Joel Weldon Willis on SoundBetter

I love the beauty in the imperfections, like the Island of Misfit Toys, weird is where it's at.

On both sides of the glass I try to make the Artist's musical dreams a reality. Whether Producing, Mixing, Engineering; I want to be the captain of the ship which takes the ideas the Artist has for his/her/their music to find the best musical portrayal of the horizon they've been chasing.

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Credits

Discogs verified credits for Joel Weldon Willis

Drake Margolnick
Matrimony (2)
Various
Paul Wilbur
Rita Springer
John Mark McMillan
Drake Margolnick
Elevation Worship

2 Reviews

Endorse Joel Weldon Willis

by Dusty Redmon
I’ve been recording and releasing music since 2001, working with garage engineers to Grammy award winners. Joel instantly felt like one of the members, meaning his mindset was fully aligned with ours in relation to the project he was mixing. As an artist, the mixing process can be nerve-wracking. Joel found a way to make the process smooth; effective communication, direct feedback, and willingness to make the music paramount.
Joel’s vibe is relaxed and receptive, open to any ideas. His skill and adaptability are instantly evident.
by Aaron Felger
Inspiring experience with Joel has shaped the way we now approach our live sound!

We sought out Joel to produce our record after attempting a DIY strategy… in short, we provided Joel recordings with click bleed, background hum and less than stellar mic’ing. Joel was swift and adaptive; providing solutions that elevated our songs to the next level! We strongly recommend Joel for anyone looking for the best-of-the-best!

Interview with Joel Weldon Willis

Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Yes Why not?
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What record can you not put down? Why do you want to put out a record? What emotions are you wanting each song to convey and do they all fit together to tell a story or take the listener on a journey as they listen through the record?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Listen to everything you can to cherry-pick what inspires you to be you and do things your own way
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: AEA R44, Vintech 573, Retro Revolver, Distressor and some guitar
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started at the church I grew at in Florida where they had a full commercial studio and worked my way in the last 24 years to have my own mix room and gear I take to whatever studio I hire out to track in depending on the budget and vibe the Artist is going for.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: David Bazan He's been the most influential songwriter in my life pulling me in as a listener whether he's just singing with an acoustic in a living room or a String Quartet on a record
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Emotion is everything From what EQ or Compressor you put on a channel to if you go back to the Verse- what's the emotion you're trying to convey?
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: All types, mostly in the Rock or Indie vibe Everything from Southern or Americana to Folk and Indie Shoegaze
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Expansion I want the energy and emotion the Artist is trying to convey to grab the Listener throughout the song so they reach for the back button and listen to the song again and again.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I like to think I don't leave my "signature sound" on a record but take the Artist vision and expand it down the road their already traveling
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: If just mixing I'll take the finished tune and determine with the Artist if they want it a lil more "organic" sounding (exactly what they recorded) or a bit more "slick" (Drums edited and time aligned to the grid, Vocals tuned and how much, Extra sounds layered in etc. While working through this I'll get references from the Artist as to what inspires them and whether or not these are what they want the song to travel in as a direction or if it's simply something that makes their head bob and go from there.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I run Protools mainly but also Logic and others to transfer files between projects, just whatever DAW the Artist is working with. Once in Protools to mix I run a hybrid setup of In the Box and Hardware with lots of hardware Compressors, EQs and color boxes
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Daniel Lanois, David Bazan, T Bone Burnett
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Produce and Mix A lot of Artist have great access to recording gear, whether on their computer or a rad lil bedroom setup, and just need a lil push from a second set of ears to point them in a rad direction then put the finishing touches on the mix to take it where they want to go.