Chris Whiting on SoundBetter

I’m here to help you achieve your goals with radio-ready pop hits.

If you are looking at increasing your audience with songs that get heard and shared then you need to a team that has the knowledge and skills to satisfy that audience. It's about knowing what the audience wants and expects; what special qualities you, the artist, have; and bringing these together in the track.

I am passionate about pop music; addictive hooks and grooves are my bread and butter. I have written, produced and mixed tracks for pop, urban, folk, and singer-songwriter artists over 10 years. I have performed internationally and collaborated with artists across the world. Further to this, I have a Masters in Songwriting and am currently finishing my PhD researching the practice of songwriting for popular music markets. Along with 8 years experience as a lecturer in popular music, which saw me designing modules and foundation degrees in commercial songwriting. My students have also played internationally and had their songs on national radio and curated playlists

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4 Reviews

Endorse Chris Whiting

by Elinne
Verified (Client)
This was a great project. Chris was very professional, easy to work with, communicative and clear about what he wanted. Would highly recommend!
by Carys John
Since meeting Chris at his evening lyrics course/studying on the degree he wrote, my creativity has soared. For someone so creative & talented to push, believe & inspire other writers is something special. I have collaborated with Chris 3 times, each time has been better than the last. I write top-line to the incredible tracks he produces, & we communicate via email/voice notes while I'm down South. He's thoughtful, with an eye to incredible detail and has an interest in his collaborators every thought process about each song. A real talent and pleasure to work with.
by Karen Ross
I recently asked Chris to compose the soundtrack for a short film I made about older women and sport as part of a larger programme of activities around International Women’s Day 2018. I gave him some ideas about the style I was looking for and he just ‘got it’ straightaway and did a brilliant job.
by Zsofia Szucs
Fun, focused and innovative! His diversity to write and produce in different genres in such a unique way really helped me to push my creativity and skill sets to this next level! It is just a bloody joy to work with him.

Interview with Chris Whiting

Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I have a number of tracks in various states of writing and recording with various artists, as well as writing up my PhD thesis on songwriting.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital because analog is an overrated fetish for people who want to show off. I want to make great music.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I will not only take your song to the next level but I will help you to hone your skills to the next level also. I'm not about operating as a mystical black box, I'm here to support you in growing to be the artist you want to be.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Working with cool, inspiring, creative people who are all about helping one another on their individual roads to success.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What are your long term aims and short term goals?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Know exactly what it is you want to get out of your project, both long term aims and short term goals. You need to make these explicit when bringing new people, such as myself, into your team, otherwise we could all be pulling in different directions.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started off 15 years ago as an in-house guitarist for a little studio mostly working with hip-hop and trip-hop artists. From there I took an interest in engineering and production, and developed my skills with software to compose and produce my own music. I played guitar and wrote for a number of bands in various genres (pop, pop-punk, folk, jazz) but more recently have settled into focusing on making straight up pop music.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Unashamed pop
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Exploit the hooks
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I try to focus my efforts towards feel good pop tunes with good grooves and bouncing bass lines, although I do enjoy the occasional softer electro-pop or singer-songwriter project.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Developing the arrangement and production of demos into commercially viable products.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: A sensitive and holistic appreciation and vision. I bring the audience into the studio and create songs that connect them to the artist.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Every project starts with a long conversation with the artist. We need to connect and trust each other, we both need to know what they hope to achieve with the song and that we are the right team to reach this goal together. I honestly believe getting the vocals in as soon as possible, especially the hooks. Whether writing with the artist or from the artist's sketches, my process is to make this the center of the listener's attention. From here I will build the arrangement and production around that vocal line. I will always outsource mastering and sometimes mixing to ensure the highest quality and a quick turn around on all projects.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I do most of my work in my project studio set up; Hackintosh running Logic Pro X (always up to date), keyboard and other devices, and a small pair of Genelecs. I try to spend the majority of my time creating the music and not tinkering with engineering (hence the small set up). For mixing and mastering, I hire a local studio with superior acoustics.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: The do, CSS, Max Martin, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Calvin Harris, Daft Punk, Julia Michaels, Estelle Williams, Diane Warren and so so many others
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Either working on a track from the absolute beginning or taking an artist song and transforming it into a full production.