How to Become a Mixing Engineer: Austin Seltzer’s Career Advice on Mentorship and Repetition
If you’ve ever searched “how to become a mixing engineer,” you’ve probably found the same two extremes.
One side says you need a famous mentor and a big studio.
The other says you can learn everything alone from YouTube.
In this Puremix interview, Austin Seltzer shares a much more realistic answer: the biggest growth comes from repetition, real-world work, and learning from people who actually do this every day.
How to get into mixing: start where you are, then outwork the gap
Austin’s story is a great reminder that careers don’t start with perfect conditions.
He’s originally from Dallas, then moved around (Nashville, LA), and even records this interview while sitting in rural Oklahoma.
What matters isn’t the city.
It’s the hours.
He talks about spending long days in the bedroom producing and learning the craft.
That’s one of the most underrated answers to “how to get into mixing.”
Start in the box.
Learn to finish records.
Build taste.
Do you need a mentor to become a mixing engineer?
Austin explains that having mentors can help. But he challenges the idea that you need one person to guide you.
His most important point is this:
Putting in the time doing the craft is the mentorship.
That line is a career philosophy.
Because what actually makes you better isn’t one sentence of wisdom.
It’s the grind of doing the work again and again until your ears level up.
The “real mixing engineer training”: 40 tracks a week
Austin shares the period where his career truly took off.
After moving to LA, he needed stable income in music and found work in sync and library production.
And the pace was wild:
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4 albums per week
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10 tracks per album
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40 tracks per week
That repetition became his real education.
Not because every track was amazing.
But because every track was a rep.
Why repetition beats “mixing tips”
Austin says something that every aspiring engineer needs to hear.
When you’re mixing constantly, you learn:
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what your ears want
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how to move quickly
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how not to second guess plugins
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how to deliver professionally
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how to manage expectations and clients
That’s the difference between “someone who mixes” and “a mixing engineer.”
A mixing engineer finishes work.
Consistently.
Under pressure.
“You can fail all the time” (and still become great)
This might be the most reassuring part of the interview.
Austin explains that repetition means failing constantly.
And that’s fine.
Because after hundreds of mixes, you’re not the same person.
He says:
400 tracks in, I promise you’re going to be a light year away from where you were when you started.
This is how progress really works.
Why Puremix helps you become a mixing engineer faster
Austin isn’t saying “don’t learn from others.”
He’s saying don’t depend on access.
Because today, you can learn directly from real professionals, through platforms like Puremix.
Puremix becomes your advantage because it gives you:
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real workflows
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real decision making
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real “why” behind the moves
That’s mentorship at scale.
If you assist someone: don’t chase credits, chase character
Austin says if you choose to assist someone, don’t just look at credits.
Instead, research:
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how they treat former employees
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whether assistants stayed in music
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whether they help people grow
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whether they treat people like humans
This is the kind of advice that protects your future.
How to become a mixing engineer: a simple plan you can start this week
If you want a practical plan based on Austin’s mindset, here it is.
1) Build your repetition system
Pick a target like:
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3 mixes/week for 8 weeks
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1 mix/day for 14 days
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10 mixes/month for 6 months
2) Practice professional deliverables
Export stems.
Print vocal up/down versions.
Label files like a pro.
3) Learn from real engineers (not random hacks)
Use Puremix to study workflows and taste.
Because this is the real shortcut:
you still need repetition, but you’ll repeat the right things.
Watch the full Austin Seltzer interview on Puremix (Free)
This article is based on a Puremix interview with Austin Seltzer, where he shares his career story, mixing mindset, and advice for anyone trying to become a professional mixing engineer.
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