Chuck are asking about the time factor on "for hire" mixes?
 

Do you use sub mixes?

Interesting topic. I'm not making any money... purely hobby for me... but I do a lot of those things as I create the tracks (which could take as long as 20 years) so mixing is mostly adjusting levels and fine tuning effects.

I wouldn't say it's too much.
 
When I took my last recordings into a studio to have it mixed professionally, from bare Audio WAVs it took 4-6 hours per song (average 24-28 tracks, standard pop music).  The engineer is top-notch and has a couple of decades of solid experience.  He seems to have a strong, quick workflow, but took time and care to get what I wanted.
For my own mixes, which aren't up to the pro level, 10-15 hours is probably my average.
 
I once had a (Canadian A-list, North American B-list) producer/engineer spend 14 hours edit and mix the life out of one 24-track song.
 
It takes what it takes.

As an interesting aside, there are stories that when U2 was recording/ mixing The Joshua Tree they spend an insane amount of time trying to get "Where The Streets Have No Name" right.  Apparently it got to the point where a tape op walked into the control room just in time to physically stop Brian Eno from erasing the entire tape to force a fresh start!

Working on my own stuff - that ain't a lot of time.  It is fun to experiment and learn.  For example, I put the a the guitar track on a new song through the Eventide "Black Hole" reverb that I haven't messed with too much.  I ended up printing another rhythm track that idea produced with the Freeze button.  Time worthwhile.
 
If I was paying for it I'd be OK with the time if the song turned out right, even if it didn't produce the above track.

Oh my god I can spend weeks at it. I think my main problem is I don't seem to be able to develop a consistent perception of the material I'm working on. One day it sounds great, the next I'm listening to it thinking Sonar must have screwed my settings up because this sure as hell isn't what I was listening to yesterday. And if God forbid I should ever listen to a problem track when I'm "herbally adjusted" (which is rare), then all of a sudden what I had been hearing as an indistinct mush suddenly sounds like high definition perfection.

I think another factor in my case is that my productions tend to use a lot of unconventional synth sounds which require a fresh approach in each case. Whereas if you're working on more conventional band arrangements you might have more of a "go to" approach because you've mixed those instruments together so many times before. Last night I was trying to mix a horn section with a crazy instance of Native Instruments Rounds synth and I felt like I was rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic :(

things that make a difference for me.
> keeper takes/performances
> well engineered tracks
> uncluttered arrangements
> not listening to the demo (or stealing/sorting out the good bits in advance. see first point) 
....
fwiw, noting a similar experience with automation in Sonar. There's room for workflow improvement. 
 
 

i just reached the 10 hour mark on a mix i'm working on right now....
this 'work it out' tune i posted a little while back....
 
i'll post it soon,
but i'm well over 10 hours on it now.
maybe closer to 16, and i aint done

The things to think about here if you are running a studio to make money are, you have to understand the difference between "mixing", "producing", and "audio editing". Each needs to be treated differently and you deserve to be paid for each one.

It is not my job to produce a song if I've just been asked to mix it. It is not my job to edit all the crap that the last engineer failed to do if a standing project is brought to me....and if you find yourself cleaning up your own projects spending time with slip editing and fixing pops and clicks, you're failing as an engineer.

Melodyne is production. It should have nothing to do with mixing. Specify what services you include with a project you work on. None of the stuff you mentioned is mandatory from a mix engineer. Anyone expecting that from me if I'm just asked to mix will be sadly mistaken. It only walks hand in hand if you allow it.

Now, actual mixing of a project for sound excellence, realistically it should take 4-8 hours. So 10 hours for all the stuff you mentioned is actually pretty good. Then again, I've never heard your stuff so in actuality, I don't know how good the stuff is. That's not meant as a dig, it's just being real. People work on editing and production for days and then mix for 3 hours. Sometimes they do well, other times they totally tank.

Some rules of thumb that I do that you may want to consider taking on board with you.

If you are taking on projects from other studios and cleaning up another man's garbage because he was too lazy or not knowledgeable, doing it for the love is ludicrous. Charge for that. Just think what you could have been doing with that time.

Don't be the producer unless you're asked and paid for it. Mix engineers are just that and should remain in that frame of mind unless other arrangements are made. You'll save yourself a ton of grief, trust me.

And lastly, audio editing, slip editing, cleaning up crap and fixing pops and clicks all over takes time. Again, it's ludicrous to fix another man's project and not be paid for it. Don't assume this responsibility unless you absolutely have to.

And one more little thing....when you record someone, practice proper audio editing as you record. Cross fade every punch when completed, slip edit all clips following the print, and make sure your signal levels are where they need to be. When I record a project, there is never any audio editing needed other than if I am specifically asked to replace drums or work on comped tracks where the person has no business recording, or by request of a record company or producer. When people record here, they get it right or they don't get it at all. If you want comped tracks where I have to glue your performance together, you pay hourly for it. It's not included in the project price. Why should I have to suffer for poor performances?

That said, there are times where we record a vocal line 5 times and combine all the best takes. However, I don't substitute word at a time stuff unless asked. And again, stuff like that, is a manufactured track that they pay for. Drum editing, drum.replacement etc....they pay for that. Seriously bro, why should anyone just include these services due to imperfections or when someone may want to be something they are not? Pay me for audio editing, I'll make you sound like Prince, Mike Portnoy, Geddy Lee or Eddie Van Halen. :)

These are the things you have to ask yourself. I do this for the love too and have helped several people in need when I was able to. However, there are some things in this field that are time consuming and crazy to do. You have to be a good judge as to.when you take on stuff like that. If I did all the stuff you do without charging someone, I'd hate what I do, and would eventually quit or be forced to close my door as I would not be able to meet the needs of my other customers waiting in the wings with bookings. When you have projects that need to be done every day, you learn how to work smarter not harder and you HAVE to have rules like I mentioned or you just won't be able to survive.

Whatever the case, if you are doing all the stuff you mentioned and are happy with your results, I'd say you are ahead of schedule. :)

-Danny