What Separates Amateurs from Professionals (It's Not the Gear): My Interview with José Diogo Neves
I recently sat down with José Diogo Neves, a mixer and educator who's been in this game for nearly 23 years. He's the kind of engineer who delivered 74 songs in a single month, worked on 6-8 albums with the same artists, and somehow manages to be present for his kids while building a career he's actually proud of.
The thing is, José didn't start out grounded. Like most of us, he started hungry—obsessed with getting better, chasing credits, trying to figure out what "good enough" even means. But somewhere along the way, something shifted. And that shift is exactly what most mix engineers need to hear about right now.
This isn't about achieving some mythical work-life balance or finding the secret plugin that unlocks everything. It's about the mindset shifts that happen when you stop competing with everyone else and start building something that actually lasts.
The "Good Enough" Trap
Here's the question José hears constantly from students: "When am I good enough to charge money?"
His response cuts through the bullshit: "What is good enough? Is it ever enough?"
The reality is, the "freelancer brain" never fully goes away. Even engineers with multiple number ones and Grammys still wake up some mornings wondering why people hire them. The imposter syndrome doesn't disappear when you hit some arbitrary skill level—it just becomes something you learn to work with.
So if you're waiting to feel "ready" before you start charging what you're worth, you're going to be waiting forever. The move is to be realistic about where you are, adjust your rates as you grow, and stop treating your career like a competition.
José puts it simply: "Stop seeing it as a competition. You should be aware of what others are doing, but don't see it as competition. Focus on your clients, on the songs you must deliver, on developing your sound. The money will come with all these things."
This isn't some feel-good platitude. It's a strategic shift that changes everything about how you build your business.
What Actually Builds Careers (Hint: It's Not the Neve Console)
Students love to obsess over gear. We all do, if we're honest. But José's got a reality check that every engineer needs to hear:
"I would ask them what's the last piece of gear or plugin they bought and how many clients it brought them!"
Being reliable. Behaving professionally. Delivering on time. Listening to ideas and interpreting them correctly. Taking feedback without ego. These are the things that bring you work, not a compressor or a console.
The unglamorous truth? The mixer who shows up consistently, communicates well, and makes the artist's life easier will always beat the mixer with the fanciest gear and the worst people skills.
Your studio doesn't need to look like a Miloco room to start building a real career. You need to be someone people trust and want to work with again.
The One Big Client Myth
Here's another belief José sees all the time: "I just need one big client to break through."
His response? "You are wrong."
It's not about one big client. It's about 20 artists recommending you to other artists. It's about the indie artists, smaller labels, singer-songwriters, and producers who grow with you and spread the word about your work.
There are engineers out there turning down opportunities because they think the work is "beneath them." Meanwhile, the people who show up consistently for those indie artists are building sustainable careers, developing their skills, and growing alongside artists who eventually blow up.
José's advice to his students is gold: "You are studying in a building filled with future artists and musicians. Go ask them to record with you while they're practicing. Some will say no, but a lot will say yes. Through practice, you build connections and relationships, and these people will remember you."
This is how you actually build a career in 2025. Not by waiting for the big break, but by showing up so consistently that when opportunities come, you're ready—and you already have the relationships to capitalize on them.
The Secret That Isn't a Secret
Students keep looking for the trick, the technique, the right plugin, the magic vocal chain that'll make everything click.
José's been around long enough to know better: "There is no secret! Every engineer they admire has put in years of work, made a lot of bad mixes, experimented with ideas and tools, and learned from all of these."
If there's a secret at all, it's determination and consistency. It's practicing and experimenting and evolving in a very deliberate way. Consistency beats talent every single time.
This is where the sports metaphor hits hard. José competed in sports his whole life, and he sees the parallels clearly: "In sports, you train and practice every single day. Mixing is the same thing—my ears go to the gym constantly."
Build your craft consistently like you're practicing for opening night at Madison Square Garden. Review your work like athletes review game footage. Ask colleagues for their opinions. Show up even on days when you're not inspired.
That's what separates amateurs from professionals: consistency, discipline, dedication, focus, and showing up.
The Shift That Changes Everything
Becoming a husband and father completely transformed José's definition of success. Before, it was all about the work—obsessively, unhealthily focused on the craft. His wife taught him how to manage priorities and bring the healthy side into the equation.
"Success for me now means I can be present for my family, pay the bills, while still doing work I am proud of. It's about building something that lasts, not chasing the next big credit."
This shift unlocked something crucial: the ability to say no.
José's decision-making process now comes down to a few key questions: Does the music excite me? Do I feel trusted on this project? Can I deliver within the deadline? Does it feed my sound obsession and curiosity?
If the answer is yes, let's go. If not, it's a pass.
"I learned the hard way that saying yes to everything just burns you out and takes energy away from projects you're really excited about. Your mind and creativity are gone from working on projects that are just a waste of time, and the money doesn't justify it."
The fear of losing clients when you raise rates or take breaks? It's real, but it's also mostly in your head. When you raise your rates, the clients who really value your work will stay. When you take breaks and communicate them clearly, clients understand.
José still struggles with taking time off—he's learning and working on it. But he's figured out the boundaries: work from 10 to 5 while the kids are in kindergarten, avoid working weekends, be present when they're home. Sometimes that means working at night when they're sleeping, but the boundaries opened doors to other projects.
What Awards Don't Tell You
Awards used to be the goal for José. Now? Connection with artists is the priority.
"Awards are cool, and I'm obviously very happy for the artists and projects, but awards don't pay the bills and don't make me happy long term. I have seen engineers get multiple number ones and win Grammys, and still be miserable."
For him, the real goal is to connect with people, have fun, work on projects where everyone's excited and behaves professionally, and build genuine trust. He's done 6, 7, 8 albums with the same artists. That common trust is more valuable than any trophy.
"Chase the work that fulfills you, and the awards might come as a byproduct. But if they don't, you'll still love what you do and the people you're doing it with."
This is the reframe that every mix engineer needs to internalize: You're not competing for trophies. You're building relationships, developing your sound, and creating work that matters to you. That's the actual endgame.
The Module Every University Should Teach (But Doesn't)
If José could add one thing to every audio program, it would be music listening.
Not critical listening. Not frequency analysis. Just listening to music.
"Taste is a crucial skill for any job in the music industry. The more music you listen and understand, the better you are at your job. We didn't have screens in our faces—we had cassettes, CDs, and vinyl. We would explore our parents' and grandparents' collections because the cover was interesting."
This generation discovers music differently, and that changes how they develop taste. A dedicated music listening module, taught by different teachers every semester, would expose students to all sorts of music they'd never find on their own.
Because taste is what separates good engineers from great ones. And you can't develop taste if you only listen to what the algorithm feeds you.
What Lasts
After 23 years, José's legacy goals are clear: As a mixer, he wants to work with music that people still listen to in 10 or 20 years. He wants people to say he had his own sound, that he added soul to the mixes.
As a teacher, if he impacts one student in a positive way, that's awesome. If they saw how much he cared for their development, if his healthy obsession stuck with them a bit, he's done his job.
"Once my student, forever my student. I always try to help them learn from my mistakes so they can reach their breakthrough at their own pace, but with fewer mistakes along the way."
That's the mindset shift from hungry to grounded. It's not about proving yourself to the industry anymore. It's about building something that lasts—relationships, a sound, a way of working that keeps you excited and sustainable over decades.
The Takeaway
If you're early in your career and feeling like you're not ready yet, here's what José would tell you: Stop waiting. Start adjusting your rates as you grow. Stop competing with other engineers and start focusing on your clients, your development, your sound. Show up consistently for the artists who want to work with you right now.
If you're more established and feeling burned out, here's the move: Set boundaries. Learn to say no. Raise your rates and trust that the clients who value your work will stay. Take breaks and communicate them. Build something that lasts, not just the next big credit.
And wherever you are in your career, remember this: Consistency beats talent. Relationships beat trophies. Building your craft like an athlete trains for opening night will take you further than any plugin ever will.
The "freelancer brain" never fully goes away. But you can build systems, set boundaries, and develop relationships that make the journey sustainable. That's the shift from hungry to grounded.
And that's how you build a career that actually lasts.
Photography Credit: Ako Lehemets
