In this entry we’ll tell you all about getting paid—specifically, all about the music mixers’ income. That is to say, we’ll let you know what to expect when you want to embody this important figure in the music creation process. To begin with, very generally speaking, we can define a mixer as the engineer who takes all the tracks and helps with the arrangement and sound of the songs an artist creates. The aim is to take said tracks towards what the artist’s vision is. As with everything music-related, it depends on the overall aim of the album or song. This is the reason why you, as a music mixer, will attempt to take their audio further: to convey the emotions that the lyrics want to get across. To better understand this role, we can say that if you’re in it you’re in charge of making a song sound like a big hit (or as close to it as it possibly can be).
Music Mixers: a Many-Faced Job
With this kind of role, you mix the various elements of a song (such as vocals, instruments, and production effects). The whole point is to guarantee that each element sounds as it should; that they’re all blended in harmony. And record labels are usually the ones who pay you. To get to a stable place you first need to start your journey as an intern or assistant engineer. As your career progresses, you can move on to more prestigious studios or start your own. What will probably give you the most income is to work with as many well-known artists as possible because it means your own reputation will grow.
Experts coincide in saying that the only thing you need to go down this road is learning how to appropriately use a program—such as Garage Band or Pro Tools. Then, from this moment on, you can attempt to collaborate in whatever internships will lead you to have a mentor. Overall, this is a solitary kind of job that needs, most of all, perseverance and passion. But part of it is making connections along the way so you can keep on growing (aka networking).
Taking SoundExchange as an example, you should know that this organization has an agreement with featured artists in which they should pay a portion of the royalties they generate to the music mixer.
Music Mixers’ Income: Tips
From our research, we can let you in on some details on how to get a salary from mixing music. Firstly, make your best to find people who need to mix their music. (If you went through a music degree, it’s highly likely that you’re already mingling with the appropriate circles to do so.) Secondly, do everything you can to do the best job you can: show your client that they are your top priority. And do so even if, initially, the payments aren’t as high as you wish them to be. Thirdly, since you’ve done a good job, word of mouth will do its magic: other people will contact you to keep the chain going.
Other people in this biz have mentioned how they did put all of their abilities to use while on the path of becoming solely a music mixer. For instance, there are people who produce, too. Similarly, there are others who sell beats (FIY, you can find info on beat stores here). A final bit of advice is to be as present and possible in local shows. In this same fashion, you can reach out through virtual events, such as those that occur at Clubhouse. Hang out as much as you can in these scenarios so you can gather a larger community as time goes by. The point, as mentioned before, is to be perseverant and creative all throughout.
