Pearl on SoundBetter

As a female working in the music industry for 15+ years, I want to represent your project with that unique perspective I bring to the intuitive process of creating music. My passion is to ensure that I provide services to a diverse client base, working within every budget to create content that will fulfill and prioritize YOUR personal vision.

I am a Los-Angeles based (with remote studio capabilities) Producer, Singer, Songwriter, Mix Engineer, and Sound Designer. I hold a B.A. in Electronic Production & Sound Design | Berklee College of Music | 2012 and many years of experience in music:

* 25+ years of Piano, Vocals, and Songwriting
* 10+ years of Music Production & Sound Design
* 3+ years of Private Instruction (Piano, Vocals, Abelton Live, Music Theory, Songwriting)

With a truly distinctive vocal and my own home studio for recording vocals, I can send you a unique and professional studio quality recording for that perfect top-line you know will finally complete your latest hit track!

I've also been producing tracks for independent artists for the past decade in a few genres, most notably: singer/songwriter, indie pop, hip-hop, electronic, alternative, and rock; and am always open to experimenting with new styles.

I'm new to SoundBetter and looking to make some new clients incredibly happy so lets start your project today and see what we can make together!

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

Languages

English

4 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client

Endorse Pearl

by Danielle C.
Verified
Melissa is really knowledgable about all of the different aspects of music production, and is able to break down the information so that it is easy to understand. If you are having trouble learning anything specific, Melissa is your gal! She has a great ear and is fantastic at helping you find the sounds missing from your song, and can really help make it sparkle.
by Samantha
I can not sing Melissa's praises enough. She has coached me on both vocal technique and production after initially, providing piano lessons to me. She truly listens to your vision, offers meaningful insight and suggestion, and can put together any and everything you could dream of. Her expertise goes unmatched in my book. She has brought so much of my music and many of my ideas to life. Highly, highly recommend.
by Chelsea Brown
Working with Melissa was a dream. I had a song I wasn't happy with and she totally changed that around. She listened to my concerns, remixed it, offered advice for the structure/production and even had some cool ideas for synth that she added. Her knowledge of sound design, production, songwriting, and just music in general is a well of resource and inspiration. Highly recommend!
by Sebastian Corbascio
Finding someone to work with like Melissa is rare even in this city of hopefuls. Her work, her attitude, her APTITUDE are gems. She spreads sunshine, and just don't take my work for it. Work with her, and see.

Interview with Pearl

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I am very frequently in the role of composer, producer and arranger, with a special concentration on sound design, specifically textural elements. I blend the separate sounds using mix techniques to sculpt and mold the mood of a song; creating an emotionally provocative and often eerie sound bed perfect for music publishing and sync licensing. As a Berklee trained vocalist, I am efficiently capturing a nearly pitch perfect and truly emotional and unique raw female vocal for projects requiring, jazz, rock, indie, folk, country, blues and even hip hop stylization.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Hugo Nicholson! He's amazing! He's worked with all of my favourite artists and has an ear that you would want on your mixing or mastering project, or in any capacity. He is also going to be very straight forward and fearlessly give you his expert opinion. You can trust him.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: My journey to music has been a long and winding road apocryphally beginning in a small town in Northern New York; apparently I mimicked my Mom playing Fur Elise on the piano when still just a toddler. My first attempts at songwriting while still in middle school propelled me to Berklee College of Music's six week Summer Performance Program at the age of 15 where I was immersed in an overwhelming, but eye-opening semester of music and theory. After graduating High School, I paused my career to explore more "practical" pursuits and achieved a B.A. in Art History and Library Science. The siren's call of music making brought me back to Berklee in my late 20s and I started all over as a freshman in the Electronic Production & Sound Design department with Voice as my principal instrument. In 2015, I left the East Coast and relocated to Los Angeles. Since moving here I have built up my network of talented musician, engineer, producer friends and began offering to produce friends' tracks until new clients started to find me by word of mouth. I found joy in teaching music, as well, so I have been giving private instruction in piano, voice, and music production for the past two years in the LA area and now online! My band, Pearl & The Prayers has been active since 2018 and has received interest from major label artists, A&R, and management. We will be releasing our first record this year and touring (hopefully!) in the Fall.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Bjork's raw and gritty vocal supported by her wonky, off-kilter beats, resonates with my desire to create a visceral emotional response from my audience. Thom Yorke, Radiohead and Nigel Godrich continue to inspire me as year after year I return to their records and consistently hear the sonic bath I try to create in my own music. Their chord progressions, productions, and sound design are usually in the forefront of my mind when I'm making things. Beck as well. His relentless drive to push the envelope, his mastery of the pop collage, and he's always working with so many talented artists and tapping into this wide array of genres whilst always maintaining the inherent Beck-ness of his sound. Genius.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm finishing producing my first record with my band, Pearl & The Prayers, from home and truly enjoying private teaching in voice, piano and music production in an online format now that the world has changed...
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Analog when you can get your hands on it. Digital because, now, it's pretty damn close to analog so I stopped being pretentious...but my heart is still an intellectual elitist...so...Analog?
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Due to recent events, I am currently working out of my living room in the Westlake North area of Downtown Los Angeles. I have built a small home studio here and enjoy working primarily on composing, producing, and arranging for clients. I used to jump back and forth between Pro Tools and other DAWs, but recently I have taken the leap and am in a monogamous relationship with Abelton Live. I have a few toys for generating fun and interesting sounds - a mikroKorg xL, and a Korg Kaoss pad being among my favourites. I have some standard studio mics and an AKG 414 XLS for my own vocal. I'm using Native Instruments plug ins and MAX/MSP for sound design.