Thomas Orsi

If it vibrates I record/mix it

Thomas Orsi on SoundBetter

An outgoing, hands on Audio Supervisor/Engineer/Designer/Composer that has participated in the creation and delivery of thousands of songs, soundtracks, TV shows, commercials and several films throughout his career.

Music: Has recorded and mixed a very wide variety of sessions from actual full orchestras and individual
sections to rock, jazz, folk, blues, pop, klezmer, singer/songwriters/ soloists, choir, eastern and world ensembles, alongside of full-scale all-sampled "in-the-box" MIDI multi-tracking.

Post Design/Mixing:
5.1 surround, stereo, mono and DME stem mixing for TV broadcast, DVD, CD, and radio, dialog re-builds, foley, ambience beds, BGs, walla, , FX rebuilds, sound design, music editing and mastering.

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

Interview with Thomas Orsi

  1. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  2. A: Naked Souls, a movie with David Warner, Pamela Anderson and Dean Stockwell. I personally did all the audio post production and post-production on that movie except the soundtrack. That was never done before at that time.

  3. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  4. A: Epic Drives series for Motortrend/Discovery. A new song I wrote called "Everlasting".

  5. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  6. A: Sorry, no.

  7. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  8. A: Everything except for 2 old Moog EQs are in the box. Because of the quality of today's software and instant recall.

  9. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  10. A: Satisfaction. You don't get to leave until you are.

  11. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  12. A: the creative buzz.

  13. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  14. A: If you finish before the deadline is there a discount? No.

  15. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  16. A: Making something look easy, however involuntary, has its drawbacks.

  17. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  18. A: Basically it always comes down to are you real and are you ready.

  19. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  20. A: For TV - My award winning mixes haven't missed a deadline or a budget. Ever. Not once. For music mixing - There are no unsatisfied clients. You won't be the first. For music creation - There are no unsatisfied clients. You won't be the first.

  21. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  22. A: Janice, my guitar. My Slingerland drum set. My Charvel Bass My entire recording studio A massive solar generator to run it!

  23. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  24. A: On stage throughout North America and the Far East for 18 years, then became an LA studio musician for decades while being a re-recording engineer and composer. Currently 250 of my own recorded songs available on all streaming platforms. 48 years and counting.

  25. Q: How would you describe your style?

  26. A: flexible as diamond facets reflected on clear water.

  27. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  28. A: Paul McCartney, because if we did we would write a worldwide hit.

  29. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  30. A: leave your silly ego at the door. No one cares. Get out of the way and do what is best for the song.

  31. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  32. A: In TV all genres. In music production I only work with songs whose lyrics move me.

  33. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  34. A: Hearing the finished recorded song in my head from anyone humming.

  35. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  36. A: Experience, so the talent can relax and do their best. I can add a variety of instruments if requested. Arrange if requested. Contribute to the lyrics if requested.

  37. Q: What's your typical work process?

  38. A: For TV: receive an AAF and picture from client over the net, conform same to the correct pre-built template for the delivery requirements, build and mix, deliver. For music to picture: receive picture and rough mix from client over the net, review, spot, compose, deliver. For music mix: receive OMF, AAF, stems or sessions from client, review, spot, mix, deliver. For music production: record the artist a kaleidoscope of ways based on their circumstances,

  39. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  40. A: TOTAL RECALL - With ODPs' 64 bit integrated system of all-digital consoles, all 48 motorized faders and tactile updates to any event we can make instantaneous radical changes and replacements to every element of your show in real time, even during the final layover. 1000 fully automated channels. SIMULTANEOUS FINAL MIXES - Stereo, M+E, 5.1 Surround, stems, DME and discrete tracks are printed in a single pass. No expensive multiple lay-downs. SOUND DESIGN - Having owned a complete sound effects company (The Founder’s Edition), our exclusive library of foley, FX, and backgrounds is one of the largest in the industry, dramatically cutting build time. SIMULTANEOUS POSTING - All spotting, foley tracking, ambiance beds, dialog re-builds, ADR inserts, FX builds, music beds and film scores are created, built, and posted simultaneously. This allows for an extremely cost-efficient but artistically rewarding completion of your production with no limits. ORIGINAL MUSIC TO PICTURE -- All known and unknown individual instruments are always in-house and online for immediate access. Compositions and sound design are synced to picture during the initial creation of every note. Instrumentation can be instantly changed in moments - even as late as during the final mix. ACOUSTICALLY NEUTRAL STUDIO -- Meticulous in-studio acoustic treatments result in real-world translatable mixes: Unlike so many others what you hear on your mix playback is exactly what the public will hear on air during broadcast.

  41. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  42. A: Bill Bruford, Bruce Swedien, King Crimson, Bonnie Raitt, John Cage, Bruno Mars, Katelyn Autry, Beethoven, Liszt, Milton Babbitt, Gene Autry, Frank Sinatra, Robert Plant, George Martin, Tom Petty, Nile Rogers, Mutt Lange, Joe Meek, Jaco Pastorius, Carol Kaye, Steve Winwood, Stevie Wonder, Rick Wakeman, Ron Lesaar, Ken Kappel, Mike Konopka, Gerre Edinger, and intense thunderstorms.

  43. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  44. A: By day I mix television for Discovery Channel and their affiliates. 12 mixes per show. I also compose music for TV, usually not the shows I'm mixing. By night I produce talent I believe in, and record and mix talent that believes in me.

Terms Of Service

Usually a package price to meet your budget, 2 revisions included.

Gear Highlights
  • ProTools
  • Logic
  • tuned/timed proven room
  • 48 motorized faders-1000 Tracks
  • 393 top plugins
  • All East/West Libraries
  • 7 others
  • 20K online FX
  • Vintage Moog outboard EQs
  • P80 piano/V-drums/Gtrs/Bass/Neumanns & efficient tri-screen LCD monitoring (68").
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SoundBetter Deal

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