You have to be kidding me...

J

jordonrenn

New member
So I freelance audio engineer and I just had someone contact me about me pitch correcting and mixing their vocals in with a karaoke instrumental. She said, "Take it to whatever extreme you want, as long as it sounds like it could be played on the radio as a hit song." So I did what I could, to the best of my abilities.. I swear. I emailed her the final mix. She replies saying it is trash and that I am a horrible engineer, that she should sound as good as Rihanna. I told her that is slightly ridiculous given the quality of material provided. She explained how she works with engineers every day of her life and she knows it can be done. The worse part about this all is that she sent me a forward from another studio that contained session files. So, she paid for studio time to record this..

This is the vocal take she wanted me to mix....

https://soundcloud.com/cyrotactix/audio-4-02/s-tDz7V

Can it be done? :berzerk:
 
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astonishing is all I can say - all that wait and it was just so ....... awful. I stopped after 7 words - if this were one of my children I would have said until you can sing in tune I do not want to hear it (I say this to them often and they do improve - it is simply a case of paying attention to what you are doing and it can be learnt over time)

so yes - I would suggest that you ask to speak to her recording engineer and see what they have to say.
 
SERIOUSLY!!!!!!! the engineers she work with only work with her so they can laugh at her. She is hilarious.:4theloveofgod: I applaud you for even attempting to mix her work.There was absolutely nothing you could have done to make her sound like Rihanna.
 
I think the two of you probably deserve each other.

I’m not going to bash her singing, because like anyone else she’s doing the best she can. Was she perhaps out of line criticizing you for not making her sound like Rihanna? Probably. I don’t know what the final result was so I can’t judge if someone else could do better. But judging from the rates on your website, it was also probably unrealistic for her to expect miracle work from you. So she’s probably just unrealistic at every level.

But here’s the thing: You would seemingly consider yourself a professional based upon your use of the term “freelance engineer” and what’s posted on your website. As a fellow professional, I would ABSOLUTELY NEVER post audio from a client without their permission (I’m assuming she didn’t give you permission, because that would be nuts). And certainly would never post their unedited and untuned vocal performance of all things. That is about as unprofessional as it gets. I don’t care if she treated you like sh1t; there is simply no excuse for that. Lord knows I’ve run into my share of wacko clients – mix enough records and you are bound to run into a few, but I always stay professional with them, no matter what. File security is critical in this business. What message do you think you are sending to any potential clients reading this thread? You are sending the message “I don’t give a f*ck about your files. If you piss me off, I’m going to post them on the internet for everyone.”
 
Agreed, but then again, he hasn't given any names, so I guess it would depend on if she publicly called him to task for "bad engineering." Then I supppose he has a right to offer evidence in his defense. But unless she posted something about you (OP), you shouldn't have done this. (Dirty Secret #678-- This stuff is supposed to be kept so that years later you can put out a "studio funnies" CD that is only passed around to fellow pros...)

GJ

PS-- Do you see NOW the kind of world the "auto-tune" has wrought???

GJ
 
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and thank you to Chris Carter for reminding me that I should be more pro - got caught up in the moment with my children standing beside me telling me off for not critiquing the singing

I won't retract my post but I am slightly ashamed of my actions.....
 
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rhythmgj said:
Agreed, but then again, he hasn't given any names, so I guess it would depend on if she publicly called him to task for "bad engineering." Then I supppose he has a right to offer evidence in his defense. But unless she posted something about you (OP), you shouldn't have done this. (Dirty Secret #678-- This stuff is supposed to be kept so that years later you can put out a "studio funnies" CD that is only passed around to fellow pros...)

GJ

PS-- Do you see NOW the kind of world the "auto-tune" has wrought???

GJ
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She published public reviews criticizing me (before even replying to my email that had the final mix), otherwise I would never do this.

I try and be as professional as I can be, but there have been times (this one included) where I client pushed me to the edge. The typical consumer thinks if they cry enough, they can get what they want.
 
chris carter said:
I think the two of you probably deserve each other.

I’m not going to bash her singing, because like anyone else she’s doing the best she can. Was she perhaps out of line criticizing you for not making her sound like Rihanna? Probably. I don’t know what the final result was so I can’t judge if someone else could do better. But judging from the rates on your website, it was also probably unrealistic for her to expect miracle work from you. So she’s probably just unrealistic at every level.

But here’s the thing: You would seemingly consider yourself a professional based upon your use of the term “freelance engineer” and what’s posted on your website. As a fellow professional, I would ABSOLUTELY NEVER post audio from a client without their permission (I’m assuming she didn’t give you permission, because that would be nuts). And certainly would never post their unedited and untuned vocal performance of all things. That is about as unprofessional as it gets. I don’t care if she treated you like sh1t; there is simply no excuse for that. Lord knows I’ve run into my share of wacko clients – mix enough records and you are bound to run into a few, but I always stay professional with them, no matter what. File security is critical in this business. What message do you think you are sending to any potential clients reading this thread? You are sending the message “I don’t give a f*ck about your files. If you piss me off, I’m going to post them on the internet for everyone.”
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This is the only time I have ever done this. She publicly criticized my name (and no one here know's who she is) before ever talking with me about the mix. I would have gave her ALL of her money back if she just asked. She blatantly disregarded my advice about getting new takes (and a new recording engineer) and continued to tell me that I am a worthless mix engineer.

I am not the best engineer in the world but I do put a lot of time and effort into my work and furthering my skills.

I only say I freelance because I am a one man team, I don't have a manager, agent or contacts like that.

You I understand, you probably have a degree or awesome apprenticeship under your belt and a reputation to uphold. But me, I'm just a common man doin' what he loves for some extra cash.
 
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so, from where I sit, seeing some of these public reviews and perhaps responding to them would be beneficial for us (and you)
 
I feel your pain... I've wanted to post so many ridiculous clients online, but the pro side of me has restrained me.. I've had people want to sound like Queen's of the Stone Age.. when their music is poor pop with out even the same arrangement.
 
jordonrenn said:
Yes she has
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then give it another day and then pull down the tune

we can leave thread with the note that the track is no longer available due to the situation being resolved - I can edit your post with the track (and any others) to reflect this when you are ready
 
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