ComplaintsforMikes Mix & Master LLC

• Initial Complaint

  04/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Good Evening,Im writing this message to file a complaint against Mikes Online Mastering ( ********************************************************************* ) and its proprietor *******************************The business provides an online service where musicians can submit their songs to be mixed and mastered.I submitted ten songs to the business to be mixed and mastered on 12/15/2022 and paid $805 upfront for those services (Order #*****).When I contacted ****************** in early January 2023, he indicated that the mixing would be completed by early February 2023. Subsequently, I tried to contact ****************** multiple times in early March 2023 and did not get a response for about three weeks since the mixes were still not ready.****************** finally responded to my messages and sent me a set of mixes for my review. The mixes he sent were mostly in very poor audio condition and were not ready for mastering. Here are some of the issues that I noticed in the mixes: multiple distorted tracks, some bass and guitar tracks which were barely audible, the requested left/right panning of audio tracks were not applied, uneven volume levels, inadequate Equalization of the tracks, etc.****************** then agreed to send me a second set of mixes with fixes applied. However, the second set were just as unacceptable the first set.I have asked ****************** for a full refund multiple times but he refuses to do so since my purchase was made on a Black Friday Sale in 2022 and he apparently has a trap door policy where he does not give refunds for items purchased during a sale. He is essentially starting that he has no obligation to put in the required effort to make sure that the final mixes of the songs are of an acceptable quality since the purchase was made during a sale.Im very disappointed in my interactions with ****************** and his refusal to live up to his obligations.The honest thing to do would be to refund the $805 fee for which he has done no perceptible amount of work Thank you,***********************

  Business response

  05/01/2023

  Hello *****, Thank you for your review. I apologize that our service did not satisfy your expectations. After receiving your order and material for Order #***** I presented you with an estimated turnaround time. As stated on the website, turnaround times are only an estimate and can be delayed due to various factors. As explained previously, the reason for the delay on receiving your first mixes for review was due to the fact that you made your order during my Black Friday sale when all services were discounted by 50%, this sale is only availabe once a year and many clients wait all year for this one sale. During this year's sale, hundreds of orders were made; many of those orders consisted of album packages with over eight songs or more. The sale started at midnight, and orders started coming in right away. All orders are rendered on a first-come, first-served basis; you made your order on the third day of the sale, which means there were many orders made ahead of yours.

  Estimated turnaround times are reflected by how many orders are in queue and the fact that I am a sole engineer that works on all of these projects, this is in addition to taking my time with every mix to make sure the quality is consistant for every customer. The turnaround time extensions is made clear on the website before the customer decides to proceed with the order. This is also stated in the terms and conditions which is also made availablebefore orders are made at ****************************. At checkout, there is a checkbox that states the customer has read, and agreed to the terms and conditions. That must be checked by the customer to be able to complete checkout. By you checking the box, you state that you have read, agreed and accepted the terms and conditions before placing your order.

  I have spent hours on each of your ten songs, working to the best of my ability to get you your set of first draft mixes. As explained, Clients should always expect revisions to be needed, as it's part of the mixing process, which is why they are included in the service details. When the client receives their first drafts, they are able to carefully listen to the mixes and If there are any problems with the mixes, you can kindly let me know what exactly you'd like changed and I will continue to work on the mixes until you are satisfied. This is the way the service works and is explained in detail on the *** page (*************************************************************************)

  Here is a list of things that have been done during the mixing of each of your 10 songs.

  In each mix, each instrument has been edited with compression and EQ and have been treated to prevent clashing frequencies and given their own space in the stereo field. 

  The drum tracks have been grouped and compressed with analog bus compression.

  The vocals tracks in each mix have all been cleaned and then edited with EQ, compression, ********, slight stereo effects and reverb and delay.
  

  Your references mixed were used for volume reference and arrangement.
  

  The overall all vocal frequencies for each mix have been carved in real time using multi band side chaining with the instrument mix to create space between the two.
  

  And finally each mix have been glued with analog bus compression and summing.

  I can provide the proof of all the work that has been done with the mixing sessions for each song. 

  After receiving your first draft mixes, you agreed to move forward with having me revise the mixes, and supplied me with a document of all your requested changes. I made sure to do all of your requested changes and sent you the revised mixes. Your response was for me to end the work on this project.

  As stated in our terms and conditions, sale orders can not be refunded, and there is no refund for orders that have had revisions made. I did however offer you a a service credit of $517.50 that can be used towards mastering services incase you wanted to have your material mixed elsewhere. In addition, I also made it clear that if you changed your mind, I am willing to continue working on this project until you are satisfied. I have never denied to keep working on your material and I am still willing to continue working on the material if you are willing to work together to get final mixes you can be satisfied with.

  Again, I am truly sorry that my work didnt live up to your expectations so far and I am grateful for you giving me the opportunity to work on your project. Please feel free to reach out to me with any further comments, concerns, or suggestions you wish to share. I would love to make things right if you give me another chance. I will be available and am willing to continue working if you ever decide you wish to continue with this project.

  Customer response

  05/02/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  Good Evening,
  Instead of relying on technical jargon as ***************** does in his reply, the ultimate proof of the time and care taken to perform the requested work should be found in the final mixes which he forwarded to me. However, *** come to the conclusion that ****************** is either incapable or simply unwilling to perform the work of creating an acceptable set of final mixes. We can continue going back and forth exchanging files for a year, but ** convinced the results would be the same. I, as the customer, should be requesting only minor fixes and not having to point out major flaws such as barely audible guitar and bass tracks, extensive vocal and instrumental distortions, etc. The customer should not be asked to perform the quality control work which ****************** was paid to perform. No sound engineer who is serious about his/her craft would return to a customer the two sets of mixes which I received from ***********.
  ************ hypothetically, that I order a new vehicle online and four months later, its delivered to my home.
  Upon initial inspection, I discover the following issues: two flat tires, a missing battery, no turn signals, broken headlights, etc.
  I then contact the manufacturer and ask for a refund at which point ** told that the issues will be fixed expeditiously and that I will have a brand new vehicle in two weeks.
  When the substitute vehicle arrives, I find that it has the same exact flaws as the previous one.
  I again ask for a refund but Im told that since I purchased the vehicle during a Black Friday sale, I will not be offered a refund at all. However, Im also told that if I purchase a new vehicle from a different manufacturer, Im always welcome to come back to this one for a free car wash!
  The above scenario is indeed absurd and mirrors exactly the current state of affairs, vis--vis ***********.
  It took approximately a year to write, record, and produce the 10 songs which I forwarded to ****************** for mixing and mastering. At present, I do not possess any mastered recordings which I can upload to a streaming service such as Spotify, thanks to *** ******** unwillingness to deal ethically with me as a customer who prepaid him the hard earned $805 in good faith.
  All Im asking is for ****************** to reciprocate in good faith and refund the money that he collected for not living up to the standards which he advertises on his web site.
  
  

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  
  
  
  
   
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩