Why would you expect the person you hired to show you (by example the files you mention) how they make their living and what they do?

Nott sure why that is so hard to grasp.

And on the forum-you expect professionals (those that make $$$ as an audio engineer) to share their work flow and how they do what they do? They put in the time, so you should too, no?

That's just plain silly to me. No I am not a pro engineer, I am just a guitar player who owns Sonar

TraceyStudios

sharke


Also, what real use would the mix file be to you? You're unlikely to have all of the plugs that the engineer used on it. You're going to load the file and Sonar is going to say "the following plugs are missing...."

So if I don't have all the plugins, I don't deserve to have this file? Could I buy the plugins? would another mix engineer have said plugins?

Having the plugins or not having the plugins has nothing to do with it. Its how they are used and it really doesn't matter what they are at all. 

Mixing is a skill and art that is developed over time by doing it over and over again. A good mixer will know quickly what needs to be done on first hearing. Than having a end sound and how to get to it is what a good mixer is all about. Asking how they do it may in fact not get an answer that would make any sense to you. I'm not saying its a black art only that one should respect the talent required to be a good mixer. Plus the time and effect put in on learning it.

 

1) I am not demanding anyone teach me anything. I use the forum as everyone does.
2) In many businesses, common practice is when someone is hired to perform a service, any materials, documents, files etc which have been created to perform the service are owned by the customer. true or false? I am seeing now, this is not the case with mix engineers & photographers. They don't want anyone to know how they do what they do etc....
3) I appreciate the pro guys that answer the questions here, i have certainly been helped by them. I wasn't trying to diminish what they do.
4) I am very suprised that the mix is such a secret, especially for my original garage band project. I have a career, not looking to be a pro mix engineer, i felt that if I paid someone to mix my projects in sonar, it wouldn't be a big deal to want to have the files so I could see what they did. Was just hoping to get good enough to not be embarassed by my mixes. Like I am going to learn everything there is to know about all mixing by having access to one mixed project that I am willing to pay for. All the mix engineers are going to go broke because I now know allllllll the secrets...LOL 
 
You all have made your points,  I am done with this thread,  I have received the message loud and clear, all of that stuff is a secret and if I want know...like john says..."take a class"!!!
 
good night!

Anyhoo, there have to be mixing services out there which offer a "sit-in" mixing session during which you are permitted to sit next to them and watch/provide input. Sounds like that's the kind of service you'd get a lot out of. I know I would.

To be honest I'm not sure how I'd feel about sending my own work out to be mixed. I just know I'm the kind of picky, awkward a-hole who would find fault and send stuff back to be done again. That's why I've always designed my own websites instead of hiring a designer. I'm not sure I could cope with being the annoying guy who wants endless changes made here and there, and sometimes I'm not very good at explaining exactly what I want (you should see some of my haircuts )

Sharke: LOL!!!! Me too, that is why I am bald!

I'm definitely on the way.....

I have done jobs where clients have brought me raw tracks to be mixed. What usually happens with me is I end up with a complete session but it involves all sorts of things like any UAD plugins I might have installed, all the plugins I have installed, part of the mix going to my digital mixer, some outboard gear etc so in the end I only really provide the final mix to the client. 

I cannot really give them the session because it won't mean much to them. They wont have everything exactly that I used and they won't have the same plugins etc. I think the presence or not of plugins is rather vital to a final mix. I am not going to spend a whole lot of time reworking the mix to open up in Sonar or any other program either, only my own software. 

I am not going to print a whole lot of stuff either just for the client, that is unnecessary. But if they want to come back in at any time they can and I can just recreate the exact mix and we can make changes etc. They pay for that as well and I just keep a newer or alternative version of that session.

The client has in my cases not wanted any of the stuff that makes up the mix or the in between stuff. I am not being paid to provide a mix tutorial either. A lot of the skill that is used while doing the mix is what they are paying for. If a client wants a mix tutorial they need to negotiate that up front. 

You hired a mixer to do a job (or would have).  And you want the template of what he/she did, too.  Set an la2a emulation to this, followed by an 1176 set up this way.  Eq, here.

What you are asking for is pretty much proprietary information.  You don't want a mix, you want to know how they mixed the work.  So you can copy it and not have to bring your music back to them?  Perhaps set up your own mixing shop selling his/her settings, " sound," gleaned from experience - the only thing they really have to sell now that emulations are a dime a dozen (it wasn't that way w/ hardware - you paid for that as well as the experience). 

Not that you would do that, Tracey, but I guarentee you there are others out there that would.  Your mixer is doing the smart, professional thing.  But I have to ask, why do you want such info?

@

Tracey I have a lot of respect for you I can understand why you think the way you do.  Most musicians don't record or mix their own stuff and don't care that much about the process. You have curiosity or you wouldn't be on this forum. So it makes sense that you feel the way you do. But if you take it a few years later and now you do know how all this is done or at least understand it you may not have the same view as you do now. 

Keep at it and in time either you will learn it or you will find its not all that interesting to you. Either way you will be wiser. That I promise you. 

This is an interesting idea.

Hire a photographer. Have him take photos of your family or whatever. You get your pictures. By law you may not copy them which means your not supposed to put them online, make copies ETC. Can anyone elaborate better?

Is it not the same thing? Are we not hired to do a job just like the photographer?