The Changing Landscape of Modern Music Production; A Study into the Role of the Mix Engineer in a Changing Industry

The role of a mix engineer is an ever changing one, and the impact of digitisation has arguably
created an entire industry of ‘remote mixing engineers’ i.e. those that mix songs for clients
without the client present. As well as delving into the origins of this emerging job-role, this thesis
will tackle how both the artist, and the listener, interpret and evaluate music, exploring aspects
such as tribalism and roles involved in music creation with historical comparisons to modern day.
Through discussions of projects that resulted in the portfolio pieces, the variation of multidimensional,
malleable roles in music creation becomes evident and the modern day ‘mix
engineer’ becomes a difficult role to define in a real world application where earning a living is
the priority. I argue that beyond the technical ability required to make music, there now has to be
an understanding of skills ranging from people management and marketing that are now
required by mix engineers or producers to attain a living within the industry.