a music educator, bassist, and sound engineer. My goal is to try and build a reliable clientele to mix and master music. Getting started in this business is not always the easiest though. Many people say you need mass amounts of money, some say you need very little money. Just like anything in life, there are several factors to consider when starting a home studio mix and mastering business. Today, I am going to talk about four components, which are, mixing professionals, software, clientele, and the venue or space that you have available to you.

            Two mixing professionals I would like to talk about today are Dave Pensado, and Joe Carrell. Both of these guys deal with some of the top artists in the world including Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind, and Fire, Mariah Carrey, and many more. As a mix engineer starting out in the business, it’s important to understand other professionals. Dave Pansado runs a television show called Pensados Place. Watching these videos will help and mix, mastering, or recording engineer. Dave interviews top professionals in the industry and he also gives great tips and tricks for how he utilizes his workflow. Joe Carrell mixes almost all of his music “in the box,” this means that he rarely uses all of the pretty and expensive gear and utilizes his computer, plugins, and his ear. Mixing is all about having a great ear and being able to master EQ and compression. Both of these professionals give much of their tricks into how they begin and end their mixing projects.

            In the Audio world, we are always so obsessed with gear. What software to use? What gear to buy? Do I need to rent a building and invest millions of dollars to churn out great music? All these questions are constantly argued over and debated. I want to shed some light on this situation.

            Graham Cochrane runs The Recording Revolution, which I mentioned in my last blog and he has a video explaining which software to choose. Overall this video, entitled, Which DAW is right for yourhome studio, explains that there is no clear cut winner as you should choose the software that is right and comfortable for you. One can use this information to ease the tension of the pressure that Pro Tools is the ONLY way to go. As we all know, mixing and audio, just like anything else in music, is an art. It is always and will always be about the engineer rather than the software.

            On the other side of the spectrum you have a guy like Jason Goldstein, who is all about gear and using some of the best gear to churn out great music. I am somewhere in the middle. Having done research on all these topics, I can conclude that I am not a namedropper, but more of a producer. If I am supplying my clients with great music, it’s because of my talents and not the expensive equipment.

            My studio is located in my apartment and all my mixing, recording, and mastering, is done here. Would I like to work in a great million-dollar studio, sure! But, I also love what I have built here and invested in. Stephen Sherrard explains how to get great at mixing and producing great music. The answer is, practice. It’s not about buying all the gear and top of the line equipment. Audio engineering, just like playing an instrument, requires practice to become successful. Many times, we think that starting a home studio means, having the goal for it to look like a pro studio. Justin Colletti explains that this is not the case. This resonated with me because even though I want to grow my business, I understand that I cannot rationalize buying a ton of expensive gear. I must start small and build a clientele and then as my business is growing, I can invest in other equipment to meet the demands of my customers.

            The last point that I wanted to talk about is the venue or space that one has to start a studio. Graham Cochrane talks about “limiting your options like your life depended on it.” This is a great statement because so many people are worried about the equipment and space they have and they do not take the time to perfect what they have. This can help me throughout my career because instead of changing microphones because the track doesn’t sound good, I can adjust and use trial and error till I get a great sound.

            Acoustic treatment is another very popular debatable topic. This article explains how to properly treat a room but also explain that you don’t need to sound proof in order to have a nice sounding area.

            I am all about practice makes perfect, and I intend to perfect my craft to build a steady business for myself. Contact me if you wish to get your music mixed and mastered. Also, subscribe to my blog to get the very latest updates!