James Le Huray

Mixing & Mastering

James Le Huray on SoundBetter

Everything from clean country to rawkus rock & roll with a whole load of soul thrown in! My aim with every mix is to bring that excitement that you get from seeing a live band whilst keeping the space for everyone to be heard loud and clear.

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Interview with James Le Huray

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

  2. A: Right now I'm working with a couple of unsigned bands and a on project called 'Rock & Roll Time Machine'

  3. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  4. A: How much do you charge? I thought you were a folk guy? How long did that beard take to grow? It depends on the project, not exclusively and this long.

  5. Q: How would you describe your style?

  6. A: Despite working in the digital era I still take a very traditional 'tape' approach. If I'm recording a band I like to make it as live as possible so it sounds like a band and not just layers.

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

  8. A: If it's a mixing job then I'll listen to the stems a couple of times and find the parts of the song that really jump out at me and that's my starting point for a mix, then it's a case of making the mix as great as possible. If I'm producing a project then I like to go to see the band live first if possible so I can get a feel for what their sound is and see how they work. Normally there will be the a few discussions about which artists they like, how they want their material to sound and what the client is trying to achieve.

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

  10. A: Andy Wallace, George Martin, Butch Vig, Ross Robinson, Peter Gabriel, T Bone Burnett, GGGarth... The list is endless really!

  11. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  12. A: The only bit I don't like is cleaning up afterwards

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

  14. A: Nah, not going!

  15. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  16. A: Both have their pros and cons. Whatever works best.

  17. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  18. A: I'll never settle for 'that'll do'

  19. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  20. A: That I'm a purely folk guy. I play a lot of traditional folk stuff and got stuck with that label for a bit, but the truth is I love working on all styles of music, it's all great.

  21. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  22. A: What do YOU want out of the project?

  23. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  24. A: Never be afraid to ask questions, I'm an easygoing guy and I'll happily discuss anything.

  25. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  26. A: I've started playing in the early 90s, then I quit my day job to be a touring musician back in 2004. After that I went to university to study performance and production which was when I discovered my love of mixing and production. Since then I've been trying to work with as many different artists as I can.

  27. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  28. A: Robert J Hunter's Songs For the Weary album was the first time I actively 'produced' a project rather than just engineering and mixing it; it was a real eye opener, but a great one. The lead single from that album went straight in at number one on the iTunes blues chart which was a really special moment, and one that can never be taken away.

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

  30. A: Listen to as much as possible, even if it's not your bag, everything has mileage.

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

  32. A: Anything, I don't like to stick to a particular genre

  33. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  34. A: I'm a good listener with an ear for detail.

  35. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  36. A: I might make the odd suggestion here and there but I never try to get involved with the actual writing or structure of the songs, it's not my place to. So I guess what I bring to the song is honesty, I work with what I have available and try to make that as good as it can be.

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

  38. A: Mainly stem mixing, but I have worked as the producer on several recordings too.

More Photos
  • Spotify Playlist UpdatedOct 13, 2020

    I have just updated my mixes playlist, please take a listen

    https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3WV5epQjQ3uyARTdEF3Z6P?si=SqYi0iBwT9qSxd9KU1DkVA