Jake Skinner on SoundBetter

Clients include Sam Ryder, Warner Music, and Nigel Kennedy. My work has received regular airplay on major radio stations including BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio X, and BBC Introducing. I am co-owner of Brighton Road Recording Studios and am available for remote mixing and production, as well as full recording projects at Brighton Road.

As with many audio folk, I started out as a musician playing in bands before making the decision to focus on developing my skills and career in the studio world.

I have been recording, mixing, and producing full-time for over a decade now, predominantly from Brighton Road Recording Studios, which opened in 2015.

I have worked with hundreds of bands and artists to date across a wide range of genres both in the studio and remotely, and I love nothing more than helping ambitious musicians realise or exceed their sonic vision.

I view recording, mixing, and music production as a collaborative process and I pride myself on having great communication with my clients throughout to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible and everyone is over the moon with the end result.

Check out some of my previous work and please get in touch if you'd like to have a chat about working together.

Send me an email through 'Contact' button above and I'll get back to you asap.

Credits

15 Reviews

Endorse Jake Skinner

by Nathan
My band Scatterguns hugely benefited from hiring this outstanding producer. He was able to achieve anything we asked of him with the highest of standards, had the perfect amount of input and honestly made two days of recording at Brighton Road studio’s just a blast. We were so chuffed with the EP that we shall be returning for the next set of recordings - without a shadow of doubt!

Brilliant recording engineer/producer and sound guy, a real pleasure to work with!
by Francesca Morris
Jake is SUCH a fantastic producer and engineer. I have worked with him many times and what I enjoy so much about the recording sessions is that he can listen and translate your ideas into reality so effortlessly. He knows exactly what you mean and always comes up with exactly the right sounds/effects etc. Not only that, he has added a lot of colour to my songs by contributing amazing ideas of his own! He makes them sound better than I could imagine. Also just really chilled out and lovely to work with! 😊
by John Seaton
Great experience working with Jake at Brighton Road- professional with communication, is always open to ideas as well as great creative suggestions and input, plus has a wealth of experience and equipment to give your music the sound it deserves
by Zora Dryadic
Jakes an awesome professional to work with all round. He's patient talented relaxed and insightful and really listens to the music at a deep level. His advice and suggestions around production and arrangement are well thought out and the sound he gets both midi and live is superb. People always comment on the production quality of my recordings with him. Top notch professional.
by Matthew Vella
Highly recommended. Very patient and always exceeds expectation. Big, heavy and punchy sound, he always manages to take the recordings to the next level. A joy to work with.
by Jon Willoughby
Jake is a great mix engineer to work with. His mixes sound great, and he’s very professional and easy to work with. He has the ability to make my tracks sound so much better than I could manage myself. Definitely recommended!
by Stephen Brook
Jake engineered and mixed the Young Sahara debut EP which turned out extremely well. He made the recording process easy and enjoyable, plus the mix he delivered greatly surpassed our expectations. Great studio space too!
by Lloyd
Jake came highly recommended throughout Brighton, after much searching to find the right engineer, he was clearly the guy. My band Cactuses, recorded an entire album with him...we couldn't have been more pleased he really listened to us and our ideas on how we wanted to sound. We were potentially quite difficult amnd picky about how it would be mixed, as we were looking for a specific sound.. but Jake took it all in his stride and exceeded our expectations of how it could sound. He's a gifted engineer and a thoroughly nice chap, a joy to work with. We'll be going back to him again.
by Conor Atkinson
Jake is a fantastic engineer who produced my band, Scatterguns’ debut EP. He completely understood from the word go the kind of sound we were shooting for and nailed it in the final product, leaving everyone involved totally satisfied with what we had. Throughout the recording process he provided plenty of helpful and insightful contributions that absolutely elevated the music. I’m pleased to say we’ll be recording with him again in the future once things have calmed down with the pandemic. Myself, and the rest of the band, would highly recommend him for any projects you may be working on.
by Vern Asbury
I've had the pleasure of working with Jake for a few years now. He mixed my band's album 'Young Sahara' in addition to doing a fantastic job of engineering it. He's super pro in his knowledge and approach and a very easy to get on with dude! I continue to work with Jake on a current project, as well as many more down the line, I'm sure. Couldn't rate Jake highly enough.

Vern Asbury
(Session guitarist for: Lewis Capaldi, Celeste, Paloma Faith, Rita Ora, Olly Murs, Niall Horan, JC Stewart, Anne-Marie, One Direction)
by Jason Lake
I worked with Jake on my latest album in early 2020. Jake when above and beyond to help make the record something really special. Not only does Jake offer a professional experience from start to finish, he also has years of knowledge built up whilst doing something he loves. When recording music, he knows his equipment well, quickly finding what and how to get the sound you're looking for. When editing, Jake is brilliant at adding those finishing touches and problem solving.

Jake has been working in this industry for a long time and is fantastic at what he does. This is your guy!
by Dean Ormsby
Jake did a beyond fantastic job of both recording and mixing a single for us. His approach in the studio is both personal and professional, he didn’t just use a setup that he knows, but took the time to check out our music and talk to us about the sound that we were going for. His input on the production had a definite impact on the final arrangement and recording overall. The mix process was outstanding, with Jake sculpting a sound that was exactly what we had envisioned for the track and involving us in the process. Can’t recommend him enough for any recording, mixing or production project.
by James Coleman
We worked with Jake on a full album recording and mixing . Jake was superb. Very patient and accommodating of our ideas and was able to make our mixes sound even better than we imagined. Jake is an excellent recording and mixing engineer with world class skills and top of the range equipment.
by Matthew summerfield
I had the pleasure of working with Jake a few years ago with my band, his knowledge and expertise in mixing is amazing, he was able to understand exactly what we wanted and give us the sound that we worked so hard to achieve. I highly recommend him and will definitely be using his services on future projects.
by Elliot Young
I've had the pleasure of working with Jake on multiple occasions both as a client and a student. His intuition is always spot on and he somehow manages to perfectly translate the artists vision into a single stero track. So if you're looking for an amazing enginner with impeccable ears, great equipment and impressive turnover speed, look no further.

Interview with Jake Skinner

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: 'Mixing is just turning things up or down.' Although this does play a large role in mixing, there is so much more at play! I see mixing as similar to painting - you are making sure each sound plays it's part and shines at the right moments and you use a variety of tools or colours in your palette to make this happen.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What is your sonic vision for your music? What artists inspire you and what records do you love the sound of? It is very important to me to make sure we are on the same page before I take on a mixing job. If I don't feel like I am the right fit for you I will say so, and I can often recommend someone else who may suit you better.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Make sure the person you hire is the right fit for you and your music. Don't be afraid to ask questions and try to build a relationship first. The right person will be more than happy to chat with you and help you make that decision without any pressure.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Energetic, clear, 'in your face'
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: I am a big fan of 'Top down mixing'. This involves starting by processing your mix bus and working your way back through your different instrument buses, and then processing your individual mic tracks last (but only if they need it - with this way of working often you need to process the individual tracks far less). I find this way of working allows you to see the bigger picture earlier on in the mixing process than the traditional method of working from your individual tracks upwards.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: With remote mixing my typical process goes as follows: 1) We have a chat about your vision for the song and discuss any ideas you have regarding the sound of specific instruments and the overall vibe you are trying to achieve. We discuss other songs in your genre that you like the sound of and you send me links to a few reference tracks. If you have a rough mix you have done yourself this is also useful as it gives me an indication of where you want things to sit in the mix in terms of balance and panning etc. 2) You send me the individual audio files for the song/songs via a file transfer service such as Dropbox or WeTransfer. 3) I create an initial mix of the song and send it to you 4) You provide your feedback and a concise list of any changes you would like me to make 5) I make the requested mix revisions and send an updated version of the mix. We repeat this process until you are 100% happy. 6) Once you are 100% happy I deliver the final mix as a 24 bit WAV file ready for mastering
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I have worked on all sorts of music throughout my career, but I especially enjoy mixing rock, indie, and folk.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Mixing drums! I am a drummer myself and I love creating huge punchy drum sounds
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Brighton Road Recording Studios is built inside a large converted barn in the Sussex countryside near Brighton. We have a large Live Room (awesome for recording drums and tracking whole bands playing together), a smaller Isolation Room, a large Control Room, and a Lounge/Kitchen area. The studio has high ceilings and natural light in all rooms apart from the Isolation Room. We have a huge collection of gear including Neve and API preamps, TL Audio VTC Console, microphones by Neumann, AKG, Coles, Shure, Beyerdynamic and many more, racks of outboard processing, several drum kits, guitar amps by Marshall, Mesa, Fender, Vox, a Bechstein upright piano, and a collection of guitars and other instruments. We also have a Hearback Monitoring System that allows each musician to control their own headphone mix, which is invaluable when recording together live.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Recording and mixing records for bands and solo artists at my studio. I also offer remote mixing services where you send me the audio files for your song along with some reference tracks that you like the sound of, and I mix them for you. I won't stop until you are 100% happy with the results!