6 Ways To Streamline Your Revisions Process (So You Don’t Piss Off Your Clients Or Ruin Your Life)

In 2012, I had my first absolute nightmare client when it came to revision requests. 

I was mixing 5 songs for a band, and it turned into one of the worst projects of my life. 

I had entered Revision Hell.

Here's what that project looked like:

  • 7 Total versions of each song before final masters were sent (40 individual files sent to client from beginning to end)
  • Over 100 specific revision requests (most of which were related to a specific time in a specific song)
  • DOZENS of contradictive and conflicting revision requests that did nothing positive to the mix.
  • 5,471 words of revision requests (33 pages if pasted into a Google Doc)

This was all for ONE client on a FIVE song ep over a 35 day period…

Now this may come as a surprise to you, but that project ended horribly for everyone involved. 

Emotions ran high on all sides, and we never worked together again. 

In my brain, I was telling myself “it's all their fault. If they weren't so picky about insignificant things, we would have wrapped up that project on version 3.”

The reality was that it was ALL my fault. Had I known what I know now, I could have kept a long, happy, profitable relationship with that band for years.

If you’ve never experienced anything like this, I envy you. 

However, it’s likely only a matter of time before you experience a project like this. 

The good thing about a nightmare project like this is that it forced me to re-evaluate how I handled the revision process and find a better way. 

Today, we’re going to discuss how to keep this from ever happening to you. 

In this episode you’ll discover:

  • Why the last interaction you have with someone has a much larger impact than anything else
  • How to avoid revision hell so you can give people a great, lasting impression at the end of a project
  • Why you need to have one point of contact for revisions
  • How you can avoid some of the biggest issues that create a revision hell
  • Why you need to expect the unexpected when getting revision requests
  • How your policies limiting revisions can help the artist as much as they help you
  • Why sometimes you need to pick up the phone, or better, Skype. No excuses.
  • Why you should be “the guide” for your clients
  • How Filepass can solve almost all of the problems you face in revision hell

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Quotes 

“This isn’t just advice on revisions, this is advice on relationships.” – Chris Graham

“This is your last chance to end on a good note. If you fail at this point, all the good things you’ve done up to this point are undone.” – Brian Hood

Episode Links

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Websites

456 Recordings – www.456recordings.com

Chris Graham – www.chrisgrahammastering.com

Filepass – https://filepass.com/blackfriday

Courses

The Profitable Producer Course – theprofitableproducer.com

The Home Studio Startup Course – www.thesixfigurehomestudio.com/10k

Facebook Community

6FHS Facebook Community – http://thesixfigurehomestudio.com/community

Instagram

@chris_graham – https://www.instagram.com/chris_graham/

@brianh00d – https://www.instagram.com/brianh00d/

YouTube Channels 

The Six Figure Home Studio – https://www.youtube.com/thesixfigurehomestudio

Send Us Your Feedback!

The Six Figure Home Studio Podcast – podcast@thesixfigurehomestudio.com

Related Podcast Episodes

Episode 13: How Social Skills Helped Billy Decker Dominate The Nashville Mixing Scene – https://www.thesixfigurehomestudio.com/social-skills-helped-billy-decker-dominate-nashville-mixing-scene/

For Coffee Nerds Only

Aeropress – https://aeropress.com/

FreshRoast SR500 – https://www.amazon.com/FreshRoast-SR500-Automatic-Coffee-Roaster/dp/B0034D9ONO/

Gene Cafe CBR-101 – https://genecafeusa.com/

FreshRoast SR800 – https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Roast-SB-800-SR800/dp/B07Z9Q3TLQ/

Artists, Engineers, and Music

Michael Jackson – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson

Bruce Swedien – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Swedien

Quincy Jones – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Jones

Thriller – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(album)

Billy Jean – https://youtu.be/Zi_XLOBDo_Y

Books

Building A StoryBrand by Donald Miller – https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Clarify-Message-Customers/dp/0718033329

Miscellaneous

Aqua Love Notes – https://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Love-Notes-Waterproof-Notepad/dp/B00A3VJ7UK

Hocking College – https://www.hocking.edu/

Automatic Episode Transcript — Please excuse any errors, not reviewed for accuracy

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