Help! How should I price myself as a mixing engineer

[bolehnggak]

Hi,

I'm still learning to become a recording and mixing engineer, and after a while, people started asking me to mix their records. So I became a part-time mixing engineer for local bands, although I'm still learning to mix better.

The problem I have is, how to price myself, is it based on studio time, or is it based on per song package.

Recently I stumbled into a problem. I mixed an album, 10 songs, with an amount of money per song, and they don't have to pay for studio time, because it's included in the package. I figured that for one song, the money I get will be enough for 2-shift of studio time, and I still got money left as my fee. But the problem is that the band often ask for revision, so it ended up that I'm the one who is paying, because the studio time is way over the budget limit. And I only charged them for the song, not the studio time. Admitted, my mistake.

But, another story, I tried to charge them on time basis, they pay for studio, and I receive a small fee per song for the mixes I did. But this is also problem, they always asked me to make it quick, so when I did their mix they said I'm taking too much of studio time, and this is when I did almost four mixes in 6-hours of studio time!

So, I wonder, how should I price myself, so I can give satisfaction for the people I worked with, but also I’m getting a fair share of my mixing works.

I'm thinking of a package per song, but only given them 1-shift (6 hours) of studio time for them to make a revision or more. Is it a good idea?

Any more wiser suggestions? How do professional mixing engineer get paid by the way?

Thanks in advance,
Ari

[pigpen]

As alot of others on here, I own my own studio, so I have never been in your shoes, but.....

My advice would be to write up a proposal that is a mix of your previous methods. Say "I will mix the songs at "x amount of dollars" per song with a caveat stating that if the studio time goes over "x" amount of hours, then the band is responsible for paying the extra studio time. I bet the revisions would lessen...

I don't know....just an idea.

[T_R_S]

Price yourself right

remember this ...
It's sometimes hard to raise rates with repeat clients.
If you work for cheap people may think your not very good.
Charge by the hour/day rate not by the song ...
You will probably never get rich off spec work ...

[adrianex]

I feel your pain man, this is what I used to do:

1) Make a deal with a studio for better rates.

2) I would ask to check the band's recording (if I didn't do the recording myself), so I can make an estimate of how much it would take me to do it.

3) Once I got the mix down I would give the band different cuts (guitars louder, drums, kick and sn, more vocals, etc). The band would have to select one of the mixes and I would make the band understand that I will fix the mix 3 times (make it real clear, tell them to write down what needs to be fix, if they forgot something and you need to go back the that #2), after that there is an extra fee for any more fixes.

It worked for me. Most of the times they would come and ask me to mix one track first to how would work and if they like what they hear, then I would get the rest of the album if not they wouldn't loss that much money. Plus by then I would have a mixing template for the band, which made it easier for the rest of the album, which of course means less studio = more $$ for me.

Now days I have a deal with the studio where I work now, where I can use the studio to mix any side project that I bring on any free time I got, of course I give them a cut. But I don't get charge by the hour.

Hope it helps

Cheers

[audioalchemy]

I myself am pretty new to the business and this is what has been working well for me. I tell the band/artist my rate per hour. I try to find out what kind of record they want to make or how they want it mixed. Then they get two options. You can pay for a studio that I am familiar with and i can mix there, or you can just pay my rate and i can mix ITB at home. This way they have options, sure mixing in a studio it'll sound better than doing it at home but they have the option.

hope that helps,
AudioAlchemy