Music mixing

01 Who this is for

Mixing sits between recording and mastering. It is the right moment to come to us when the performances are done but the song still does not sound the way you imagine it. That covers songwriters with a handful of tracks, bands who tracked live here or elsewhere, and producers who want a second pair of ears to finish their beats and vocals.

• You recorded at home and the mix keeps sounding muddy or flat.
• Your band did a live recording session and wants a finished EP.
• You laid down vocals over an existing instrumental and need it to gel.
• You produce yourself and have lost perspective after months with the same song.

If you are still shaping sounds or writing parts, settle the arrangement first. Mixing is about relationships between existing parts, not about composing new ones.

02 What to prepare

A tidy session means more time spent on the music and less on detective work. Please send:

• Individual tracks as WAV, mono where the source is mono, all exported from bar one so they line up.
• The original sample rate and bit depth, ideally 24-bit.
• Clear names such as Vox_lead or Gtr_L instead of default labels.
• A rough mix so we can hear what you were going for.
• References: two or three released songs whose sound or energy you like.
• Tempo and notes on any effects that are part of the sound on purpose.

Remove limiters and heavy processing from the master bus. If an effect defines the part, such as an amp sim or a vocoder, include it, and add a dry version too. Our guide on delivering tracks for mixing has a full checklist.

03 How a mix comes together

Before touching a fader, Joost listens to your rough mix and references. Next comes clean-up: noise between phrases, bleed, clicks. Only then does the balance take shape, usually starting from the rhythm section and the vocal, with everything else arranged around them.

EQ, compression, reverb and delay are used to create space rather than to make everything louder and bigger. Dynamics in the arrangement are kept: a quiet verse is allowed to stay quiet. Automation lifts a word in the chorus or a guitar fill exactly where it matters.

You can book a listening session in our Amsterdam Oost control room during opening hours (Mon–Fri 10–22, Sat 11–18) or follow everything from home. Either way, check each version on your own headphones, in the car and on your phone, because that is where people will hear it.

04 Revisions and giving notes

Each song includes 2 revision rounds. A round is one combined list of notes that we work through in a single pass. That keeps changes consistent and stops small tweaks from cancelling each other out.

• Use timestamps, for example "1:42 vocal slightly forward".
• Describe what you hear, not just the tool: "the chorus feels smaller than the verse" is more useful than "more compression".
• Listen with the whole band or team and send one shared reply.

Additional rounds, or changes that amount to a new direction, are agreed in advance with a price attached, so there is no surprise invoice at the end.

05 What you get back

We leave headroom for mastering and keep hard limiting off the mix bus. If you want the finishing done here too, see mastering. Your session stays archived for 12 months, so a later tweak is still possible.

06 Turnaround and scheduling

How long a mix takes depends on the track count, the condition of the recordings and how quickly notes come back. Your quote includes a concrete date for the first version, based on our calendar and yours. We answer questions within 2 working days.

If you are working towards a release date, tell us when you get in touch. Leave time for mastering and for your distributor's delivery window as well. An EP is planned as one project so the songs sit together naturally.

07 What the mixing price does not cover

The price covers mixing usable tracks you supply. A few things sit outside it:

• Re-recording parts; for that you book studio time for vocals or a band.
• Note-by-note pitch or timing editing across a whole performance; small fixes on a single syllable are included.
• Arranging, programming extra instruments or writing new parts.
• Mastering, which is a separate step with its own price.
• Revision rounds beyond the included 2.

If we open a session and find it needs more work, we tell you first and only start once you agree.

08 How pricing works

A single song costs €220 including 21% VAT (€181.82 excluding VAT). An EP of up to five songs is €950 including VAT (€785.12 excluding VAT), which works out cheaper per song and keeps the sound consistent across the record.

We ask for a 30% deposit on confirmation and the rest on delivery. Business clients receive an invoice payable within 14 days. Cancelling a booked session more than 7 days ahead costs nothing. Everything is set out in our terms and conditions. Not sure which option fits? Ask for a quote.