Derek Allen on SoundBetter

Independent musician with a leaning towards the experimental. Seasoned in recording, producing, session work and vocals.

Professional musician and educator in the Chicago land area. 20 years playing guitar, 15 years experience recording and mixing, and 8 years of touring. BFA in Sound from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I specialize in constructing songs and intricate parts. See my examples for writing, playing and engineering samples.

Would love to hear from you. Click the contact button above to get in touch.

Credits

Reviews

Endorse Derek Allen

Interview with Derek Allen

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I produced and engineered the last Angry Blackmen Album (The Legend of ABM). It was an incredibly fun process and we all pushed each other to get the best end result.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: Growing up, I started engineering because no one else in my bands would do it. Eventually I caught the bug for it and began obsessively studying production. For over a decade I've been engineering for other people and my own musical projects.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I work on all kinds, but I love writing anything electronic and mixing all kinds of music.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use Logic Pro X and Ableton with professional plugins running through a Motu 1248 and Yamaha monitors in a treated room. I have analog, digital and modular synths as well as many effects pedals.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Most of my work is engineering - mixing or mastering, producing beats, and songwriting.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise that you will be satisfied with my work. I will revise it until it's right.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I think I bring finesse as I tend to focus on the smaller, finer details.