'Icing on cake' sound magic

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: With all shows cancelled until July I finally have the time to practise, work on my DAW skills and write and record music for myself and others.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: If you need great lyrics from scratch or someone to turn an existing idea into gold then hit up Arron Storey. He’s very friendly and professional, has a quick turn around and really knows his stuff.

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

A: I always go the whole way and put in extra work, not only when I really dig a song. I don’t quit until my job is done properly and the client is absolutely happy with the result. My turnaround can be very fast now, with all my upcoming shows cancelled. I’m set up in my apartment and ready to go, so even next-day delivery is possible ;)

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: The more info I have, the better I can serve musically. Artists without big online representation can feel free to have a chat on the phone, send some demoes, a list of songs with a sound they’re after or even a reference piece of art. Anything that can inspire my part.

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

A: I’ve just finished recording strings for a track of the artist JPson. Apart from layering bowed strings, I’ve picked the violin with a plectrum, which gave it a banjo-ey sound and fit great to what the artist calls ‘psychedelic fresh folk’. The musical spectrum I work within is quite broad, but my skill is best applied to somewhere between acoustic pop/folk and jazzy house music.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually record a first draft whilst listening to the song the first time. That spontaneity sometimes makes for the best ideas. I keep layering instruments and ideas, then sort through the mayhem and properly record the parts I like. I’ll prepare the stems (naming it properly, cutting silence, doing fades etc.) before sending the bunch of dry WAVs your way.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: When recording strings I use a Lewitt 440 (with a more brilliant) and a Rode NT1 (with a warmer sound). Its great to have different Mic sounds when mixing. With really big arrangements I record a second violin to give it a more orchestral sounding vibe. The sound travels through a high quality Vovox cable through the beautiful UAD Apollo MK2 into Studio One 4.5 on my Macbook pro, where I edit the stems and send them your way.

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

A: For the most part I record violin solos, (disco) strings and full string arrangements, but I love adding different instrumentation to really spice up the track and make it stand out if the song calls for it. Find a list of all instruments I can add in the description above.