{
  "slug": "mixing-mastering-quote",
  "title": "Mixing & Mastering Quote Calculator",
  "heading": "Mixing & Mastering Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/mixing-mastering-quote",
  "summary": "Estimate a full project's mix/master cost from per-song rates.",
  "description": "Mixing and mastering engineers quote per song, per hour, or as a bundled album rate — and pricing varies enormously by engineer tier, from $50 per song bedroom mixers to $500–$1,500 per song for credited industry engineers. This calculator totals a project's cost from per-song mix and master rates, applies a revision-round buffer (extra passes commonly cost 10–25% more), and shows a bundled discount if mixing and mastering the same songs.",
  "formula": "Total = songs × (mix rate + master rate) × (1 − bundle discount %) + revision buffer.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=mixing-mastering-quote",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "songs",
      "label": "Number of songs",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "mixRate",
      "label": "Mix rate per song",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 150,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "masterRate",
      "label": "Master rate per song",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 50,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "bundleDiscount",
      "label": "Bundle discount (mix+master same engineer)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 10,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 40
    },
    {
      "id": "revisionBuffer",
      "label": "Extra revision buffer",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 10,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 50
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Total project cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "perSong",
      "label": "Effective cost per song",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "base",
      "label": "Base cost before buffer",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "buffer",
      "label": "Revision buffer amount",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Number of songs: 8",
      "Mix rate per song: 150 $",
      "Master rate per song: 50 $",
      "Bundle discount (mix+master same engineer): 10 %",
      "Extra revision buffer: 10 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total project cost: $1,584",
      "Effective cost per song: $198",
      "Base cost before buffer: $1,440",
      "Revision buffer amount: $144"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter number of songs.",
      "Enter mix rate per song ($).",
      "Enter master rate per song ($).",
      "Enter bundle discount (mix+master same engineer) (%).",
      "Enter extra revision buffer (%).",
      "Read your total project cost on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "songs": 5,
        "mixRate": 90,
        "masterRate": 30,
        "bundleDiscount": 6,
        "revisionBuffer": 5
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "songs": 8,
        "mixRate": 150,
        "masterRate": 50,
        "bundleDiscount": 10,
        "revisionBuffer": 10
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "songs": 13,
        "mixRate": 240,
        "masterRate": 80,
        "bundleDiscount": 16,
        "revisionBuffer": 15
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How many revision rounds are normal to expect included?",
      "a": "Most engineers include 1–2 revision rounds in their base quote and charge extra past that, often 10–25% of the original fee per additional round. Get this in writing before the project starts so scope creep doesn't blow the budget."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is it worth using the same engineer for both mixing and mastering?",
      "a": "It's often cheaper due to bundle pricing and avoids translation issues between two different engineers' rooms and monitors, but a second, independent set of ears on mastering can catch mix problems the mixer missed. For a debut release with a modest budget, bundling is usually the practical choice."
    },
    {
      "q": "What determines whether an engineer charges $50 or $500 per song?",
      "a": "Track record (credits on records you've heard), turnaround time, included stems/revisions, and whether they're mixing in a treated room on calibrated monitors versus a bedroom setup all factor in. Higher price doesn't guarantee better results for every genre — match the engineer's known sound to your material."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/studio-session-cost",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/beat-lease-vs-exclusive"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Mixing & Mastering Quote Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/mixing-mastering-quote)"
}