Two things, both objective, both measurable: transient spikes in AI-generated vocals (Suno and similar tools), and background noise in podcasts and other spoken-word recordings — hiss, hum, room noise. Both are defect removal, not taste. If your file has one of these two problems, send it and I'll quote it straight away.
This is defect removal, not mixing and not a performance fix. If your file's problem is something else, I'm not the right fit for it, and I'll tell you so.
This isn't a hobby that started last year, and it didn't start in a studio either. I picked up bass in 1974 and was recording in my basement by 1976 — multi-deck cassette recorders, homemade pedals and sound boards, whatever I could scrounge or build, because there wasn't money for the real thing and often nothing to buy that did what I needed anyway. In 1984 I designed and built my own optical compressor for the same reason. Through the 90s I moved into Cool Edit, then Adobe, as the tools changed — I've lived in this space, in one form or another, for close to fifty years.
Two specific, repeatable defects: a burst of unnatural energy at whisper-level passages, and a spike at the leading edge of hard consonants (P, T, K, B). Both are identified by ear, then removed frame by frame — clip-gain automation or spectral repair, never a blanket plugin pass. Nothing else in the take is touched.
Hiss, hum, room tone, and background noise in podcasts, interviews, and other spoken-word recordings — reduced by ear, on the passages that actually need it. Not music, not mixing, not a balance or tone judgment call.
If your file's problem isn't one of these two, I'm not the right fit — email me and describe what you're hearing, and I'll tell you honestly rather than guess.
AI-generated vocal (Suno or similar) with whisper-level or hard-consonant spikes, or a podcast/spoken-word recording with hiss, hum, or background noise — send it directly, no discussion needed first. Vocal tracks only, not instrument or full-mix stems. Stereo WAV or MP3, 16 or 24-bit, up to 48kHz. No length cap — billed by time, not by category. Send it via TransferNow (free, no account needed) with a link in your email, along with what you're hearing and roughly where. Anything else — an instrument track, a mix question, a performance concern, an unclear problem: email me first and describe it. I quote those only after we've actually discussed the scope, never blind, and I'll tell you plainly if it's not something these two services cover.
No auto-plugin batch job. I listen through it first, give you a time estimate and price, and only start once you've said go. Standard turnaround is a few days. Need it faster, ask about priority.
A treated file, ready to release — plus a short note on what was changed, in plain language.
Every file is different — some need five minutes of real work, some need ninety. Flat pricing doesn't fit that honestly, so I bill by time instead.
Send the file first — I'll listen, then tell you honestly whether it's fixable, and give you a time estimate and price before any billable work starts. For all other jobs, payment is due upon completion, once the work is confirmed and ready to deliver. The one exception: if I say a file is too far gone to fix and you ask me to attempt it anyway, that's your call to make, but that specific attempt is paid in full before I start, with no refund and no guarantee once it begins. If a job runs past an hour and I hadn't estimated that going in, I'll stop and check in with you before continuing. If you've told me a spending limit in your first email, I will never go past it without contacting you first — no exceptions. This is defect removal only — transient spikes in AI-generated vocals, or noise reduction in podcasts and spoken word. It's not a performance fix, not a mix, not a taste call. Priority is confirmed on request, not guaranteed in advance — some days I have room to move fast, some I don't.
Once we've agreed on the job and the price by email, use the button below to pay — enter the exact amount confirmed in your email.
Email a TransferNow link to your file and a sentence on what's not working. I reply ASAP.
If you already suspect the file is a rough one — a known problem child — go ahead and put a spending limit right in that first email. I will never go past that number without contacting you first, no exceptions.
Mike@mjs5.comYour files are used only to do the work you sent them for. I don't share, sell, or reuse anyone's audio, and I delete client files once a job is finished and delivered, unless you ask me to hold onto them for a follow-up. Email correspondence stays between us. Payment is handled entirely by PayPal — I never see or store your card or bank details, and PayPal's own privacy policy governs that part of the transaction. This isn't a formal legal policy, just a plain statement of how I actually handle your work.
Keep your own backup — I work on what you send me, but I'm not your archive, and I'm not responsible for a file that only ever existed on your end. I'll do honest, careful work, but I can't guarantee a specific result — ears and taste vary, and some recordings just have limits no amount of skill can fix, which I'll tell you upfront if I see it. For all other jobs, payment is due upon completion, once the work is confirmed and ready to deliver. The one exception: if I tell you a file isn't fixable and you ask me to attempt it anyway, that specific attempt is paid in full before I start, with no refund and no guarantee once it begins. If something genuinely goes wrong on my end, on a job I agreed was fixable, the most I owe back is what you paid for that job — not a bigger claim beyond it. Send me only audio you actually have the rights to use; that's on you, not me. None of this is a substitute for a lawyer, it's just the honest terms I'm actually operating under.