Online Mixing Website

[Cerpintaxt]

Hey guys, pretty excited, just started up an online mixing service.
Just wanted to get a bit of feedback on whats on there so far.
Is it easy to navigate, layout is efficient, what do you think of the sample up so far?
ANY feedback is much appreciated
Im hoping to cater for more of the lower end guys and im basing my prices around that area as well.
Everything was designed and built by me and my brother and in no way are we web designers so keep that in mind haha

Thanks guys

[therealbigd]

Originally Posted by Cerpintaxt

Hey guys, pretty excited, just started up an online mixing service.
Just wanted to get a bit of feedback on whats on there so far.
Is it easy to navigate, layout is efficient, what do you think of the sample up so far?
ANY feedback is much appreciated
Im hoping to cater for more of the lower end guys and im basing my prices around that area as well.
Everything was designed and built by me and my brother and in no way are we web designers so keep that in mind haha

Thanks guys

well before I even go on your site I've decided not going to bother because you're advertising 'cheap mixing service'.

If I've spent ages writing a song, arranging it, practicing it with my band, recording it, editing it and getting it all together for mixing; why on earth do I want something 'cheap' done to it?

sod that.

[psycho_monkey]

Out of interest - if you're only charging $50-$70 dollars for a mix, how long are you spending on them?! I generally take 1 day+ to mix a track (usually 5-6 hours on the basics, including any tidying up, then about the same on finetuning like vocal rides and revisions). How do you afford to do that, and afford to make a living/buy the gear you list on your site, at those rates?!

[Cerpintaxt]

This is not my sole income, im a live sound engineer hired yearly by an australian entertainment group. Im just starting out doing studio mixing so i figured i would put my rates comparatively, i understand the "cheap" thing though, i will probably change that.
And i mix them for as long as i need to, i take it seriously but like i said its not my main source of income and im happy to spend whatever time i have free on them so i can improve.
All the songs i've done for people they have been more than happy with and as a result they have come back.

Thanks for your thoughts though i will take them on board, keep them coming

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by Cerpintaxt

This is not my sole income, im a live sound engineer hired yearly by an australian entertainment group. Im just starting out doing studio mixing so i figured i would put my rates comparatively, i understand the "cheap" thing though, i will probably change that.
And i mix them for as long as i need to, i take it seriously but like i said its not my main source of income and im happy to spend whatever time i have free on them so i can improve.
All the songs i've done for people they have been more than happy with and as a result they have come back.

Thanks for your thoughts though i will take them on board, keep them coming

so that's AUS$50-70?

I'd suggest trebling this, then actively seeking out projects with music you think is good and people who will appreciate it, and doing it for free/cheap to build a showreel.

At the moment, with prices like that (I charged at least 3 times that when I was mixing in a bedroom ITB) but expensive gear listed, it gives the impression you're just going to throw it up and run it through the gear, and call it a day. Or you're a rich kid with all the gear but no idea. I know you're not, but that's the impression.

[Cerpintaxt]

Ok so what price range do you think i should be marketing at? You can listen to a song on there that i have done, its not that bad considering it was just through headphones and laptop speakers.
I make a decent living working for who i am working for now and thats why i can buy the gear that i have.

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by Cerpintaxt

Ok so what price range do you think i should be marketing at? You can listen to a song on there that i have done, its not that bad considering it was just through headphones and laptop speakers.
I make a decent living working for who i am working for now and thats why i can buy the gear that i have.

Well, I wouldn't put up something I considered "not that bad"! hence the need to get a showreel together. No material and an "ask for showreel" message would be better than something you're not 100% behind.

Price range? well it's effectively a day rate - so what would someone working in a studio make in your area?

[Cerpintaxt]

Well i am behind the track, its definitely what i felt was my best effort at the song at the time. What do you think of it? happy for any criticism.
I would say it would be close to $100 a day at most competitive sydney based studios.

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by Cerpintaxt

Well i am behind the track, its definitely what i felt was my best effort at the song at the time. What do you think of it? happy for any criticism.
I would say it would be close to $100 a day at most competitive sydney based studios.

I'm pretty certain most sydney "studios" would charge more than $100/day even for a basic setup, with engineer!

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by Cerpintaxt

Well i am behind the track, its definitely what i felt was my best effort at the song at the time. What do you think of it? happy for any criticism.
I would say it would be close to $100 a day at most competitive sydney based studios.

Example is ok - vocals don't blend with the backing though, and there's quite a bit level discrepancy between the 2 vocalists. I'm also only listening on headphones.

To be honest though, this doesn't really showcase any mixing abilities - simple sounds, no obvious live instruments (I've not listened whole way through) and so on. Pretty easy stuff to mix really, if the original sounds have been well chosen - you could possibly just have balanced, put on the vocals with a bit of reverb and called it a day there. If this is the client you're aiming yourself at, great, but it's a lot harder to mix stuff with live instrumentation, and there's no indication of how good you are at that. Hence the need to build up a showreel.

[FLYINGJAY]

Originally Posted by psycho_monkey

so that's AUS$50-70?
(I charged at least 3 times that when I was mixing in a bedroom ITB)

I knew it!


Sent from my PC36100 using Gearslutz.com

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by FLYINGJAY

I knew it!


Sent from my PC36100 using Gearslutz.com

???

[FLYINGJAY]

Originally Posted by psycho_monkey

???

That you COULD mix ITB!

Sent from my PC36100 using Gearslutz.com

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by FLYINGJAY

That you COULD mix ITB!

Sent from my PC36100 using Gearslutz.com

I never said I couldn't. It's just not my preferred choice, and I get better results hybrid. Now stop derailing the thread!

[Downsound]

Your website looks as cheap as your rates (and your logo). Why is your logo so big? I shouldn't have to scroll down on your home page - all the navigation should be up at the top. I listened to the mix. It doesn't sound like you did any processing on anything. Everything sounds like the original presets. It sounds like you spent 15 minutes on it. $200/hr. is quite a living!!

[sundial]

Good advice here already.

as you mentioned this is not your main source of income so why have your rates so low if you charged more say $150-$200 and be very selective over the material you work with it would help to establish a brand.

[Cerpintaxt]

Thanks for all the replies already, taking everything on board. Like I said the website was done with no professional advice or help, is there anything that people do like that I should keep?
Also the song is definitely not a CLA mix but like I said it's completely ITB and mixed with headphones through the outputs of a laptop.
I figured it was better putting up something rather than nothing.
I agree with the logo size, however I don't think the logo looks cheap?

[Cerpintaxt]

Also the song was sent to me in sections with all the instruments bounced to one stem, and the vocals recorded on a home computer microphone in someone's bedroom. So you have to keep in mind that the track was ALOT worse to begin with. I understand it's easy to criticize, and that's fine, but alot has been done to this track just to get it to where it is at

[MTStudios]

Originally Posted by Cerpintaxt

Also the song was sent to me in sections with all the instruments bounced to one stem, and the vocals recorded on a home computer microphone in someone's bedroom. So you have to keep in mind that the track was ALOT worse to begin with. I understand it's easy to criticize, and that's fine, but alot has been done to this track just to get it to where it is at

Then I don't think you're ready for a website and asking for clients. Keep working for mates, acquaintances, people you meet at gigs etc. Keep yourself flexible, and then when you've got more work behind you, open yourself up to the rest of the world and put a price on your expertise.

[Cerpintaxt]

Why do you say that i am not ready?

[MTStudios]

Because you only have one track in your show reel and it's really not a good representation for all the reasons mentioned above. And the excuses about how it was recorded is irrelevant. If a professional shows you an example of their work, then comes up with a series of excuses, it's not very convincing.

If you met a potential client at a gig, spoke to them, started winning them over, and then showed them your website you might actually do more damage than good at this point. Non-locals who see your website will want a more expensive product.

[Cerpintaxt]

Okay so what do you think needs to happen with the website?

[MTStudios]

Originally Posted by Cerpintaxt

Okay so what do you think needs to happen with the website?

That logo clashes with the background. Pretty sure a designer would die of a heart attack seeing that. It looks very uninspiring too. It needs to be more subtle and smaller..
Most studios impress their clients with high class photos of their room or equipment. You've opted to use something that looks like a doodle in MS paint. So you might want to rethink the role it plays on your site.

I don't know why there's a blue line across the top of your site when the navigation is in the middle.

The pink dash lines down the bottom. Why? Your website has a bubble gum feel about it. Pink & blue.

Your rates!
People aren't going to pay $80 because they're lazy or can't be bothered! For that amount of money they'd probably rather enjoy doing it themselves. Cheap mixing isn't a reality, because when you're that cheap you're competing with free. Competing with a "Well I'll just google some articles on EQ and do it myself" mentality.

Plus anyone who works a day job in a sole trader, small business type industry like tradies, graphic designers, etc will recognise that you're either putting very little work in, or are completely undermining and de-professionalising an industry.

Also, you will get crap clients who don't think this sort of thing is WORTH paying for. You'll never wind up with a good show reel if you're always working with people who don't really give a damn. Charge more, get better clients and more rewarding work. Or charge nothing and do favours for mates.

It also makes you look like you aren't proud of your work or don't think you're very good. Why would I pay someone who doesn't think they're very good?


Lastly, get some more bloody work up in your portfolio or take it down completely! That really gives off a bad vibe. I'd gotten plenty of work in the past from people liking songs I wasn't proud of.. but I didn't let them know that!

My portfolio always has at least 4 songs in it. I try not to take things down unless I really dislike them, because people's tastes are wide and varied. I've had people ask for/want/appreciate sounds I didn't like. Sometimes that's turned into really rewarding work because it made me go down a path I otherwise wouldn't have and learn some new tricks.

Also, people listen to the song as much as the production when they're choosing an engineer. It's inevitable, you can't disconnect the two. The fact that the vocal performance on that track is so hard to listen to doesn't help.

You'd be better off putting up good songs with poor production than bad songs with better production.

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by Cerpintaxt

....with all the instruments bounced to one stem....

Well - then it's not a mix you've done is it?

Sorry to be a dork. Get some mixes under your belt, get some stuff done, THEN make a website.

[Lenzo]

Hey, make a website if you want to. It seems obvious to me that you don't have a ton of experience, but you get experience by doing. When you can stop asking people what they think, because you have the confidence that experience gives you, then you're headed in the right direction.
L.

[AMIEL]

wow! very cheap.....this biz is becoming very crazy for people that want to spend time mixing to get a great product and that use great expensive gear!

[oldeanalogueguy]

Originally Posted by Cerpintaxt

Hey guys, pretty excited, just started up an online mixing service.
Just wanted to get a bit of feedback on whats on there so far.
Is it easy to navigate, layout is efficient, what do you think of the sample up so far?
ANY feedback is much appreciated
Im hoping to cater for more of the lower end guys and im basing my prices around that area as well.
Everything was designed and built by me and my brother and in no way are we web designers so keep that in mind haha

Thanks guys

woweeeeee
that is a great new idea

why didnt anyone else ever offer one of those services

[logicll]

No way! NO, NO. even $100.00 a day to mix sucks. For all the effort, gear and time to do a proper mix! Where I use to mix we charged $1050 a day.

[ReZoUnD]

truly, ive been there dude, even with good friends of mine...sence ive been privledge to work with a real pro who gets paid BIG on a daily basis was embarrassed to be seen around me lol when he saw my cheap prices on face book, he called me up and said "Take that sh*t Down" lol and schooled me why, and it made sence, I spend 15-20hrs to mix a decent song not including pocketing or vox comp, tunning...i had to take a lost and give what i done + what ever they gave me cuz it was not worth it...the engineer that called me said this, "before i do any thing cheap Id rather do it for free that way they owe you at least" so i lost my littleO cheap clients who complain when when the session was 15hr, when u give a mouse a cookie they ask for a glass of Organic Milk, but my new clients pay in full for real results and dont complain about paying a flat rate of 500 a song not including recording an hr thats something i was tought to never give free is recording matbe a mixdown but never a recording session...hope it helps, its more work on my part to find these clients but less hassle and looks better on me cuz the ones paying that kind of money are the one that get your name out there

[88fingerz]

Good luck with the new site/biz. Don't let complete strangers dampen your spirit. If what they say is right, you'll find out on your own the hard yet thorough way.

Mix the hits!