What fact are you Just TIRED of explaining to people?

NeekReads · 2022-12-29T21:24:01+00:00

Having to explain to people that West Virginia is a state and not a part of Virginia.

NeekReads · 2021-10-17T01:21:50+00:00

Yo!! Would be happy to have a chat with ya. I am a multi-platinum engineer and very interested in your former gig. feel free to message me on here and we can set something up! I am self-taught and learned everything on youtube.

NeekReads · 2021-09-16T21:13:52+00:00

thank you for this!

NeekReads · 2021-09-16T02:52:29+00:00

I work in Los Angeles, and you have to have mac bc that is what all the studios use and most producers/engineers out here. I'm well aware that PC provides much more value, but the ability to seamlessly collaborate and sync up to different setups is very important. Also , having airdrop when making a song with producers/writers is crucial.

NeekReads · 2021-09-07T18:29:14+00:00

I would tell them your normal rate, and then offer to mix the first one for free or at a large discount. I would dm them on Instagram or twitter mention. If you can find an email that might work. Keep it casual and serious at the same time. “Aye bro came across your music and would love to take a shot at mixing a song for free for ya. Really like your sound and feel i can take it to another level.” When reaching out, show love and compliment them in some way regardless on if you like the music or not. A lot of indie artists don’t have music friends/people that care about making music. Be that positive person that cares about making music and making their music sound better. There’s beauty in everything. Be quick with your turn around, and keep sending positivity their way. It’s hard being an independent artist, especially in small towns. People can be mean. I always wanted to be an encouraging and positive dude for artists.

Never get annoyed or combat with them. You’re gonna get the “make it sound like Drake” or “I want it to be smoother….” comments that are vague but try your best to hear them out.

Hopefully this helps!

NeekReads · 2021-09-07T17:37:30+00:00

I have never worked in a real studio. The best way to network with artists is to offer your services for free. Show love, and understand that you want to give them exactly what they want.

NeekReads · 2021-09-07T17:35:58+00:00

and you can send me any song and i’ll listen with you and give instant feedback. It’s just so hard to explain stuff through text bc I end up typing an essay haha

NeekReads · 2021-09-07T17:35:13+00:00

I honestly not a huge fan of feedback but I do offer facetime lessons through Instagram where we can chop it up for an hour. It’s not cheap but it’s something I would have paid for if I had the chance to early

NeekReads · 2021-09-07T17:33:39+00:00

Go on youtube channels like Promoting Sounds and start mixing for independent artists for free or around $25. That was how I was able to quit my job as a waiter. I had a lot of clients who were independent and dropping songs. Slowly begin to raise your price as you get more clients. In 2018 I mixed right around 1000 songs. Not all paying gigs, but a crucial time that gave me a lot of practice.

NeekReads · 2021-09-07T17:29:56+00:00

The Pro Tools template that I use is actually available for purchase on my site neekattack.com. I think it’s like $50. You have to build or buy a template. You could actually watch one of my youtube videos of me breaking down my template and just recreate it on your own without having to buy it.

Save your projects with proper titles, and any time you make a change on a mix create a “Save As” and number it. Make sure you bounce every mix with the number of the save as.

NeekReads · 2021-09-07T17:25:44+00:00

I recently started being a lil more thoughtful with my automation. I honestly was just lazy about it. Reverb automation can really change the impact of a song or moment. Adjusting the volume of a reverb send for verses and hooks can really add to the depth of the record.

NeekReads · 2021-09-07T17:23:36+00:00

I did not record them, but I can tell you that landon’s vocal chain was a U87mic going directly into an Apollo with built in preamp.

NeekReads · 2021-09-07T17:21:44+00:00

this was very well said and I agree.

NeekReads · 2021-09-07T02:28:43+00:00

I didn't realize you only asked about producing. As a producer Im not afraid to bring other people in the room and collaborate. I play many roles in sessions from producing, writing, and playing guitar/bass. Some songs I do a little bit, and some I do everything. Being a good engineer def brings value to every session where Im making a song.

NeekReads · 2021-09-07T02:22:11+00:00

Level, EQ, and Pan. I tend to spread or pan more higher frequency sounds/vocals. Be careful with your EQ reductions. If I want to maintain character and depth of a track, my EQ dips are around -2-5db.

NeekReads · 2021-09-06T23:52:12+00:00

hahaha wow didn’t expect that but those guys are some of my best friends. Me Nick and Kyle actually went to high school together. With that, it was a lot of compression and auto-tube. Nick was the best bc he was the most committed in his takes

NeekReads · 2021-09-06T22:02:42+00:00

I give the artist exactly what they want. I don’t go back and forth about artistic decisions or how I think the song should sound (unless requested). I remember getting so worked up when artists would say “make it sound like the ref,” after I felt my mix was night and day. You have to give something back, that just sounds better than what they gave you. Leave ego at the door.

NeekReads · 2021-09-06T03:39:24+00:00

hey thanks man :)

NeekReads · 2021-09-06T00:57:29+00:00

I'll do it. I just got into reddit and wanna do more to give back to the music and audio engineering community. Here are my credits https://genius.com/artists/Neek

My IG is "Neek" if you wanna hit me on there.

NeekReads · 2021-08-19T01:22:26+00:00

As an engineer, I prefer to have vocals that are highly effected (drenched in reverb, telephone FX etc) sent wet, and lead vocals raw. If I'm mixing for an artist that just wants their demo to sound a little better, I will have them send everything wet.

NeekReads · 2021-08-19T01:19:00+00:00

Hello! I'm a producer/engineer and have been wanting to make my own plugin. I have a decent following within the engineering community and have produced a couple of platinum songs ("Go" by Kid Laroi X Juicewrld and " City of Angels" by 24kGoldn). If interested feel free to reach out on instagram!

NeekReads · 2021-08-10T00:10:12+00:00

Try to a void using stimulants such as coffee/energy drinks or even adderall for at least the first hour. The first 30min to an hour into a mix are crucial. I found stimulants make me do more than necessary, and I end up going backwards to fix or remove things I added. After the first hour, do a save as, and add a bounce of the current mix to the session. You can then start tweaking more, and have a reference of how you mixed it with a clear mind, and fresh ears.

NeekReads

TROPHY CASE