We recently connected with Peter Duff and have shared our conversation below.

Peter, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.

I started out recording bands and singer-songwriters while I was in college studying music, so most of those initial projects were for classmates, friends of friends etc. After graduating my wife and I moved to a new city (San Diego) for her work and I had to start my studio business totally from scratch in a new place with no real connections.

I spent the first couple months in San Diego getting my studio set up, and then I went out and tried to start meeting musicians. I went to shows, street fairs with music, and open mic nights. After every performance I’d go up to the artists afterwards and introduce myself. I’d tell them I just graduated with a degree in music and recording and I was new to town and had just set up a studio and that I was looking for people to work with.

After a couple months of this I finally had some luck. I went to an open mic night at a coffee shop called Lestat’s which had a nice performance space and a good sense of community. There was a band there called Cherry Road and I talked to them afterwards and they were interested. Most of them were also new to San Diego and were getting ready to record their first EP. I offered them a very affordable flat rate and they liked my portfolio and gear so they agreed to come record a single. The song came out great and we worked really well together so they came back to finish up their debut five song EP.

Fast forward almost a decade and I’ve worked on around two dozen songs with those guys in various different groups. In fact, I’m in the middle of mixing an EP for one of them right now. They’ve became some of my closest friends, I’ve attended one of their weddings, and I mentor one of them who is also now working as a professional engineer.

I often dread networking and going out and meeting people in person, but it always ends up being so valuable. These days most of my work is return clients and referrals that have come from quick introductions like that one. It’s crazy to think that going to a few shows has really changed my life and career and seeing those results are a great reminder and motivator to suck it up and keep getting out there even when you don’t feel like it.

Peter, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Peter Duff is a mixing engineer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, with over twenty years of experience playing music and a decade of experience working as a professional audio engineer. His experience includes: learning under engineers Brian Reeves (U2, Billy Idol, Miley Cyrus) and Dan Viafore (Olivia Rodrigo, Bastille, NBC’s The Voice) at The Jungle Room in Los Angeles, owning and operating The Grey Brick Recording Studio in San Diego (2014-2020), playing and touring with Hard to Hit (a pop-punk band signed to Manic Kat Records), and a degree in music and recording from Cal Poly Pomona.

Peter has worked on countless songs and helped his clients achieve successes such as a grand prize from the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, and Rock Song of the Year from Akademia Music Awards. In addition, Peter has also mixed and composed for award winning podcasts and documentaries such as Drilled, The Minimalists, and Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things.

Peter primarily works out of his private studio in Atlanta, but is also available to travel for work or to engineer at other studios in Atlanta.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2020 I had to close my original studio because of the pandemic. That also coincided with having to move in order for my wife to attend grad school. Up until then about 75% of my work and income came from in-person recording sessions at the studio, so I had to pivot to work I could do completely remotely.

These days I focus almost entirely on mixing. I spend most my time working with bands and singer-songwriters (mainly return clients and referrals, but some new connections here in Atlanta). In addition, a couple years ago I also started editing and mixing some podcasts on the side. The podcast work is great because it’s consistent, relatively straightforward, and I get to help share messages, stories, and information that I believe in.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I recently watched a video of a college graduation address by Neil Gaiman about working as a creative freelancer. He talks about impostor syndrome, always moving towards your goal, and enjoying the journey in really great and motivational ways.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OwRUyZMKwI&ab_channel=UniversityoftheArts

Contact Info:

• Website: www.PeterDuffMixing.com
• Instagram: @PeterDuffMix