Charles Mueller

Producer, Engineer & Guitarist

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14 Reviews (8 Verified)
Charles Mueller on SoundBetter

I'm a producer and Grammy award-winning recording engineer who has also toured internationally as a guitarist and keyboard player.

My speciality is recording, editing, and mixing acoustic music - people making sounds in a room together. I have extensive experience working with contemporary classical and jazz artists, so I'm very comfortable reading scores and working with music that requires an ear for challenging harmonies and rhythms.

As a musician and producer/engineer, my passion is for art rock artists like Beck, Radiohead, Spoon, Stereolab, Beach House, Dirty Projectors, Tame Impala, St. Vincent, Talking Heads, and Air.

My favorite projects are those that allow me to combine my pop music sensibilities with my classical music training.

I'm currently offering remote production and mixing work, as well as custom arrangements and session work on guitar (acoustic or electric), bass guitar, and keyboards/synths. My studio in New York is also open on a case-by-case basis for in-person recording sessions.

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

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Charles Mueller
  • Inbal Segev
  • Alicia Lee
  • Gabriel Kahane
  • Gabriel Kahane
  • Inbal Segev
  • Remy Le Boeuf
  • Jacob Greenberg
  • Imani Winds
  • György Kurtág
  • Tony Arnold
  • Gábor Csalog
  • Blythe Gaissert
  • Ning Yu
  • David Bird
  • Karl Larson
  • Christopher Cerrone
  • Peter Dugan
  • John Brancy
  • Remy Le Boeuf
  • Green Mountain Project
  • Maria Schneider
  • Maria Schneider Orchestra
  • Brooklyn Rider
  • Johnny Gandelsman
  • John Zorn
  • Tenet
  • Tenet
  • Tenet
  • Tenet
  • Bearthoven
  • Matthew Lipman
  • Henry Kramer
  • American Contemporary Music Ensemble
  • Perspectives Ensemble
  • Angel Gil-Ordóñez
  • JACK Quartet
  • Jennifer Koh
  • Miranda Cuckson
  • Michael Hersch
  • Patricia Kopatchinskaja
  • Jay Campbell
  • William Winant
  • R. Andrew Lee
  • William Winant
  • R. Andrew Lee
  • Aizuri Quartet
  • Jacob Greenberg
  • Yarn/Wire
  • Johnny Gandelsman
  • Benjamin Goodman
  • Nancy Allen Lundy
  • Stephen Gosling
  • Ralph Farris
  • Nancy Allen Lundy
  • Stephen Gosling
  • Ralph Farris
  • Ches Smith
  • Joel Ross
  • Emilio Solla
  • Emilio Solla Orchestra
  • William Brittelle
Discogs verified credits for Charles Mueller (2)
  • Miss Grit
  • Colatura
  • Alkemie (2)
  • Steve Reich, MIVOS Quartet
  • Stanley Grill, Nancy Allen Lundy, Stephen Gosling, Ralph Farris
  • Miss Grit
  • Michael Vincent Waller
  • Alvin Singleton, Momenta Quartet
  • Sara Feigin, Benjamin Goodman
  • Stanley Grill, Nancy Allen Lundy, Stephen Gosling, Ralph Farris
  • Jennifer Koh
  • Matthew Lipman, Henry Kramer
  • Remy Le Boeuf*
  • Falla*, Fernández*, García*, Zetlan*, Garza*, Perspectives Ensemble, Sato Moughalian, Angel Gil-Ordóñez
  • Paul Reale, The Borealis Wind Quintet, Christopher Guzman
  • Jonathan David (4)
  • Miss Grit
  • Wendy Richman
  • Michael Vincent Waller
  • John J. Becker
  • John Zorn
  • Claudio Monteverdi, Green Mountain Project
  • Ross McHenry
  • Christopher Cerrone
  • Remy Le Boeuf's Assembly Of Shadows
  • Catherine Lamb
  • Jennifer Koh
  • Ning Yu & David Bird (10)
  • Samara Joy
  • Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti*, Scott Wollschleger - String Orchestra Of Brooklyn
  • Michael Beharie
  • Alvin Singleton, Momenta Quartet
  • Johnny Gandelsman
  • Gabriel Kahane
  • Joel Ross (3)
  • Franco Alfano, Elmira Darvarova, Mary Ann Mumm, Craig Mumm, Samuel Magill
  • Alkemie (2)
  • Peter Gena
  • Sufjan Stevens
  • Byrne:Kozar:Duo
  • Steve Reich, MIVOS Quartet

14 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client

Endorse Charles Mueller
  1. Review by Elizabeth T.
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    Charles Mueller did exactly what I wanted, which was to bring my songs to life. He paid attention to the meaning and emotion behind the songs and helped me express what I was trying to convey musically. Plus, he was endlessly patient with my many adjustments. The resulting final versions of the songs are very near to how I had imagined them, or even better. I will definitely continue working with Charles.

  2. Review by fufu
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    by fufu
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    Charles has quickly accepted my mixing offer and delivered perfectly. Would love to work with him again!

  3. Review by Elizabeth T.
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    So glad I found Charles - he has my music's best interests at heart. He is easy to work with as well as skilled.

  4. Review by ted@tengoal.com
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    I really enjoyed meeting with Charles. Very smart and experienced guy. Highly recommended

  5. Review by Sam R.
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    by Sam R.
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    Charles is great at what he does. I'm happy with the end result of our collaboration. I gave Charles what I think was a solid demo to start with and he brought a lot of great ideas, tones, and vibe to the production.

  6. Review by Seiyoung A.
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    Charles is a wizard! He understood exactly what I was going for and the result was fantastic.

  7. Review by Konstantin D.
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    Charles helped me get started on production with a private lesson. We covered a ton of information, including recording guitars and bass, mic placement, how certain drum sounds are achieved, and more. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for lessons!

  8. Review by Natalie L.
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    Charles is a very talented producer and musician! Highly recommend! He has a strong understanding of music and a creative mind.

  9. Review by Rachel Gawell
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    Charles is a consummate guitarist and recording engineer. He’s easy to work with, good vibes, and I can always trust that my music is in good hands. When I need him to be creative he’s got great ideas and when I need him to color inside the lines he’s an expert technician.

  10. Review by John Gallagher
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    by John Gallagher

    Charles mixed an indie rock LP for me. He was incredibly easy to work with, responsive, efficient, and patient with my requests. He really worked to understand and produce the exact sound I was looking for in the mixes. I'd highly recommend Charles to alternative/indie artists!

  11. Review by Sian Ricketts
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    by Sian Ricketts

    Charles audio/video recorded several videos for my medieval chamber ensemble (Alkemie). He was extremely prepared, professional, and a delight to work with in the session, and all of us were thrilled by what he achieved. We are deeply looking forward to working with him on our first studio recording. I can't recommend him highly enough!

  12. Review by Max B
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    by Max B

    Charles recorded my first 4-song EP this year and I would recommend him to anybody in need of an audio professional. In a number of ways, Charles delivers the expertise, access, and confidence of a professional recording studio while also being fun and friendly to collaborate with. Like a great therapist, he is skilled at tactically showing you novel ways to view your artistic vision without overriding your judgment. There is no doubt he will bring your music to the next level.

  13. Review by Aaron Messing
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    by Aaron Messing

    Charles recently recorded and mixed a four-song EP for my band, which consists of brass instruments, synths, guitars, drums, vocals, upright pianos, and all manner of electronics. In spite of this cacophony, Charles was supremely communicative, timely, and patient and served as a fount of information for any technical or musical question I had throughout the process. His background both as a highly trained musician and as a professional engineer shone through his work and the final product was very literally better than I could have imagined. Couldn't recommend enough.

  14. Review by Elisa Sutherland
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    by Elisa Sutherland

    Charles recorded my vocal ensemble (Variant 6)'s debut album. Before the session, he had a long talk with us about what we wanted the record to sound like - vibe, space, closeness, all things we wouldn't have been able to put into words, but which were integral. During the session, he was quick and professional, very easy to work with, and made us all feel comfortable and able to do our best work. The post-production work he did for us (editing, mixing) was fantastic - we were so pleased with how it turned out! It sounded exactly like we wanted it to sound. Heartily recommend.

Interview with Charles Mueller

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

  2. A: Totally depends on the project... but for my own music, I usually start with an idea on a guitar or a keyboard, let it marinate for a day or two, and then try to figure out what sort of "vibe" I want it to have - in other words, which artist I want to rip off. By then, I have a pretty clear idea of what other sorts of parts I may add, so I just start recording and eventually something materializes that I either love or hate.

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

  4. A: My drumming...

  5. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  6. A: I like digital recording. I'm young enough that by the time I was interning, pretty much every studio in town was primarily recording in Pro Tools. I've experimented a lot with analog recording, and I've engineered some really fun sessions on tape, but I'm definitely more comfortable (as an engineer) with Pro Tools. And the unfortunately reality is that for a lot of sessions, time and budget are major factors, so even if the artist wants the "tape sound," it's often not practical. For my own projects, I do record on tape if possible because I don't have to pay myself for the extra time and I use my own reels :) Convenience of digital recording aside, I try to work as if I won't have the opportunity to endlessly tweak things in Pro Tools. I commit to sounds as much as possible on the way in, so that when it comes time to mix, it's mostly a matter of fine-balancing things and maybe adding some reverb, etc.

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

  8. A: My Fender Mustang bass, Juno-6, a good preamp with a DI, a ribbon mic, and a tape recorder.

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

  10. A: There are no rules in production, but always double track your acoustic guitars

  11. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  12. A: I mainly work out of my home studio in Brooklyn, NY (check out my website for photos). I have a pro tools setup based around a Universal Audio Apollo system and Focal monitors. I've built up a collection of extremely well-maintained vintage instruments and I have a solid mic locker for recording them, so I can offer some really interesting and unique production. Some instrument highlights include a 1968 Harmony Sovereign acoustic guitar, a 1975 Fender Mustang bass, a mid-1970's Crumar Orchestrator, a 1976 Rhodes MkII, and a 1982 Roland Juno-6.

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

  14. A: Steve Albini, John Congleton, Nigel Godrich, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Sylvia Massey, Kevin Parker, Flying Lotus, St. Vincent, Dave Longstreth, Lana Del Rey

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

  16. A: Indie rock/pop, jazz, film scores, and classical/experimental

  17. Q: How would you describe your style?

  18. A: Organic, detailed, vibey

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

  20. A: Recording, mixing, and production.

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She Went to Santa Fe by lakewhales

I was the songwriter, producer, engineer, guitarist and bassist in this production

GenresSounds Like
  • Tame Impala
  • Radiohead
  • Beck
Gear Highlights
  • API
  • AEA
  • Avedis
  • Sphere
  • Heritage Audio
  • Daking
  • Soyuz
  • Lynx
  • Hairball
  • Iron Age Audio
  • Roland
  • Moog
  • Ampeg
  • Fender
  • Gibson
  • Earthquaker Devices
  • Walrus Audio
More Photos
  • Chicago electronic/noise band Aerial Drones releases full-length album, mastered by Charles MuellerMar 30, 2016

    Download/purchase here:
    https://aerialdrones.bandcamp.com/releases