Mixing

Mixing is an incredibly nuanced, multi-dimensional process in which two or more (usually more) audio sources are layered together, adjusted in an endless amount of possible ways, so that the full experience is cohesive and emotionally resonant, with each element occupying an ideal space in the stereo field, frequency spectrum, and volume matrix.

Each element relates to each other element, like in a building or sculpture, so everything needs to be in its place, and fulfilling its role, to keep the thing together. Mixing is a creative process, but also very technical.

Mastering

Mastering is the very last process in the post-production phase before the audio is published or put onto physical formats (besides the final mastering that a vinyl cutting engineer will do). Mastering optimizes, refines, and sometimes vastly enhances or improves the audio. It not only dials in the most effective overall parameters for the entire recording, but it also focuses in on individual events if anything special is needed. Even the best-mixed records in the world are still mastered with great care, and the worst-mixed records are still improved with a great mastering job.

Mixing and mastering are both about achieving balance, consistency, clarity in different ways. But the audible characteristics are just one side of the job. The other side is getting your project up to par with the required industry standards for file format, bit rate, sample rate, embedded text, and other under-the-hood specs.

Production

Music production basically has two definitions these days.

Independent musical artists who create everything themselves at home are considered producers. This is especially true of electronic artists. They are commonly referred to as "footwork producers" or "vaporwave producers," etc. It is not common for a folk artist to be called a producer, even if they record everything themselves at home. It's kind of confusing but that's the way it is.

As far as my services, "producer" is more along the lines of a term used for the vital role I play in shaping the sound and direction of a recording or a musical project.

As a producer I might influence musical arrangements, make changes or enhancements to the structure, instrumentation, and overall sound of the songs. I may have input on tempo, dynamics, and the use of additional elements like backing vocals, electronic effects, sound design, synths patches, melodies, drum samples, and creative processing. 

Classically producers will work closely with mix and mastering engineers, so these roles are often combined when I work with on on production.

There are always plenty of variables with each project, so all projects are custom-quoted.

Please contact me and tell me about your project in as much detail as you please, and I will get back to you with more information. I may have questions for you, but I will be prompt in giving you answers and laying out your options. I'm excited to work with you!

Mastering

Mastering rates depend on the total length of your project, the number of songs, the intended publishing formats, and a few other aspects that can be discussed once a quote is submitted for.

Mixing

Mixing rates depend on a combination of the number of multi-tracks in your songs, how many songs there are, how long they are, and if you have any special requests as far as vocal tuning, drum editing, audio repair, additional production, deadline, etc.

Production

Productions rates are based on such a wide variety of factors because a production job can vary enormously as far as what will go into it. Production can be anything from adding some new elements to total transformation of the material.

Though it is rare for a client to request revisions in more than 2 rounds, I don't like to cap the amount of revisions I will do.

However, by the time you get to 3 or 4, it's usually an indication of deeper issues which we will discuss below.

What is a round of revisions?

If you aren't 100% happy with what I provide after listening to your project in multiple listening environments and comparing it to similar published material, you may compile a list of revisions you'd like me to make.

When doing this you'd make sure you put everything into a single concise list, and send it all to me all at once. This may require you have a meeting with your band mates to agree on requests. I will not accept lists from multiple members!

After getting your requests I will respond with thoughts and advisories if necessary, but most likely I will just get to work and send you a new version ASAP.

My goal is always to make you absolutely thrilled with your production. It is incredibly rare that I run into revision challenges that are hard to overcome. However it does happen.

Here are 4 scenarios in mixing and/or mastering in which a large amount of revision requests point to deeper issues.

1. There is an issue that is beyond my reach, such as problematically recorded multi-tracks, problematically mixed songs, or an unrealistic expectation as to what is possible (like turning your flawed mix into something that sounds like a billboard charting mastering).

Mastering tends to reveal or clarify things the details of a mix, just as mixing tends to reveal or clarify the details of recorded tracks.

Of course, in mixing, there's a lot more we can do to remedy problems. But in mastering, our wiggle room is limited. A vocal track that was clipped on the way in, or a guitar that was recorded through an amp with too much distortion before hitting the interface, are both things that are hard to band-aid in mixing, and next to impossible to do anything about in mastering.

Clicks and pops, amp hum, phrases out of time or key, noise floors from your hardware, baked-in over-compression or excessive limiting, or lack of balance in a mix is not going to be cured in mastering.

I always do my best to find compromises in these situations, but it is always best to make sure throughout your entire process that you are eliminating or avoiding problems like I mentioned above. 

2. You are not giving each version a thorough enough listen before sending your revision requests, to the point where your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th list could've been combined with the first.

This is the most common problem in "revision hell," and it can be avoided by listening intently on multiple systems besides the ones you used to work on your project and taking notes along the way.

3. You do not know what you want, and you are using mixing or mastering to experiment and bounce ideas around, to see how your ideas will sound mixed or mastered, so you know what to change on your end before sending me new files.

Incorporating new files after the project begins, and especially after it's signed off on, is not a revision request, and may cause you to incur some extra charges.

If your 3rd revision list on a complete master has points like "actually we're going to re-record the bass tracks with a synth instead and send you new mixes" then you should be prepared to pay for an entirely new master.

4. You care about your project so much, and have spent so much time with it, that you have demo-itis. This is usually the case when with each revision request you are wanting your project to sound more like your raw mixes or demo.

In this case it's highly recommended you gain some distance from your project for a while. In this time span you should listen to well-produced records you really like so you can re-calibrate.

Good communication before a project is initiated is the number one way to avoid what is known as revision hell. :)

And of course, any revision request made due to a mistake on my part will not count against you, ever! I won't lie and say this has not happened in the past! But it is rare.

I will send you an invoice via email reflecting the project you and I will have discussed. It will be a Paypal invoice, but you can use a credit or debit card if you do not want to use a Paypal account.

For most smaller projects I require 100% of payment up front. For larger projects or under special circumstances I will accept half up-front, which will get you a portion of the project done so you can hear what's happening. The rest of the payment will take the project to the finish line.

You can break your payments up for large projects if you need to, but I can't complete the project until you've paid in full.

On the rare occasion a project needs to be terminated, partial refunds are determined on a case-by-case basis.

I can!

I compose, record, produce, mix, and master music for myself and my clients regularly

I've been playing guitar, bass, keyboards and synthesizers, drums, and other instruments for decades. I also create unique sounds with "prepared" instruments and objects, repurposed electronics, and lots of different kinds of software.

I have experience in a multitude of genres and musical communities, most of which lean toward the more innovative, experimental, and progressive types. Noise, post-punk, grindcore, ambient, drone, new age, sample-based vaporwave and other plunderphonic styles, experimental hip hop, freak folk, digital jazz fusion, electro-industrial, tape music, IDM and glitch, avant-garde metal, first and second-wave emo and screamo, etc.

I probably will not be available to fully produce country, R&B, pop, or singer-songwriter tunes, as I prefer to stick to weirder music.

Please get in touch with your story, and I will give you the full spiel on how I can help you.

For all projects, send me the highest quality and resolution version of whatever you're working with.

Do not convert the files to any other specs before sending them—I need exactly what you've exported from your DAW. If you convert a lossy MP3 to a WAV or FLAC, I will know. You are not increasing the quality. You are simply putting the original quality in a bigger box.

I prefer 24-bit WAV files. 32-bit is okay too, but they will be converted (safely) in the end. Try to avoid lossy formats. If another band member or your engineer has higher quality files than what you have, please seek them out before I begin your project with me.

NO LIMITERS ON YOUR MASTER CHANNEL. I know I sound crazy by making such a big deal about this, but if you want some detailed information on why using a limiter before the mastering stage is a no-no, you might want to read a long-winded article I wrote about it for my blog.

To sum it up, sending me a mix with a limiter on it greatly compromises what I can do for you. There are processes I need to implement before the limiting stage.

If your production falls apart without the limiter there, don't worry, I will make sure that things sound as dynamically squished as you'd like them to. Feel free to send a reference master with your files.

Please make sure your audio files do not clip. Don't pay attention to what you read about needing to provide 6, 8, 10db of headroom to a mastering engineer. It really doesn't matter as long as things are not clipping (in the bad way).

Make sure all of your file & folder submissions are labeled correctly with official titles or descriptive terms. I'm sorry to say that "mix_for_angel.wav" & "NEW_SONG_STEMS_FINAL_v4.zip" are unhelpful. 

Every client of mine will be sent a link that goes into more detail about the file prep requirements. You can make any changes once you read the guidelines.

Any file sharing service is OK, but it's preferred you do not use one with which the links expire.

P.S. If you make harsh noise, or other forms of music in which a completely smashed signal is inherent in the sound, where a clipping mixer or a brickwall limiter is literally one of your instruments, I can of course still work with you.

Asking you to "fix" that is like asking a metal band to remove the distortion from their guitars.

I will send you high quality files that pertain to the intended formats using a high-quality audio-centric file-sharing service. I almost always work with WAV files.

If you'd like me to send USB Drives or data CDs in the mail, I can do that for a fee, but it'll really slow things down and I really do not recommend this. There's really no reason to do it that way.

As much as I love talking gear and plug-ins, I don't list any of it on my website.

The sound quality of my work speaks for itself.

I do not identify with gear, I identify with results.

I do not keep what I use a secret, as you may see some gear or plug-ins in the website photos, and I occasionally bring up gear in interviews and articles.

However I don't name-drop brands and models as a means for advertising my services. I can assure you that among what I use you'll find high-quality processing that is revered in the industry, and more than sufficient for the job. What truly matters is how one uses such things.

I've heard incredibly well-produced projects using only free plug-ins and closed-back headphones, and I've heard lifeless butchered masters produced in high end facilities with pristine analog gear & professionally treated rooms.

In fact, one of the worst-sounding records I've ever played on was recorded & mixed in a huge studio with racks & racks of nice equipment, and mastered by a professional engineer who is employed by some of the most well-known bands in the world! Literally. I kid you not. It was a fluke, but it can happen.

It depends.

I do occasionally offer hour blocks of Zoom consultations to help you with your mastering, mixing, or original compositions.

I don't do on-going mentoring, and I have not created any tutorials as of yet.

Besides my own productions, no. 

Angel Hair Audio isn't a recording studio that is open to the public. I am a full-service remote facility.

I do!

Mastering for vinyl is quite different from mastering for other formats. There are certain key factors involved, and masters for other formats will likely not properly translate to vinyl without introducing the risk of distortion, needle tracking problems, phase issues, and problematic noise floors.

If your album is already mastered and released on one or more formats, but you'd like your album mastered for vinyl for the first time, it is always preferred that your original mixes are available.

If you don't have access to your mixes anymore, I can still optimize your masters to be vinyl-safe, but it will not be a completely authentic mastering-for-vinyl job.

It is recommended to have me do both your vinyl and digital masters. One of the main aspects of mastering is cohesion & consistency, and having different engineers in different studios mastering your album for different formats can disrupt that.

It is important to note that vinyl masters in this context are technically “vinyl pre-masters”. In the physical media format world, the “master” actually refers to the physical acetate disc used to press your records, the glass master CD from which the CDs are duplicated, and the master cassette which acts as the source of audio that is being sent to the decks.

I do not provide physical masters. The manufacturers of your physical media do.

Please be confident in your project before sending it off for work!

I honor revision requests (see the frequently asked question about revisions), but sending me different audio than I have already quoted for and worked on does not count as a revision.

Sending in updated mixes or new multi-tracks for a project after my work work has begun will mean an additional investment from you in most cases.

Engineers who do not charge extra for this build it into their rates. This has been reported to me by more engineers than I can count on like...6 hands.

However I want to keep my rate lower for you, so I only charge for these things when they happen since they are mostly rare. I don't like to nickel and dime my clients. If I build it into my rates, too many clients will have wasted money.

Even if you only changed one thing in your multi-tracks or mix, it can greatly impact how I have things set. It is not as simple as just "running it through the mastering chain" again, or "switching out the saw synth for a pad." If I did that, and that only, I would not be doing a thorough job.

Please understand that a mastering engineer is not there to use as a resource to bounce your mixes off of, so that you can figure out where they need to be before they are mastered 'for good.'

One of the most common problems I come across in my mixing work is consolidated tracks.

Mixing engineers and educators will so often stress this idea of "Commit! Commit! Commit! Decide on your drum mix, your synth patches, your vocal harmonies, and move on. Don't give yourself the opportunity to go back and tweak things because you'll never finish your project."

This is just flat-out wrong in my experience. The main focus should be on discipline and confidence, not commitment. If you get to the end of the song and you decide that changing out the snare sample or the type of guitar distortion you're using, do it. Yes, you'll have to backtrack some, and maybe adjust the settings on other layers, but being locked into something you aren't happy with is never something you want to set yourself up for.

If you are disciplined and you produce and mix confidently, you will minimize needing to do this. But if there is a problem with something, and it's baked into the track, there is no going back.

Comping multi-tracks before sending them to me for mixing can really throw your production under the bus.

Some records I've mixed have come with songs that contain drum multi-tracks (one for each drum), and other songs where the whole kit is bounced to a stereo file. The former songs always ends up sounding better because I can gain more control.

When your drums are comped, I cannot make your snare more snappy without making the cymbals more harsh. I cannot decrease the trebly click sound in your kick drum without deadening the smack of the toms. I cannot make your vocals sound wider or more full if all your double, triple, and quadruple takes are in one file. I cannot create more space in the guitar mix if all your guitar tracks are combined and panned to the center. And the list goes on.

Please, for the love of all that is holy, stop bouncing your multi-tracks down before sending them off for mixing! LOL.

If you consolidate to save money or time, you are basically throwing more money and time in the toilet than you are throwing at me, and the return value from your fans, the press, labels, and whoever/whatever else will be less.

If you are getting your album mastered with me, feel free to send me your works in progress and I can give you a little mixing advice or feedback, if needed, to help you prepare your songs.

Even if you aren't a beginner producer, this step could make a world of difference in the final product. The better your mix, the better your master.

You can be a phenomenal producer or musician and still have the ability to gloss over an issue with your mix. Especially if you have been working on it for a while, and especially if you've been monitoring it with a single pair of headphones or monitors.

If you want detailed and thorough advice, where I break down each of your songs and give you feedback on them, I can offer a mix critique or online consultation for a fee.

I know that position very well. I come from underground DIY punk and noise scenes.

In a particular era, I didn't even bother mastering my material, and when I did, I just slammed it with a compressor and a limiter and started dubbing the tapes or burning the CDrs.

The truth is, even if you don't want to get your music professionally mastered, it should still go through a makeshift mastering process on your end at the bare minimum.

I don't know how many pieces of physical media I've bought from artists like yourself that featured music which was unintentionally too loud or too quiet, making the listener have to chase it around with the volume knob.

And too many of these recordings had unintentional digital clipping, incredibly muddy or muffled mixes, intrusive noise floor, smeared transients, etc.

Unless your intention is "audio terrorism" (which is pretty cool in my opinion), you should have consistent levels, decent frequency balance, and a few other basic requirements for getting your production some degree of appropriate for release. Your listeners will appreciate it. YOU will appreciate it.

Don't you want to hear all the frequency content clearly? Don't you want the instruments you played to be blended well? Don't you want problematic artifacts that are masking your sound in some way, that you may not even realize are there, taken care of? Don't you want your recording as loud as possible, without distorting? Or maybe you DO want it distorting, but in a "safe" or pleasing way? Don't you want the noise floor/hiss of your tapes to be relatively inaudible while listening to the actual music? Don't you want your record's needle to stay in its track? Don't you want to hear what was originally intended, instead of a warped (in a bad way) version of it?

If paying attention to these things disrupts the conceptual nature of your project, do what thou wilt. Otherwise, get your project mastered.

If you cannot afford to have your music professionally mastered, but want people to be able to comfortably enjoy your music and all it has to offer, please study the basics of mastering by watching at least 5 tutorials on YouTube, and at the least do the bare minimum on your own.

In most cases, the answer is no. There are a few exceptions, but they should be avoided.

You can also use your digital masters for your cassettes, but ordering a cassette sequence of your album maintains the spacing between tracks (if any) exactly as you intend them, preventing any devices from adding space or crossfading.

Plus, my cassette masters are alarmingly inexpensive, so it's really worth it.

You absolutely cannot use your digital masters for vinyl. That would be harmful for the records.

And you never want to release your vinyl master digitally, as it is not even intended to be listened to in the digital realm. The best way to get an accurate picture of how the vinyl will sound is by listening to it on a record. So make sure you get test presses.

Yes!

Test masters are the best way to prove to you that I can provide high quality, powerful and captivating masters of your music in particular. It's the only way I can really show you that I listen deeply, take in every detail of your music, and then artistically, intuitively, skillfully dial in the correct settings to bring out what you put into it.

I don't think that listening to examples of my past work is the best way to show this. If you are listening to masters of suffering mixes, you aren't hearing what I'm capable of with beautifully performed and prepared material.

And if you are listening to masters of mixes or productions that were top-notch, you're hearing an instance in which the mix has contributed greatly to the quality of the master.

If your mix has problems, it wouldn't be wise to expect that your mix will be on par with some of your favorite productions.

Most of the time, I can't provide free test mixes. Even a 10 second test mix could require half of the job of mixing the whole song, depending on the complexity of your production. I am simply unable to do that much speculative work.

However, if you are working on something in which there are 5 multi-tracks or less, go ahead and drop me a line and I will see if I can help you.

P.S. My test masters are samples and will not contain your full song, but rather a few sections of it.

Check out my full project list.

What are stems?

Stems are basically instrument groups. Drums, guitars, synths, vocals, sound FX, field recordings, or other generalized groups of elements, entirely separate from the rest.

Multi-tracks are single tracks in your mix project which contain only one layer of one instrument. For regular mixing projects, these are what I need from you.

Stem Mastering

Stem mastering is a little bit like mixing, but in a simpler form, combined with the mastering process.

I always prefer artists give me a more control over the sound by providing stems rather than single stereo files.

Stem Mixing

Stem mixing is basically what stem mastering is, without the mastering.

If you are planning on another engineer mastering your work, but you want a fresh set of ears and a new brain to run your mixes through beforehand, I can certainly do that for you.

DDP

Yes, I can provide DDP files for your CD master, but this needs to be discussed before beginning the project.

However, you probably do not need them. Over the course of mastering hundreds of albums, only a small handful of clients have requested DDP files, and upon me suggesting that they probably don't need them, they checked with their manufacturer and learned just that—they didn't need them. 

PMCDs

I can provide PMCDs, but I highly, highly recommend digital transfer instead for a multitude of reasons. PMCDs can be problematic, and it is a labor intensive endeavor that, in my opinion, may as well be avoided by submitting files digitally. It's... not worth it.

Dolby Atmos

At this time I am not fully trained in Dolby Atmos. In the future!

MFiT

Sorry, I am not certified by Apple to create MFiT masters, nor have I attempted to be. Maybe some other time. :)

I sure can!

However, after 30-60 days I transfer all projects to a secure cloud server with monetized download bandwidth. If you need to access your project after then, there may be a small fee for the work.

Your mixed music should, 100% of the time, be mastered in some capacity. And 100% of the time, after mastering, your music will be able to be published.

Though the quality of the master depends greatly on the mix, and though the quality of the mix depends greatly on the quality of the recordings, a well-done master will be up to spec and will fulfill the requirements of published music. Whether that be for streaming, CD, cassette, vinyl, floppy disks, lathe cut picnic plates, or whatever else.

Use the little chat box at the bottom of the site. If that doesn't work for you either, my email is angel at angel_hair_audio_d0t_c0m, without the underscores, and with each zero as an 'o.'

Angel Hair Audio is an LLC, registered in the state of Illinois, in the USA.