How much do mixing engineers charge?

April 19, 2020 Nicholas Di Lorenzo

Project Management
Production
Budgeting

Mixing engineer's typically price their services in one of three ways;

Hourly Rate.
- Hourly rate's are attractive up-front for a buyer; because the $ tag typically looks less at face value. However hourly rates don't set provide a guaranteed ceiling to the cost of the project.
Set Rate.
- Set rates, are the typical go-to for many mixing engineers, this is great for artists, labels and producers looking to cost projects upfront as they know the $ tag on the end of a project. Be weary of what revisions are included and if additional services cost extra.
Project Rate.
- Project Rates, this is my favorite; mainly because it's how I cost projects, but also it gives projects flexibility; being able to cost for the material at hand means; each project is priced based on its merits. An acoustic with one guitar and a solo vocalist, will be priced and approached differently to a full pop production requiring additional vocal editing, comping, and multiple versions printed for release.

So you might now be wondering what should I look for and expect to spend in a mixing engineer?