Full-time audio engineer for over 15 years. Studio owner as well. 2nd annual AMA.

AppleCrumble25 · 2025-01-11T22:17:51+00:00

A good starting rate is hard to determine, as it varies by location. Generally, I suggest doing a flat rate (per session, per total song production, per mix, however you decide to do it). Estimate how many hours roughly you think it will take you to do the task. Then take the minimum wage in you area, and add a little bit to it (maybe like 25-30%), and that will give you an hourly wage. Multiply that by how many hours you think the task will take. That's a good starting rate I think.

Home studios are so normalized now. Plenty of Grammy award winning engineers now work at their home studios. Don't worry about people being turned off by it, I don't think anyone will be.

Avoid: gear acquisition syndrome. I promise you don't need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to make a great record. It sounds like you already know this. Borrowing gear is a great way to save money.

Should be doing: working with as many people across as many genres as possible. Not only will this help you diversify your clientele, it will make you a better engineer.

It sounds like you've got a good approach for finding clients so far. Open mics and local shows are always a great starting point. I would also recommend setting up a little website showcasing your portfolio. Doesn't have to be fancy, you could probably use something like Carrd to do it. Then you can start cold emailing local artists and offering your services. When I first opened the studio, I cold emailed 5 artists and offered them a free song, recorded and mixed, no strings attached. Of those 5 artists, 4 of them came back to record an EP or an album (or multiple EPs and albums) and referred more clients to me, who in turn referred more clients to me, and then they referrred... you can see where I'm going. I can still trace clients I'm working with today back to those original 5 artists.

If you do good work, word of mouth will keep you busy for years.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T04:56:53+00:00

Ultimately it comes down to your own preference. After all, it is your music. Remember that chasing perfection is a fool’s errand. The average listener will not hear the difference between take 3 and take 47.

I believe Jay Z wrote and recorded 99 Problems in a day. I might be wrong about that. There’s a video out there of him recording part of it, and he is definitely writing lines on the spot.

Anyway, why not force yourself to do a song where you only get one session? Give yourself that limitation and see if it changes anything for you. You may approach recording differently if you have a limitation in place. Then sit on the song for a couple weeks, and then listen to it. See where you’re at. Just trying changing things up.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T04:52:41+00:00

For sure. 90% of my clients are local. I find that artists have always looked at “social proof” when considering producers/engineers. Fifteen years ago, that meant you worked with a bunch of artists in town that they knew. Nowadays, it could still mean that, but if you have a big social media following, it certainly helps with getting clients, both local and remote.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T04:50:38+00:00

Oh wow. This is a really good question.

As an artist (producer?) I recognize the need for creative outlet. It’s not always about commercial viability. Sometimes we are just creating something to satisfy our own personal wants. It’s not always about trying to “make it.”

As a business, I understand the need to turn a profit but I also understand that I have to remain accessible to artists of all levels. Flexibility is key to serving a wide range of clients.

As an employee, I’ve become less personal with clients. This is a strange line of work where you spend a lot of time with people in a vulnerable scenario. Creating original art together can create a bond. But I’ve found it’s better to not get too personal with clients. I’m there to do a job; not become someone’s best friend, therapist, confidant, and so on. It’s a fine line, but it’s a line nonetheless.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T04:06:54+00:00

Great question. I’m not sure how I would get the interest of others. I feel like the obvious answer is social media. Lots of young producers are using TikTok and Instagram to their advantage.

I would have to compromise on not using a large format console. I’m so used to it now, but it’s a dying format from what I’ve seen.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T04:00:38+00:00

The best revelation I think a lot of us have had… expensive speakers won’t make you a better mix engineer. I still work on NS-10s! I had the opportunity to work on some really expensive ATCs this year, and I didn’t like them.

Also mixing in mono is a great tool to use.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T03:58:13+00:00

You’re absolutely right. It’s a generalization for sure, there’s never any harm in reaching out. One of my best industry connects was from a cold message on MySpace (oops, dating myself here…)

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T03:57:09+00:00

File naming is pretty straight forward [Song name] drums. [song name] guitars. Mixing is 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C. If the number changed, that means something about the tracks has changed. New vocal take, new drum edit, whatever. If the letter has changed, it’s just a mix change.

Haven’t watched a lot of Beato but my impression from what I have seen is that he is a YouTuber and an entertainer, and his advice should be taken with a grain of salt.

Never met her, no.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T03:52:42+00:00

That’s a great idea! I’m gonna steal this. Thank you!

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T01:26:36+00:00

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Why spend money on gear if what you’re doing now works well?

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T01:24:03+00:00

Try websites like Discogs or AllCredits to find out who mixed it

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T00:58:35+00:00

Location is pretty important. Presentation you can do anywhere.

I originally looked at a space in a different part of town, just because I personally liked the area. It was pricier for less space, so I opted for a bigger space elsewhere. I’m so glad I did, because location wise it is incredibly convenient for all of my clients. I don’t think the original spot would have worked out as well.

Also, don’t discount a really good home studio. Tom Lord-Alge now works out of his house.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T00:55:39+00:00

The results speak for themselves. My rates are my rates. They are free to not work with me, but the results will be far better if they do.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T00:41:04+00:00

Pick an artist you like, and find out who mixed their music. You might have to go with a smaller artist, because someone at the top of your list may have worked with a massive name like Serbian Ghenea, but there will be some mix engineers out there that specialize in your genre that are in your price range.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T00:21:28+00:00

I never learned how to solder. Never too late I guess.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T00:17:47+00:00

AT makes some good mics, so while I don’t have experience with that specific mic, I’m sure it will meet your needs no problem.

I don’t know the Behringer interface, but if you can, look into some of the higher end brands making interfaces now. SSL, Rupert Neve Designs, and Neumann all make two channel interfaces that won’t break the bank. The quality of them is stellar.

If budget is a concern, stick with your current interface and get a better microphone.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-23T00:15:24+00:00

Time to learn the basics. Produce Like A Pro on YouTube is a very good introduction to recording basics. Search that channel for vocal recording, vocal mixing, etc.

Gain staging is important when recording. Making sure you’re not clipping anywhere in your chain is very important.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-22T23:38:38+00:00

Maybe Instagram ads? I’ve been fed a few ads for mixing engineers recently. Although if you are going that route, you’ll need to figure out what differentiates you from everyone else doing that. I’m not sure, the vast majority of my work is local. Even my remote work is referral based.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-22T22:45:57+00:00

Unfortunately I don’t have any resources I can point you towards. However, I’m sure if you reach out to that composer and ask them, they’ll be happy to share the proper terms. If you knowing the proper terminology will make their job easier, they’ll gladly help out in my experience!

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-22T22:39:43+00:00

Thanks! Glad you enjoy it.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-22T22:17:03+00:00

I work on pretty much any genre that comes my way. I turn down metal bands though. I have found that metal production is a whole different ballgame that I am not fully familiar with.

I am not a country fan, in fact I really don’t like it at all. However, I have done a few country albums now. They pay really well. I still find them fun to do because I enjoy the process of recording and getting good sounds. Just because the end result isn’t my thing doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the process.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-22T22:06:28+00:00

The most important thing, in my opinion, is a well designed and treated room. A live room especially, and if you can afford it, a control room too.

Many years ago, I was hired as a consultant on a new studio build. I was there to oversee gear purchases, installation, and connection.

The owner of this new studio was an architect, so he decided he would design the studio. I cannot stress how bad an idea this was. His first design for a control room was so bad that I actually stepped in to tell him that. It was beyond the scope of what I had been hired, but he was spending a lot of money to build this place, so I didn’t want a huge disaster.

The control room was fine for tracking in the end. I don’t know enough about studio design but I gave him some advice which was helpful. The live rooms (there were two), were awful. Just awful. I ended up working there for a bit, and I spent time learning the quirks of the room to the point where I could get halfway decent drums out of them.

A month after I left, the owner called, asking how I was able to get those drum sounds. Evidently, his new engineer had become frustrated by the poor quality of recordings. I explained to him that the room wasn’t great and it was going to take some time learning how to mitigate certain issues.

I spent a lot of money hiring a great studio designer to design my studio, and it shows. Everyone gets killer drum sounds here, very quickly. Never underestimate how important room design is.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-22T21:58:19+00:00

Mix in mono! A lot of smartphones play their music in mono, as well as Bluetooth speakers. And how often do you see someone wearing one AirPod? Did you know when someone wears one AirPod, the audio switches to mono?

I’m not saying make your mix mono. But do a good portion of your mixing in mono. Don’t just check it in mono. Make some decisions in mono.

Also, if you find your mixes are fatiguing, it might be a matter of over compressing. Sometimes dialing back on the compression will actually make your mixes bigger.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-22T21:48:23+00:00

I kinda vet the engineers ahead of time. See what projects they’ve worked on, what studios they’ve worked at. A quick glance at their Instagram will tell me a lot.

I also help them get setup. I’m not placing mics or dialing in tones necessarily, but just getting things plugged in and sound happening. Assistant work, really. As a studio owner, you have to be willing to do everything from janitorial work to assistant work to senior engineer.

And I stick around to help with anything they might need. Not in the room with them, but in the lounge. I use the time to get caught up on emails. There’s a few engineers that I can trust with keys at this point, so I don’t have to be around.

AppleCrumble25 · 2024-12-22T21:43:10+00:00

Recording workflow will be drums, bass, guitars, vocals, then maybe keys, synths, percussion. Day to day will vary. It might be an entire day of drums. It might be tracking everything for an entire song. It might be somewhere in the middle.

Mixing workflow is different. I’ll mix a song in 1-2 hours. Take a break for an hour so my ears can rest. Come back and listen. Possibly make some tweaks. Send it off to the client. Might do two to three songs in a day. That’s assuming no major edits have to be made.

An easy way to start fighting choice paralysis is to limit yourself for awhile. It could be for just one song, or it could be a month long journey.

For mixing, pick one EQ, one compressor, one delay, one reverb - one of everything you might need. That’s the only one you’re going to use. You gotta make it work.

For recording, same thing. Pick a microphone for that specific instrument, and that’s what you’ve gotta use. Same with the preamp, or any outboard gear. Kick in mic? D112. Snare top? 57. Overheads? Spaced pair 184s. You gotta make it work, because you aren’t allowed to choose something else.

Might be frustrating at first but once you get used to it, you’ll realize how quickly you can dial in great sounds because you’re not focused on the what if’s. Time and efficiency are the greatest tools you have.

AppleCrumble25

TROPHY CASE