Mixing & Mastering RATES
- Thread starter OneDaySky
- Start date
Joshua Wickman
Yes Sir!
Joshua Wickman
Yes Sir!
Jarkko Mattheiszen
The FU guy.
Ok, I'll put it simply. Say I want you to mix and master my 12-song album. That's $400, I assume in US dollars.
A hefty percent of that goes to taxes (You pay your taxes from this business your practicing, right? Right?), let's say 35% if you don't want to share the details (I did ask this thrice already). I realize 35% might be optimistic, since around here a self employed person pays around 50% in taxes all in all.
That means you're left with $260 for mixing and mastering my 12-song album. Ok, how long do you spend mixing an album on average? A week? 12 days? I don't want you two go all half-assed and finish my album in one evening, I'm expecting a perfectionist. You know, time and attention to detail are no stress to you, like you said.
Well, let's say my shit is pretty well tracked and you get through mixing the album rather fast, in seven days. However, 8-hour days are a luxury in this industry. Our days are usually 10 hours or more. Well, there are some things I'm not happy with, so I send a list of stuff to change. One revision included is completely regular business practice. And hey, you're a perfectionist so this isn't a problem. You spend another day fixing stuff, so we're at eight days now.
Ok, cool, I'm fine with the mixes. Now it's time for the mastering. You offer mastering, so I assume that's what I'm getting instead of just slapping a brickwall limiter on the 2bus and sending me the wavs. You spend another four hours (you mixed this stuff, so mastering it will really go quickly) doing the final adjustments, sequencing the disk, embedding the requested metadata, burning a Redbook pre-master on high quality media (mind you, I'm gonna go batshit insane if I receive my album on the cheapest CD-r brand you could find!) and spending another 48 minutes (that's how long my album is) doing the final QC listen-through. After that, you send me the finished master (two copies, one for duplication/replication and for my auditioning, $1 a pop) as an insured package. That's another $38 (again, this is an assumption since that's what sending such a package from Finland to South Africa would cost, please correct me if I'm wrong).
Alright, seems our project is done! Now, let's look at the stats here:
Total amount: $400
Expenses for delivering the media; $38 + $2
Profit: $360
Profit after the taxes: $234
Hours spent mixing: 8 days * 10 hours = 80 hours
Hours spent mastering: 5 hours
Your hourly wage: $234 / (80 + 5) = $2.753
Your yearly income with the ridiculously optimistic assumption that you will work 10 hours a day and five days a week for the whole year with no vacations: $6607
The average yearly income of a caucasian male in South Africa: about $9900
Now it's your turn. Considering you're aiming for the international market, tell me how exactly this is beneficial to you, me or anyone in the whole fucking industry?
A hefty percent of that goes to taxes (You pay your taxes from this business your practicing, right? Right?), let's say 35% if you don't want to share the details (I did ask this thrice already). I realize 35% might be optimistic, since around here a self employed person pays around 50% in taxes all in all.
That means you're left with $260 for mixing and mastering my 12-song album. Ok, how long do you spend mixing an album on average? A week? 12 days? I don't want you two go all half-assed and finish my album in one evening, I'm expecting a perfectionist. You know, time and attention to detail are no stress to you, like you said.
Well, let's say my shit is pretty well tracked and you get through mixing the album rather fast, in seven days. However, 8-hour days are a luxury in this industry. Our days are usually 10 hours or more. Well, there are some things I'm not happy with, so I send a list of stuff to change. One revision included is completely regular business practice. And hey, you're a perfectionist so this isn't a problem. You spend another day fixing stuff, so we're at eight days now.
Ok, cool, I'm fine with the mixes. Now it's time for the mastering. You offer mastering, so I assume that's what I'm getting instead of just slapping a brickwall limiter on the 2bus and sending me the wavs. You spend another four hours (you mixed this stuff, so mastering it will really go quickly) doing the final adjustments, sequencing the disk, embedding the requested metadata, burning a Redbook pre-master on high quality media (mind you, I'm gonna go batshit insane if I receive my album on the cheapest CD-r brand you could find!) and spending another 48 minutes (that's how long my album is) doing the final QC listen-through. After that, you send me the finished master (two copies, one for duplication/replication and for my auditioning, $1 a pop) as an insured package. That's another $38 (again, this is an assumption since that's what sending such a package from Finland to South Africa would cost, please correct me if I'm wrong).
Alright, seems our project is done! Now, let's look at the stats here:
Total amount: $400
Expenses for delivering the media; $38 + $2
Profit: $360
Profit after the taxes: $234
Hours spent mixing: 8 days * 10 hours = 80 hours
Hours spent mastering: 5 hours
Your hourly wage: $234 / (80 + 5) = $2.753
Your yearly income with the ridiculously optimistic assumption that you will work 10 hours a day and five days a week for the whole year with no vacations: $6607
The average yearly income of a caucasian male in South Africa: about $9900
Now it's your turn. Considering you're aiming for the international market, tell me how exactly this is beneficial to you, me or anyone in the whole fucking industry?
Nope, fully legit here man, and im 28, far from being a kid.
I'm a live Sound Engineer in the biggest Theatre in Africa, and run my own studio since 2004
Joshua Wickman
Yes Sir!
Why are you charging 30.00 per song then? I charge 10x more then you and i work cheap as it is. Plus i have been doing this for way less time then you it seems.
Everyone's bashing your low rates, so just wanted to add -
If I was finished with my album (need close to another yr though), I would totally consider hiring you. My band is composed of two people and we aren't signed or looking to get signed. Yes, we are both engineers (mechanical) and have jobs, but not everyone can afford to pay well over $1000 to get their album mixed.
Especially musicians like me and my drummer friend - we will be looking for decent quality, but value will probably be most important.
If I was finished with my album (need close to another yr though), I would totally consider hiring you. My band is composed of two people and we aren't signed or looking to get signed. Yes, we are both engineers (mechanical) and have jobs, but not everyone can afford to pay well over $1000 to get their album mixed.
Especially musicians like me and my drummer friend - we will be looking for decent quality, but value will probably be most important.
Yes US Dollars, and Yeah i pay TAX man, but its only 14% here.
Revisions of the mixes are more than welcome as everything is opinionated in the audio world, so theres room for change in any mix really! My 2 buss consists of Saturation (more often than not) compression with correct release times, extra harmonic excitement, Limiter right at the end shaving off around 1db And i get my mixes hitting -9db or -8db RMS easily.
I already earn a salary as a Live Engineer, studio isnt my bread winner thats why im not pressured with time or money at this stage of my life
Exposure and getting familiar with other peoples mixes is my priority right now. I charge decent (sustain a living) rates locally. And I have a full time live Engineering job that supports me. Thats why my rates are cheap for my UMF friends.
PS. Never forget that we are all here to learn and we never stop learning until we die. So im not gonna act like i know everything, im purely here to help those who need.
Rogueleader
Bringer Of Rain
- Oct 21, 2009
- 246
- 0
- 16
Dude, he's in the Southern Hemisphere, you know how water circles the drain the other way there? Us Northerners wouldn't understand.
Hopefully that answered both your questions!
Joshua Wickman
Yes Sir!
Your not hurting for business cause you have another job right? So, why not charge more and get serious clients who tour and gig instead. Not Jim and Tom who don't even own amps cause they are so broke. Plus they never gig or tour so they have like 2 fans. Great exposure bro!!
I have a name for your kind....
CUT THROAT!!
Mixing for insanely cheap is one thing...
but your discount pricing is absurd....
One Donut = $1 total
Two Donuts= $.50 total
the fuck...
but your discount pricing is absurd....
One Donut = $1 total
Two Donuts= $.50 total
the fuck...
Melb_shredder
Orpheus: Melodic Death
Got some samples to show us BTW?? I'd love to hear what these prices will get me.. Might even circumvent Ermz for the next album, this deal seems great!
Blah... The amount of face I wish to palm!
Blah... The amount of face I wish to palm!
Ill charge more if the load gets too much, its why im running it on a first come first serve basis. And yeah i got another job, i do live Engineering for massive international shows eg. Ben Elton/Andrew Loyd Webbers 'Boys In The Photograph' or 'Burn The Floor' straight off broadway....if you catch my drift.
