Paul Edwards on SoundBetter

As a composer, songwriter and producer I can take your track from the initial starting point through to the completed and finished piece of music. Whether it be a melody idea or a few catchy lyrics I will guide you though the songwriting process through to recording and mixing so its ready to be mastered.

I offer a range of services. Contact Me.

I offer guidance for writing lyrics and structuring them into a song which has chord progressions and dynamics. I can write and record you an acoustic style songwriter track or as a beat maker I can build you a beat with accompaniment instruments for any other style of song.

If you have a film, with my orchestral background and knowledge I can write for you a film score. I can write purely orchestral but also hybrid Edm film trailer styles.

As part of the mix process I use industry standard plugins, vst instruments and samples including Waves, Izotope, SoundToys, East West, and Spitfire Audio.

With 25 years experience I am a very versatile guitar player and I can play and record a variety of styles from classical to acoustic to pop to rock to heavy metal etc.....

Additional services:

I offer audio editing/ pre-production for projects including time alignment, phase adjustment, or vocal tuning.

I also offer a remix service for anyone who has recorded their music themselves but would like the song to be mixed to the next level.

Gear Highlights include:
Presonus 1818VSL, Art Tube Opto 8, Adam A5X Speakers, Focal Spirit Professional Headphones, Studio One 3 Professional, Avantone Mixcube, Peavey 6505+, Les Paul Studio, Martin Mini Jumbo, Cornford Roadhouse, laney IronHeart.

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

10 Reviews

Endorse Paul Edwards

by PAUL REES
Paul is an amazingly talented individual. I went to Paul to have a professional jingle produced for my weekly international radio show. I had no idea as to what I wanted. In just a few hours he pieced it together and waw. The feedback I get from my listeners is just amazing, so many say they keep signing my jingle all day long, 10/10 to Paul, and a huge thank you from all the team at Accolade Executive Business Coaching
by Ian Janco
Working with Paul is easy and enjoyable. His musical ability and ear make him a great collaborator for any project. On top of that he’s a lovely guy and I’d quickly recommend him to anyone looking for top-notch productions.
by Christian Mountney
I've written with Paul and found him and absolute joy to be with, bringing much inspiration and talent to the table. A very creative chap!
by Mr Andrew Oleary
I've used Paul for a number of films where I need a specific sound track for a production. He is extremely knowledgable, musically talented and always in-tune* towards my needs.(*excuse the pun). If I need music composed, Paul is the only person in my address book.
by Johanne Levy
Paul is a joy to work with. Not only is he an incredibly nice guy, he is also an excellent musician, a fabulous guitarist and a superb vocalist. He has great ideas and is generous in his approach, putting you at ease and allowing the session to progress in the most creative way, backed by sound knowledge, hard work and a genuine love of what he does.
by Amanda Kirk
Paul did an amazing job on our companies Jingle, nothing was too much for him. Highly recommended, always professional, friendly and very helpful. His jingle is on our home page www.mulligancommunity.org it speaks for its self. Thank you Paul ..
by Andrew Finucane
Paul is a true professional of his trade. He works hard to achieve the best results. Paul's has a real passion for music & songwriting which certainly boosts your own energy levels.
by Mark McMurtrie
Paul and I have worked on and off for a year and a half now, professional from the minute we met. He's an incredible talent on the guitar, and a forward thinking producer, there is never a dull moment in the studio with Paul, as he's always thinking, laughing or playing.

I've used him for a session guitarist, mixing engineer all the way up to Producer, Paul has many different hats and they all suit him to a t.
by Jon Fletcher
Paul is a great writer to work with, a brilliant musician who's full of ideas but equally importantly, his easy-going attitude and flexible skillset means he's great to work with and he can bring exactly what's needed into any project or collaboration.
by Tim Spencer
Paul is an amazing songwriter and mix engineer. Had the honour of working with him a couple of times and just brilliant at what he does. Would highly recommend.

Interview with Paul Edwards

Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Don't use the solo button to sculpt a sound.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: These days I mostly work on Pop music. However previous briefs this year have included solo Classical Guitar perfomance, Indie rock, and Country.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is playing the guitar. I have performed in various ensembles from being a solo singer songwriter to playing in a pop band, to a rock band, to a heavy metal band, also jazz band and orchestra. My chord and scale knowledge means that I am very good at arrangement and chord voicings so I can work in a variety of Keys and Modes.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring originality. To a certain extent we need to conform to the sounds that people expect to hear but I like to bring in sophistated details such as chord voicings or lyrics that make my productions unique. I am very experienced guitarist and I can play most styles of music, electric or acoustic. I have a very solid technique.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: It depends on the brief. If I am songwriting for an acoustic song I will work away from the computer to find chords and lyrics which work well together. If I am working as a Beat Maker I will work directly on the computer composing Beat and Instrumental parts using virtual instruments. Sometimes an instrumental song above requires live guitars to be recorded so I will play along to the song until I find a rhythm/chord progression I am happy with and then record it. Before starting a piece of music I will listen to reference tracks as suggested by the client to get the tone/vibe/style into my mindset. I will then start writing. I will go through my sound banks and virtual instrumenst to find sounds which I think work and then I block out the musical ideas. Blocking out means playing or recording a rough idea to get the initial foundation started. It may not be the final sound/notes/chords but as the song developes I will return to different sections and fine tune them over the duration of the day. At the end of the day I will have an instrumental piece. This could have been written to follow agreed vocals or it could be a blank slate ready for a topline. Next the vocals are recorded by myself or remotely. Parts are edited, tuned and time aligned and then once I have all the elements I then mix the song. I start with the drums and the bass and then mix in context (everything together ) but focus on various instrument groups in hierarchy of importance. Typically I do repeat passes developing the level of complexity but maintaining balance in the mix and the order roughly follows: Starting in mono and gradually moving to stereo as the effects below are applied: Faders Eq Reverb Compression Distortion Panning Ducking Automation
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use Studio One 3 Professional enhanced with Plugins and Virtual Instruments from Splice, Composer Cloud, Noiiz, Looploft, Waves, Izotope, and SoundToys. I mix in the box (On the Computer) but I still have the function of recording and working with live instruments and some outboard. My Adam A5X speakers are the latest addition to my studio. They are fantastic to work with and they reveal every detail.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: James Arthur because I think he has an amazing voice.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital because you can use as many versions of an analogue emulation as you need to scuplt your work. Digital emulations are very good these days.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been playing the guitar since the age of 11. I'm now 36. In school I joined the orchestra and choir and learned to play the French Horn to Grade 8 with which I performed in the district Sympony Orchestra. As a teenager, I played the guitar in a variety of bands and started songwriting, recording and learning about writing midi notation. When I first went to University I studied film studies and Animation which helps my understanding when composing music for film. In 2006 I retrained to become a Music Teacher. It was success in the Composition and Music Production modules which started me thinking more seriously about becoming a music producer. I continued writing and production through my employment as a teacher and decided to stop teaching and fully commit myself to being a music professional in 2015. In the last three years I have been recording local bands and choirs and writing music for various music libraries and last year I signed to a songwriting agency where I produce music pitched to Professional Artists.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Guitar based Pop
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Composing a corporate piece of music for a local Autistic Charity. This film highlights a great cause. I wrote some soundtrack music to accompany the film .
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: A song for Aston Merrygold.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I'll get you a great sounding song that will be the best it can be.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: As each project comes together you get a buzz. Its exciting to hear every piece of music develop.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: They say "I only need half an hour". I inform them as to the time required to achieve the best sound for their money.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: People think the process is easy and that it doesn’t take the time required to sculpt a finished work.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What are you hoping to accomplish with this song? What do you like abut this song? What don’t you like about this song? List me three song references and tell me why you like them
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Ask lots of questions and communicate all your thoughts.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Martin Acoustic, Laptop, Presonus audiobox, Adam Ax 5, Blue mic.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Ed Sheeran, Justin Timberlake, James Arthur, Beyonce, Katy Perry Ian Wallman, Matty Benbrook, Iain Archer, Talvin Singh, Calvin Harris, Galantis,James Sanger, Greg Wells
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Typically I write and mix productions. It could be a Pop Song or it could be Soundtrack Music or Orchestral Trailer Music. As a songwriter I will assist with lyrics and song structure but also choosing appropriate keys and chords progressions.