N e freelance engineers????

[bwritemusic]

Are there n e freelance engineers around the Bloomington/Normal area (Chicago, Peoria, Decatur, Champaign, etc.). I am looking for someone who could help me mix a couple of tracks for my records so that I can get a foundation set and complete the record.

It was a live recording done by metro mobile. The style of music is Praise & Worship/Gospel/Pop. The instruments that are used are drums, organ, Keyboard (lots of keyboard overdubs), vocals, and guitar.

If you are an freelance engineer or no any one in this area please contact me at bwritemusic@yahoo.com

Thank you

[Ken Paul]

Try Mark at Pogo. He's close to you.

Pogo Studio

[d1rtynyc]

You may also want to post a ad in the "Jobs Offered" sesction.

[donsolo]

or you can send them to me via FTP. PM me for details.

[DontLetMeDrown]

FYI, you don't need a mixer close to you to get an album mixed. Most mixers can set you up with an FTP so you can send them your session files, then they'll FTP the final mixes back to you. I'm available to mix if you are interested.

[bwritemusic]

Originally Posted by DontLetMeDrown

FYI, you don't need a mixer close to you to get an album mixed. Most mixers can set you up with an FTP so you can send them your session files, then they'll FTP the final mixes back to you. I'm available to mix if you are interested.

Understood, but the point was to be able to watch what they were doing and finish the album by myself!!! I just wanted to get a foundation to build upon.

[DontLetMeDrown]

Gotcha.

[cgarges]

Trying contacting Tony San Filippo at Oxide Lounge in Bloomington. He's a great engineer with a cool little space downtown. He posts here frequently as "drumsound."

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[bgrotto]

Originally Posted by bwritemusic

Understood, but the point was to be able to watch what they were doing and finish the album by myself!!! I just wanted to get a foundation to build upon.

You might learn a few things, but I don't know how much of it you could apply to your album. You'd be mixing in a different room, with different gear, so right off the bat there's gonna be problems.

Not to mention, mixing isn't about "techniques", it's about philosophy and experience and knowing when to APPLY those techniques. You gotta spend a lot more than a few hours with a person to understand WHY they're doing something. Just turning around and using the same EQ settings the pro used on your snare won't get you the same results, ya know?

I don't know that hiring someone to "lay the foundation" would be of much value; frankly it strikes me as a waste of money. Shoot. You may as well get yourself an internship and learn all that stuff for free!

[bwritemusic]

Originally Posted by bgrotto

You might learn a few things, but I don't know how much of it you could apply to your album. You'd be mixing in a different room, with different gear, so right off the bat there's gonna be problems.

Not to mention, mixing isn't about "techniques", it's about philosophy and experience and knowing when to APPLY those techniques. You gotta spend a lot more than a few hours with a person to understand WHY they're doing something. Just turning around and using the same EQ settings the pro used on your snare won't get you the same results, ya know?

I don't know that hiring someone to "lay the foundation" would be of much value; frankly it strikes me as a waste of money. Shoot. You may as well get yourself an internship and learn all that stuff for free!

Some truth to your statement. First my preference was to have some1 that could mix on my turf w/my stuff!!! I mean if you're a professional (getting paid for what you do), shouldn't you be able to get a professional sound w/out the big toys, nice room, etc. Secondly, I believe that mixing is about technique, and experience, etc., etc. but more than that I believe it is just one big OPINION!! Everybody does it differently, but there are some foundational philosophies that everybody uses. In any situation on any platform the more "information, knowledge" you have more ability to form the big OPINION. Experience is definitely good in many case but observation is often times overlooked.
So I could get an intership, and actually that may be a plan. But that would seem to me a waste of money b/c wouldn't it take me away from my job where I make money?? And if paying for knowledge that I may or may not apply is a waste of money then I made the biggest mistake of my life by going to college and getting a degree. And I'm still paying for it.

[bgrotto]

Originally Posted by bwritemusic

Some truth to your statement. First my preference was to have some1 that could mix on my turf w/my stuff!!! I mean if you're a professional (getting paid for what you do), shouldn't you be able to get a professional sound w/out the big toys, nice room, etc. Secondly, I believe that mixing is about technique, and experience, etc., etc. but more than that I believe it is just one big OPINION!! Everybody does it differently, but there are some foundational philosophies that everybody uses. In any situation on any platform the more "information, knowledge" you have more ability to form the big OPINION. Experience is definitely good in many case but observation is often times overlooked.
So I could get an intership, and actually that may be a plan. But that would seem to me a waste of money b/c wouldn't it take me away from my job where I make money?? And if paying for knowledge that I may or may not apply is a waste of money then I made the biggest mistake of my life by going to college and getting a degree. And I'm still paying for it.

I didn't realize you wanted the engineer to come to you. My bad.

As for not needing the toys, you're right; I can produce perfectly fine results in lesser-equipped studios or even ITB. However, a good room is mandatory; how else do you know what you're hearing? In fact, if I were budgeting to build a home studio, my priority would be acoustics over everything else. Luckily for me, I'm a staffer and freelancer so I get to collect all the goodies I want, and let the studio managers worry about the acoustics.

Anyway, I'm curious about what your budget is. I don't know about other freelancers around here, but I actually charge a much, MUCH lower day rate if you book me at my usual studio. I sometimes charge a *bit* more for other studios, and I charge way more to go make house calls. It might be worth investigating the folks in your area; if they have a similar payment scheme you could actually end up spending the same money to have your record mixed in a fancy room with all those lovely toys!

Just some food for thought. Good luck!

[bwritemusic]

Originally Posted by bgrotto

I didn't realize you wanted the engineer to come to you. My bad.

As for not needing the toys, you're right; I can produce perfectly fine results in lesser-equipped studios or even ITB. However, a good room is mandatory; how else do you know what you're hearing? In fact, if I were budgeting to build a home studio, my priority would be acoustics over everything else. Luckily for me, I'm a staffer and freelancer so I get to collect all the goodies I want, and let the studio managers worry about the acoustics.

Anyway, I'm curious about what your budget is. I don't know about other freelancers around here, but I actually charge a much, MUCH lower day rate if you book me at my usual studio. I sometimes charge a *bit* more for other studios, and I charge way more to go make house calls. It might be worth investigating the folks in your area; if they have a similar payment scheme you could actually end up spending the same money to have your record mixed in a fancy room with all those lovely toys!

Just some food for thought. Good luck!

I was thinking about $350/$400 for mixing, $350 for mastering!!!! I know those are pretty low budgets!!! By the way where exactly are you located??? Thanks for your help!!!!

[bgrotto]

Originally Posted by bwritemusic

I was thinking about $350/$400 for mixing, $350 for mastering!!!! I know those are pretty low budgets!!! By the way where exactly are you located??? Thanks for your help!!!!

No problem.

I actually grew up in Chicago, myself (my parents live in Wheaton these days) but I'm living in Somerville, MA, which is part of the greater Boston area. I think my dad works in Bloomington; that's where the big outdoor mall is, right?

As for your budget, you're absolutely right. That's very, very small. But it might get you a day or two of time from someone eager to build a client base, which could possibly yield a few completed mixes, or at least a solid starting point for you to take over.

Best of luck to ya!

[Ken Paul]

Originally Posted by bwritemusic

. First my preference was to have some1 that could mix on my turf w/my stuff!!!

Since nobody else has asked... what "stuff" do you have? And what sort of space is it in?

[Makinithappen]

Originally Posted by Ken Paul

Since nobody else has asked... what "stuff" do you have? And what sort of space is it in?

That was my first thought myself. Being in St, Louis, I know a lot of people in these areas but would be hesitant to call anyone if I didn't know the circumstances.

Judging from posts here, I would think Oxide Lounge would be a decent place to go. (or of of course our shop if you wanted to drive a little further ) Next time I'm up that way, I know I'm going to try to stop by his room.

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by bwritemusic

Some truth to your statement. First my preference was to have some1 that could mix on my turf w/my stuff!!! I mean if you're a professional (getting paid for what you do), shouldn't you be able to get a professional sound w/out the big toys, nice room, etc. Secondly, I believe that mixing is about technique, and experience, etc., etc. but more than that I believe it is just one big OPINION!! Everybody does it differently, but there are some foundational philosophies that everybody uses. In any situation on any platform the more "information, knowledge" you have more ability to form the big OPINION. Experience is definitely good in many case but observation is often times overlooked.

I'm no bigshot mix engineer...but I'd be willing to bet that any engineer will do better work in a shorter time frame with tools they know in a room they know. Taking someone out of their environment, and yes they'll adapt - but it'll take time, and you're paying for that time.

Mixing is an opinion - but some people have opinions that are more universally appreciated, hence the reason they're better mixers. In my experience, you have two options when learning from others in a mix situation - to either learn all the tricks and style of one particular guy, or to take a little bit from lots of different people (through circumstance I'm following the 2nd path). Obviously you then add this to things you discover on your own...but either way, it's not like you're going to be able to take someone's mix style after a couple of days, start from their base settings and apply that to new tracks and expect to get a comparable result. If you think that's going to work for you...I'm afraid in my opinion, you're quite naive.

[bwritemusic]

Originally Posted by psycho_monkey

I'm no bigshot mix engineer...but I'd be willing to bet that any engineer will do better work in a shorter time frame with tools they know in a room they know. Taking someone out of their environment, and yes they'll adapt - but it'll take time, and you're paying for that time.

Mixing is an opinion - but some people have opinions that are more universally appreciated, hence the reason they're better mixers. In my experience, you have two options when learning from others in a mix situation - to either learn all the tricks and style of one particular guy, or to take a little bit from lots of different people (through circumstance I'm following the 2nd path). Obviously you then add this to things you discover on your own...but either way, it's not like you're going to be able to take someone's mix style after a couple of days, start from their base settings and apply that to new tracks and expect to get a comparable result. If you think that's going to work for you...I'm afraid in my opinion, you're quite naive.

Actually I agree with you!!! Unfortuanately you must have misunderstood my purpose and my post!! Hence my purpose, "Take a little bit.....add the things you discover on your own....." Never said I wanted to steal someones mix style. I did say that there are foundational things, some tricks, or just a general level of understanding that some more experienced engineer might have. I have already been w/experienced engineers and have learned from some things that they do that have opened up my understanding of mixing. But just like you said I would like to learn from "lots". So there you have I'm not naive. Just like you happened to draw up your opinion from post that you have read (Observed), I also would like to form an opinion through a series of observations.
If I'm paying someone to mix 3 songs for me (essentially a demo) it gives me the opportunity to ask questions, to observe how they paint a picture from scratch, and I have there attention b/c I'm there boss for the moment. I've hired them for that purpose. Who's to say that I wouldn't totally just redo their whole mix, or perhaps I attempt to mirror their mix through my ears. Whatever the case these facts still remain. It's still my money and my opinion and that's not naive at all. But thanks for sharing your opinion!!!

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by bwritemusic

Actually I agree with you!!! Unfortuanately you must have misunderstood my purpose and my post!! Hence my purpose, "Take a little bit.....add the things you discover on your own....." Never said I wanted to steal someones mix style. I did say that there are foundational things, some tricks, or just a general level of understanding that some more experienced engineer might have. I have already been w/experienced engineers and have learned from some things that they do that have opened up my understanding of mixing. But just like you said I would like to learn from "lots". So there you have I'm not naive. Just like you happened to draw up your opinion from post that you have read (Observed), I also would like to form an opinion through a series of observations.
If I'm paying someone to mix 3 songs for me (essentially a demo) it gives me the opportunity to ask questions, to observe how they paint a picture from scratch, and I have there attention b/c I'm there boss for the moment. I've hired them for that purpose. Who's to say that I wouldn't totally just redo their whole mix, or perhaps I attempt to mirror their mix through my ears. Whatever the case these facts still remain. It's still my money and my opinion and that's not naive at all. But thanks for sharing your opinion!!!

No probs - as long as you're clear that at best, you're going to discover a couple of techniques that might help you in the long term. It's unlikely to help you get a comparable result on subsequent tracks in the short term, unless you're already competent.

[jayoski]

I'm going to second Chris and Makinithappen. You should contact Tony San Filippo at The Oxide Lounge. He's a super nice guy, very pro, and has some good gear in a very cool place. I'm sure he'd be happy to give you some pointers while you watched him work.