- Identify what is holding things back
- Understand the constraint
- Know what to do next
For mix engineers, producers, and mastering engineers
Build a studio career that pays well, lasts, and still feels like yours.
The Business of Mixing helps audio professionals earn more from the work they already do, through better clients, stronger rates, and a more consistent pipeline.
- Raise your rates with confidence
- Attract better-fit clients
- Build a business that supports your creativity
Plans from $75 · Payment plans and funding support available
Trusted by thousands of working engineers
Jon Castelli
Ruairí O'Flaherty
Eric J Dubowsky
Travis Ference
Mike Avenaim
Nathan Dantzler
Adam "Atom" Greenspan
Julia Borelli
Martin Cooke
Nacho Molino
Spider Entwistle
Edsel Holden
Josh Bowman
Mike Miller
Steve Kaye
Matt Keller
Noah Cronin
David Maria Trapp
Graham Cruser
Bobby Knepper
Matt Cerritos
Math Bishop
Dave Weingarten
Joe Gallagher
Alex Krispin
James Parrish
Ryan Dulude
Daan Duurland
Seth Earnest
Daniel Tureck
Nicholas Setter
Dan MarkusTrusted by professionals across the audio industry.
The Business of Mixing is used by mixers, mastering engineers, producers, educators, and companies working at a high level.
More clients are not always the first answer.
When work slows down, the default assumption is more outreach. But outreach cannot fix unclear positioning, an offer that does not land, or pricing you cannot hold. The real issue is usually not effort. It is not knowing where the constraint is.
- Working constantly but still unsure about income
- Taking on projects that don't align
- Feeling unclear about pricing or positioning
- Struggling to create consistency
The Business of Mixing helps you identify the constraint and fix the right one.
The Business of Mixing is one system.
Not a collection of tactics. A structure you move through, one stage building on the last.
- Clarify Understand what is actually stuck.
- Shape Clarify your numbers, rates, offers, and capacity.
- Position Make it easier for the right clients to understand and hire you.
- Grow Create consistent opportunities instead of waiting for them.
- Run Build a client process that protects your time and work.
- Maintain Keep momentum after initial motivation fades.
Client results
What changes when the business starts working.
Before
I decided to work with Michael after a few years as a freelance producer and mixer where that work wasn't quite providing enough to be my full-time job. I felt frustrated that I couldn't seem to make the jump.
“I just had my best ever quarter financially — and my reaction after doing this program is: with what I've learned, I can do so much better than this next quarter.”
Dan Markus Mixing Engineer & Producer, New York Best-ever quarterBefore
I was hating my day job, didn't know how to get new clients, and wanted to quit and get back to mixing full time. My business confidence was a 4 out of 10.
“My rates went from $250–300 a mix to $450–800. My monthly income went from $500 to $1,200. My confidence is now a 9 out of 10.”
Before
I started coaching because I was regularly experiencing burnout and struggling to manage my workload effectively.
“Not only has my workflow improved, but I've also noticed a significant decrease in stress and overwhelm.”
Julia Borelli Mixing & Mastering Engineer, Berlin From burnout to calmBefore
I was sitting around waiting for my phone to buzz with the next mix client. My mixing abilities were growing every day, but my business had completely plateaued.
“My business confidence went from a 3 out of 10 to an 8. I have ADHD and this coaching gave me a realistic framework to actually work with how my brain operates.”
Ryan Dulude Mixing Engineer, Los Angeles Confidence 3 → 8Before
I was busy but reactive. Work was coming in, but nothing felt predictable or solid. I was constantly putting out fires, decisions piled up, and I could feel that starting to affect things outside the business too.
“My indie mix rate went from €670 to €860, and my established-act rate from €875 to €1.000. My team can now fully handle project management and client communication without me.”
David Maria Trapp Mixing & Mastering Engineer, Cologne €670 → €860 indie rateBefore
So much of our credibility relies on reputation and word of mouth. I was waiting for someone to recommend me to my next potential client.
“I have seen success in connecting with new clients, as well as greater confidence in closing deals and selling my value as a mixer. Closed 2 album deals in 2 days since starting the coaching program.”
Josh Goode Mixing & Mastering Engineer, Los Angeles 2 album deals in 2 daysWays to work together
Choose the level of support that fits your next step.
- A diagnosis of your real bottleneck
- A prioritization map
- A 2-week plan
- A rate decision
- 48 text-based lessons across the full system
- 10 core Builds that create your business infrastructure
- A 20-Day Business Sprint to put it in motion
- 3 Business Reality Check credits
- Lifetime access
- Weekly private calls
- A direct line between sessions
- Custom builds around your actual business
- The full system, weighted where you need it
Course and mentorship offer monthly financing. Subject to approval. USD.
Access support without paying everything upfront.
Spread the cost over time, or fund it another way. Two paths, both designed to lower the barrier to starting.
Payment Plans Monthly via Klarna or Affirm
The Business of Mixing From $145/month
- 24 months $145/month ~14.99% APR, ~$491 interest
- 12 months $250/month 0% APR with Affirm
- 6 months $500/month 0% APR with Affirm
Private Practice Mentorship From $388/month
- 24 months $388/month ~14.99% APR, ~$1,308 interest
- 12 months $667/month 0% APR with Affirm
- 6 months $1,333/month 0% APR with Affirm
Approval, rates, and terms are determined by Affirm and Klarna and may vary. Monthly amounts shown are examples only.
Funding Support Grants, budgets, and other sources
Some engineers fund this work through regional arts or small-business grants, or an employer development budget. If you are exploring funding, reach out at hi@mjm.earth and I will share what has worked for others.
Course and mentorship offer monthly financing. Subject to approval. USD.
Why I care about the business of mixing
The business is the part nobody built for us.
When my mom died, the last thing I told her was that I would make her proud and pursue my dream of running a business.
Then I actually started, and realized how much I hadn't figured out. Not creatively, but on the business side.
I had spent years as a creative freelancer. But sales felt fake. Pricing felt confusing. Self-promotion felt uncomfortable. Structure felt like something that might take away from the creative work.
Learning the business changed everything. Not by making me less creative, but by making the work repeatable: better clients, real follow-up, clear positioning, and a sense of control over my future.
After thousands of conversations with mix engineers, I keep seeing the same pattern: real skill, real credits, real potential, but no business structure underneath it.
Many of them are parents. When the business never switches off, it quietly pulls them away from the lives they are trying to build. I know that feeling. It's the one I grew up with.
That's the part I want to help change.
I come from a background in research, business, and management, and I've always been drawn to how those systems intersect with creative work and culture.
This is why I do what I do.
20,000+
Engineers reached
3,000+
One-on-one conversations
40+
Countries
A message for the dads reading this
If you've mixed "a few projects" this year but are still relying on your parents, spouse, or credit cards to get through the month, let's talk.
You don't need to become a different kind of engineer, but you do need to become a different kind of business owner.
You need to turn unpredictable mixing work into a real business: clear offers, prices you can stand behind, a reliable way to find the right clients, and a system that makes income less dependent on luck.
That's how mixing stops being something you fit around financial stress and becomes work that supports you and your family.
I genuinely want this for you.
Book a Mentorship IntensiveFrom the Blog
“Structure outperforms willpower every single time.”
“Every time I stick to my own taste, I strengthen who I am. That's where my real voice comes through.”
“Sales becomes easy when you believe in what you're offering. It only feels gross when you're unclear.”
“The real cost of a bad client isn't what they pay you. It's what they prevent you from earning.”
“We're temporary custodians of someone's artistic vision.”
“The real magic happens when you stop waiting for THE move and start making moves, period.”
“Being a great mixer and building a great mixing career are two completely different skills.”
“Your most impressive mix might be the one you never touched at all.”
“You chose this career because you love mixing. That's valid. That's beautiful. But it doesn't exempt you from reality.”
“Your starting point isn't your destiny — it's your launching pad.”
“'Almost ready' means afraid. That's it.”
“You're already not talking to these people. You're already not working with them. So what exactly do you have to lose?”
Questions, answered.
Stop guessing.
You need clarity.
Then you need the next step.