Get Out of Your Studio!: An Interview with Mix Engineer Matt Cerritos
I recently sat down with mix engineer Matt Cerritos to explore his journey of transformation and growth in the audio industry. Our conversation revealed valuable insights about mindset shifts, system building, and creating lasting impact in the pro audio world. Here's what he shared about breaking through barriers and building a sustainable career.
Mindset & Transformation
During our work together, we focused on significant mindset shifts. What were the key changes that transformed your approach?
The big key change was taking a zoomed-out view of the work I was doing and the path I was on. It was helpful to throw out the narratives I was telling myself about money and my career and re-focus them to a more positive approach.
How did these shifts affect your relationship with both creativity and business?
It helped me combine those relationships. I used to treat creativity as its own thing separate from business. Possibly a little bit too idealistic regarding art. Once I accepted that they need to work together if I am going to make a long-lasting career as a mixer, certain systems became clearer.
Breaking Through Financial Barriers
What were some of the key financial narratives you had to overcome?
The biggest one was "why would anyone pay me my rate?" I struggled with this idea that I hadn't done enough work to prove to myself and others that I was worth the amount that I would charge.
How has your approach to valuing your work evolved?
At the end of the day, I value the client's feedback more than anything else. It's not enough to think the mix I did was great or for other people in my circle to think the same thing. It's important that the artist or producer think that it's great. Mind you, the feedback needs to be constructive.
The Power of Process
How has your workflow evolved to support both mixing and leadership?
I am trying to trust more. The assistant engineers that I have hired and trained are eager to learn. Same with the assistant engineers I get assigned when I’m coming in to work at a new studio - they want to get their hands dirty and do the work. I try my best to keep an open mind about how they can jump in and assist me. Being open to that can help me with my work and also provide them mentorship.
What operational changes created the biggest impact on your growth?
Templates, Templates, Templates. Mixing templates, to be able to jump into a creative flow; invoicing templates, to process payments faster; email templates, for pitching myself. All of these are constantly changing, but I have a good foundation to start from and that injects confidence into my process.
Building Community & Future Vision
What patterns do you notice with engineers trying to grow their careers?
I find a lot of them are looking for a cheat code. They see these big mixers and are only focused on where they are now. They don't look at the sacrifices these people have made. At some point, you have to take a hard look at what you're willing to sacrifice to have this career, and there's a good chance your priorities are not the same as, let's say, Jaycen Joshua. And that's okay.
What were the three key changes that had the biggest impact on your growth?
Meeting my first mentor Steve Shirk - he showed me you could be a family man and an audio engineer.
Working at Sphere Studios - I got to ingest so much working with so many different producers across a lot of genres early in my career.
The Pandemic - I built studios for the whole pandemic. In a time when things felt really uncertain, that work showed me how I wanted to move forward in my career.
What excites you most about the future of audio?
Access to information. It can be overwhelming but it’s also exciting that so many people can have access to resources that teach them how the industry works. I think it's going to make it easier for everyone to be aligned on what is actually happening in the industry, and be able to move forward from a position of power.
What advice would you give to engineers looking to expand their impact?
Get out of your studio and hang with other engineers.
