Brud Giles - Fremont Recording - Mixing, Editing, Recording - Portland

I'm Brud Giles, a recording and mixing engineer with over 16 years of experience. I own and operate Fremont Recording in Portland, OR. since 2010. I take a balanced approach to mixing and always put the the song first. My favorite drummer is Ringo because he played for the song, likewise I mix for the song.

I love helping musicians achieve that elusive sound in their head.

I can produce you from the ground up or remotely mix something that you've already recorded.

My studio is located on an island near Portland, OR. It provides an escape from the typical distractions of the city and allows a focus on the performance and the creativity that is often missing.

It is a no control room design that affords greater communication and involvement between the musicians and myself and between them during sessions. Too many isolation rooms can hurt communication and the final product suffers. The aesthetic is essentially recording in your friend's mountain cabin and it just happens to have top notch equipment. It is relaxing, creative, sounds great and feels good just to be in.

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Credits

Discogs verified credits for Brud Giles

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Matty Charles & Katie Rose
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Ashley Henry (2)
Matty Charles & Katie Rose
Raymond Richards
Jarrod Lawson
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Raymond Richards
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11 Reviews - 2 Repeat Clients

Endorse Brud Giles - Fremont Recording

by MacKenzie K.
Verified
I’ve worked with Brud on multiple projects now. He is experienced, professional, and timely. His ability to understand what I’m looking for on a song, and deliver it perfectly, astounds me every time. Couldn’t recommend him enough. It’s always a joy to work with him, and I can’t wait for future projects with him!
by Brian L.
Verified
Loved working with Brud! Easy communication, great results, and zero stress. Would 100% work with Brud again in the future.
by Tia Monique
Verified
Brud did a great job with mixing my song. He was able to take the notes I gave and use them to give me the quality I asked for. He was very communicative and asked the right questions so the job could be done to my satisfaction in a very reasonable amount of time. I really appreciate his work and his professionalism!
by Arcellus Sykes
Verified
Working with Brud at Fremont Recording is always relaxed, fun, and creative. Highly recommended!
by Laine D.
Verified
This is my second time working with Brud at Fremont Recording, and it was once again an excellent experience. Brud's thoroughness and attention to detail shine through in the mix he made for my song. He had great communication with me as well. I would jump at the chance to work with him again!
by Laine D.
Verified
Brud was awesome to work with! He mixed a 5 song e.p. for me and he elevated it to a whole new level of quality. He asked what sound I wanted to go for, took the time to listen to the reference songs I sent him, and delivered high quality, professional mixes ready for mastering. Great communication and very detail oriented. He was a joy to work with and I would absolutely work with him again.
by Aaron Mattison
Brud is the real deal, knows what he is doing and adds the right amount of himself into the projects he works with. 100% go for it. I have tracked multiple horns and made an album with him. it worked out well for us.
by Kyleen King
As a session musician, I’ve worked with Brud many times over the years and each time it happens, I know exactly what to expect - he is consistent, knowledgeable, communicative, creative and even-keeled. His finger is on the pulse of all aspects of the creative process - the egos/emotions, the songwriting/arranging process, the tech-y stuff...and he is great with all of them. I highly recommend Brud!
by User 1.
I just had Brud mix a song of mine that turned out fantastic, and I have worked with Brud in my capacity as a session drummer multiple times and can not say enough about how great the experiences have been. You can't go wrong hiring Brud to work on your next project!
by Matty charles
I have worked with Brud at Fremont Recording many times over the past 5 years. I trust his experience and no nonsense sensibility. He provides a great space to work in. He’s good at letting an artist do their thing however, he’s also helpful with a good suggestion when it’s called for. Fremont Recording is a great asset to Portland’s music community!
by Raymond Richards
Brud is one of the best engineers I’ve ever worked with, he has a command of every aspect of the recording process and always puts his clients at ease enabling them to do their best work.

Interview with Brud Giles - Fremont Recording

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: How much will it cost to record X songs? The answer: It depends....
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Be honest with yourself about the expectations.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: A great ribbon mic like the Coles 4038. A great cable. A tape machine. A songwriter and an acoustic guitar.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Detailed but organic. There is no one right way to do any of this. Analog or digital. All live or individual performances. It all depends on the people involved, the results wanted and time/budget. It's a new puzzle every time and my job is to have to tools to solves that puzzle regardless of the pieces involved while not getting in the way.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Chris Thile. He can do it perfectly in a live setting. He and the musicians he brings to the table are capable of bringing the good stuff without all the complications of overdubs, phones and edits.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Multi-tasking. When tape is rolling I hear everything. Turn off the screen (or switch to the mix view) and don't get caught up in those damn waveforms. Just listen.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I'm a huge fan of pre-production. Sooooooo many problems can be avoided with even a little preparation ahead of time. When it comes to tracking I like to get everyone comfortable in the environment, get sounds, set headphones and stay organized. A cluttered session can lead to problems, accidents and slow downs. While tracking I like to hit each song a few times but don't dwell too long. The 1st has great energy but some errors. The 2nd still has great energy but more precise. The 3rd is typically a golden blend of energy and accuracy. After that you get diminishing returns and it's time to move on and perhaps come back to it later in the session.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My studio is located on an island near Portland, OR. It provides an escape from the typical distractions of the city and allows a focus on the performance and the creativity that is often missing. It is a no control room design that affords greater communication and involvement between the musicians and myself and between them during sessions. Too many isolation rooms can hurt communication and the final product suffers. The aesthetic is essentially recording in your friend's mountain cabin and it just happens to have top notch equipment. It is relaxing, creative, sounds great and feels good just to be in.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: The creativity and the people.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Matty Charles and Katie Rose - Chasing Arrows. The acoustic guitar and both vocals are on one mic live to tape. No edits. No headphones. It's the shit. I recorded and mixed it.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I have a live to 2" 16-track analog tape session tomorrow. All up. Amps in the room and no headphones. Embrace the bleed!
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Jeffrey Anthony on drums!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Easy. Digital for the editing and the full recall. Analog for the way it forces a band to work as a unit.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise I will do my best.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That it's just balancing loudness levels.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: For mixing a song I didn't record... can you provide some reference materials for sounds and direction? It's much easier to point to an example than describe a sound.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started recording when I was in a band and we kept forgetting cool song ideas we'd come up with at rehearsal. "We'll never forget THAT!"... and we always did. I bought a Fostex MR8 (back in the day) and immediately became more interested in my recording than in the band. ;-)
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Prepare. Define the roles that everyone will play. Know who is calling the shots. Rehearse rehearse rehearse. Then rehearse some more. The studio is about execution and capturing the best, definitive version of the song. If you are not prepared or begin in-fighting a whole lot of nothing will get accomplished.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Americana, singer-songwriter, jazz, folk, bluegrass, pop rock.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I help people know when NOT to play. Stay the hell out of the way of the lyric and attempt to perform what you feel. Sometimes you can play an emotion. Other times you can answer or support a lyric musically.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Lately I've been more and more a fan of less is more. I love when a band records together and ideally in the same room. When a band moves as a unit, rather than splitting up every task, you get better results. And it's more fun! Obviously, I'm a big fan of The Beatles. Paul Simon also comes to mind. I really enjoy production that sounds deceptively simple. It's fun when is sounds basic but when you really listen you hear layer upon layer to achieve growth as the song plays out.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I run a full recording studio so it is often the entire project from pre-production, through recording, mixing and then it gets sent to mastering.