digitaldrummer wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2021 7:15 am
But one of the reasons given was they were surprised at the number of hours I had spent "mixing" so far and apparently it did not sound like a finished record yet
And:
but if nobody else is able to make decisions, sometimes you have to give them a push in the right direction (even if they don't call me "producer").
Well that is expectation vs. reality. So sorry you are in the middle of this difficult situation. I learned very early in my career to FORCE artists to make a decision. It is their product after all, and they are in charge of the final editing, takes, et al. Not me. Not as an engineer. That mentality has both saved my ass and made me lifelong friends along my career.
In my limited experience (25 years) this is always best dealt with before anything happens. Since this already is a done deal, as it were, that does not apply.
My billing since becoming an indie engineer is this:
ONE hourly rate for recording and editing. Any of this work has to be totally above board and approved by the client. Sure, you might find a flub no one heard here and there, and it might be ok to fix. In my experience though, sometimes the artist LIKES those flubs. So proceed with caution...
ONE flat rate per song mix. This mixing does not include ANY editing whatsoever. Ever. If the artist and I find that the recording they made
(I am not the recording engineer for this case) needs Editing, then I refer them to my hourly rate, and we figure out approximately how long the project needs as far as editing, create a budget for that, and execute, then go onto the mixing process, independently and after Editing has been done.
Usually, if I am mixing and there is zero editing involved, I can take anywhere from 6-12 hours per one song. Since this is a flat rate though, it is incumbent upon me to work fast and yet be able to deliver what is expected.
I hope this helps, and that you end up still being friends with these clients.
Cheers!
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.