Want your music taken more seriously?
Many artists and bands can go years of putting out music without it ever going through the hands or ears of a professional mix engineer and wonder why their records never quite sound as good as their favourite songs.
Underestimating the mix process can really affect your music negatively if your goal is to be a professional and make a living in the music industry. While there are many expenses that arise as an artist or a band, for many newcomers, professional mixing and mastering is usually not at the top of the priority list.
“Eventually you’ll find that the cost of not doing it outweighs the cost of getting it done by professionals.”
-Ja Mixdowns
Here's How It Works
3 EASY STEPS
To ensure the least possibility of problems occurring when sending us your material, please follow these instructions:
If you are using pro tools, simply save your session as a save copy in session and select pro tools 10 or latest option in the dialogue box and send us the session. (see instructional video on how to do this)
If your session is from another DAW (Ableton, Logic, Cubase etc.), you will have to export the individual tracks in your session as WAV or AIFF files. Of course we prefer to use 24bit WAV files, but if you are already using another format it’s not a big deal. There are plenty of youtube videos on how to export stems for any DAW if you are not familiar with the process. Then simply send us the WAV stems from your session and a mp3 reference mix in a zipped folder via wetransfer.com (preferably)
PLEASE READ VERY CAREFULLY
For the best possible mix down, follow these instructions carefully:
As an artist myself, I know how it is to want everything to sound loud and full, but remember that if your vocals or instruments are clipping during the recording process it creates distortion and distortion is nearly impossible to fix and can ultimately ruin your project. It is good practice to give at least -3db of headroom on your master track when recording. (Use a pop filter to reduce pops and sharp s sounds in your recordings)
When you are ready to bounce out your tracks, please bring the faders back to a unity gain of (0). If this is not done, the bounced files will come in at a low or high volume level. Please make sure to remove any effects (delay, reverb, autotune etc.) with the exception that the effect is a vital part of the sound of the song and if so, please make a note of it when you send me the session.
A very important step in this process is to make sure that each audio file is bounced out from the beginning of the session even if the space is blank. If not, I would then have to line everything up myself and try to piece the song together which could result in hours of unnecessary work in which there would be an additional charge. I’m sure neither of us want that!
*Please note that as a mixer there is only so much I can do to get the most potential out of your recordings. It is much better for the both of us if you keep your recording signal as clean as possible with the gear that you are using. In the end, the better your recording is, the better I can make it sound.
Please email me your files or send them to me via wetransfer or any other file transfer service you like. My email is jamixdowns@idiohomestudio.com
Please include the following:
- Song title
- Artist name(s)
- Producer(s)
- Tempo
- Key of the song
- Your name, contact information and any additional notes relevant to the project.
Once you have sent me your file(s) I will then send you a confirmation email to let you know we’ve received the files in their entirety. (MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO MISSING FILES!). Next, we will discuss your vision for the song. If you have any reference tracks, rough mixes or any other songs you want emulated or specific plug-ins you want to be incorporated in the mix, please let us know. I love to get input from the artists even though I always use reference tracks. If you don’t have a ton of ideas, don’t worry, it’s our job to figure it out and make it work. Once we establish the direction of the project we will begin the mix process.
I do not charge for revisions (unless special circumstances present themselves, ie you like the mix but want completely new instrumentation for the vocals), so we can go back and forth with rough mixes until we get it right and you are %100 percent happy with the outcome. Feel free to have as much involvement in the process as you like or just let us “do what we do best”. It’s also no problem if you want to call, facetime, zoom or even skype me to go over details of the project.
You will receive your songs first mix within 15 business days. Depending on my current workload, the turnaround time may be longer. Please contact me before making a payment about turnaround times and if you have a deadline to meet. Also note that album projects will have longer turnaround times.
Once the mix is complete, we will then send you a WAV file for you to listen to in your own listening environment(s). From here, any feedback or suggestions will be taken and we will implement the changes and send you a new version. This will continue until you are %100 satisfied with the result. The mix is not done until you say it is done! If you decide that you want additional changes after the final mix has been approved, we can then discuss rates depending on what needs to be done for the additional work.
Once the mix is finalized upon your approval, we will then send you a 24bit WAV file. All mixes include mastering as well.
The folder you will be receiving will consist of:
- Finalized WAV & MP3 mix (& master)
- Radio edit (if needed)
- Instrumental
- Acapella
If you need any other mixes done, please let us know and we will be happy to get it done for you.
RATES
- Instrumental with vocals = $100 USD
- Beat mixes = $50 USD
- Full mix with beat stems & vocals (up to 40 stems) = $300 USD
- 3 Revisions
- 10 day turnaround times
- All mixes include mastering in the pricing
- Contact me for rates on full albums, EP’s, mixtapes and sessions with more than 40 tracks. Rates vary depending on the project.
MAKING PAYMENTS
If this is your first time working with me I understand that you are nervous sending money over the internet to somebody that you don’t know. I am a firm believer in transparency and my clients can ensure my professionalism and trust, though I don’t expect for you to have the same trust the first time around. That is the primary reason why I have the money back guarantee policy. I want your experience working with me to be as stressless as possible.
So the way this works is simple. Once your files have been transferred, you make half of the total payment up front. Once the payment is received I will then send you an invoice to your email confirming that the payment was received. During the revision process (if needed), I will send your reference mix/master with a few short dropouts throughout the song. This insures that the mix/master is not suitable for distribution. I can assure you that the dropouts will be short enough that you will still be able to get an accurate assessment of the quality of the mix/master, so not to worry. Once you are %100 satisfied with the result, simply just pay the remaining balance owed (which I can be flexible on depending on the circumstances). Once the final payment is received, an invoice will be sent to your email to confirm payment. I will then send you your mix/master packaged folder.