Nowadays, more and more online mixing services in the music world are available on the web. But are these sites reliable? Generally, they are. But I’m going to give you, in this article, 5 things you should look at before you choose any online mixing services.
In the field of online music mixing, there are obvious elements that do not deceive and that allow you to tell very quickly if you can trust the owner of the site you are visiting. Among these elements are:
- Human aspect
- Portfolio
- Reviews
- Speed of response
- Quality of the website
1. Human aspect
When you visit a website looking for services, the worst feeling is to have the impression of dealing with a robot rather than a human. This does not inspire trust.
On the website you are visiting, are there any elements that make you think that a human is behind it? It can be images, photos, videos or even just the way the sentences are formulated.
The most important thing is to know who is behind the site you are visiting, and to have some information about their history, their skills and their approach to online mixing.
Once you have this basic information, don’t hesitate to google the name of the owner and see what results appear. A presence on social networks is, in my opinion, a big plus in the trust you can bring to the person in question.
When it comes to trust, videos are the best way to get a feel for the person you would potentially like to work with. Whether they are on the website or on social networks, they can tell a lot about the owner of the online music mixing website.
We all, as humans, have different elements that allow us to grow our trust in certain people. For me, it’s smiles and sympathy. But it could be totally different for you. Remember, this person is potentially someone you will be in contact with for several hours of work. It doesn’t have to be an ordeal.
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2. Portfolio
How do I know the quality of work of the person I will potentially hire as my mixing engineer? Well, that’s easy: By listening to his/her portfolio.
For those who don’t know, a portfolio, in the case of audio, is a section or a link that will allow you to listen to several samples of the work of the sound engineer in question.
If you don’t find one, you’ll never know how good that engineer is. If, on the other hand, a portfolio is available on the website, that’s a big plus (if it’s qualitative, of course).
If you find one, which is already a very good thing, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do these samples sound pro ?
- Does this sound engineer seem to be good in the musical genre I am in ?
- Do I love the general style of his/her mixes ?
If it’s a triple yes, then there’s a good chance that this is the right mix engineer for you! But let’s look at the rest…
3. Reviews
Nowadays, social proof is something that everyone relies on to make everyday choices. We need opinions from other human beings to choose restaurants, hotels or, in our case, a sound engineer!
Knowing that people have had a good experience with the person we are about to hire to work with us is a very important point in choosing a mixing engineer.
But where to look for these reviews? Actually, a little bit everywhere. But there are two ideal sources: Google My Business and TrustPilot.
MyBusiness has been in the field for many years, and given the general security of the giant Google, you can be sure that all the reviews listed there are real, verified and legitimate.
TrustPilot, on the other hand, which is gaining momentum over the years, allows you to focus directly on the customer relationship and, as the name suggests, on the trust you can bring to the website owner.
With online work becoming more and more important in our society, especially after the Covid, TrustPilot was created to make the online experience trustworthy.
You may be able to find reviews through other sources, but MyBusiness and TrustPilot remain the priority. If there are no reviews available on either platform, it will be totally understandable to want to choose a different mixing engineer.
Regardless of the review source, I would say that you need at least 15 reviews for an average of 4.5 stars to continue your search without pressure.
These first 3 points are essential to trust your potential future mixing engineer. They are the basis of a qualitative online service. The next two points are rather added values that will allow you to compare several online music mixing websites.
4. Speed of response
The first thing I advise you to do is to send a message to the owner of the website. You can ask for general information like turnaround time, additional portfolio, prices, etc…
If his answer arrives more than 7 days (working days) after sending your message, you can already put this option aside.
Let’s not forget that the music industry is an environment that never stops and that is moving at an increasingly impressive speed. Working with slow and inefficient people will guarantee you a failure in this field.
A sound engineer who responds quickly is a sound engineer who works quickly. Of course, we must not forget the importance of the quality of the work. But someone who responds quickly to emails and messages necessarily inspires a lot of confidence, professionalism and serenity. This is very important for a productive collaboration.
5. Quality of the website
Last point of comparison: the website. It is an element that can give a lot of information about the quality of the work of the mixing engineer. It is generally necessary to take into account:
- Identity : Does the website identity fits with yours?
- Speed : Slow website are unpleasant to use, you need fast services!
- Professionalism : Does the website look pro? This is a very good point!
It’s obviously up to you to try to make up your own mind on the website. Some websites are, strangely enough, more “comfortable” than others, they should be preferred.
For the rest, follow your instinct!
