Justin Kollars on SoundBetter

I help artist effectively navigate the multiple stages of music production necessary to get their songs fully finished and proudly released.

Justin Kollars, previously known as "The Shed Productions" studios in Gettysburg Pennsylvania, now works as a freelance producer in Nashville Tennessee, offering music production and mixing services.

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Credits

11 Reviews

Endorse Justin Kollars

by Rebkeah Foster
Justin has a patient and calm spirit about him that makes you feel immediately comfortable and at ease in his presence. His excitement for the process of creative collaboration is contagious, and his attention to detail is steady and precise. He also prioritizes the needs and visions of each and every one of his clients, so you can rest assured that your project is in good hands.
I’ve worked with Justin many times over the years and I can honestly say his work is awesome!
by Anne
My band TxBxDx has recorded all 3 of our ep’s so far with Justin, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. He respects our sound and direction, but he has also contributed to the final products in creative and constructive ways. He’s professional, communicates clearly and promptly, and is fun to work with.
by Victoria Z.
Finding the right producer that will record and mix your original music how YOU want it to sound is rare. Justin takes the time to attentively listen and develop a plan. He is a multi-instrumentalist himself, so he knows what to do. He can produce the simplest of songs to the most complex! He is extremely hospitable. I drove a few hours to record with him and he made me feel right at home. He helped me coordinate housing, find fun things to do in the area, and even set up a jam session with some other local musicians! The trip was definitely worth every penny.
by Ben Morris
Justin is knowledgeable with a good ear for music. He creates a really comfortable atmosphere that makes the recording process much easier. He's also a real good dude.
by Jacob Lewis
I’ve been very impressed with Justin’s production techniques and look forward to working with him!
by Jeff Colby
Justin's use of his space is in all ways efficient, aesthetically pleasing, inspiring, and comfortable. He is just as eager as his clients to get exactly the right sound--every instrument, every track. He is attentive and focused through the whole session. Justin is hospitable and generous with his home, always offering food and drinks. He knows how to make the client feel at ease and capable of creating beautiful sound without limit. You won't be disappointed.
by Katelyn Stephens
10/10 would recommend! He has such an ear for music. I’m always looking forward to what is coming out next!
by Sjrsten Siegfried
Working with Justin is a treat. He helped launch my fledgling project onto the music scene with a set of top-notch quality demo recordings for us to send to booking folks. Even though the project was very young, he treated us like professionals and catered to our needs every step of the way. Not only did he record for us, but supplied us with promotional photos/videos of us working together in his very aesthetic studio and has been enthusiastically supportive of our work both then and now.
by Austin Greene
The Shed is a super organized space, and it aesthetically inspires creativity. Justin is great at making you comfortable enough to lay down tracks the way you desire, and even throws you helpful hints and ideas now and again without taking over, or over saturating your project.
by Teresamonfort@gmail.com
Justin has a great ear for music and helping his clients come up with new and creative sounds to make their songs pop. I have been in the studio a lot of times to participate on projects for other people and Justin does professional, quality work. I send everyone i know his way and will continue to do so!
by Riley Rager
My album came out exactly as I wanted it to thanks to Justin. His dedication and passion for making my project sound amazing is something I’m truly grateful for. It couldn’t have turned out better! Thanks man!

Interview with Justin Kollars

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: A project that I am especially proud of is Riley Rager's EP "Subliminal Swimming Pool." I recorded, mixed, and mastered the whole project and it has on it the most post production that I've ever poured into one project. I couldn't be happier with the results that came from the finished product. We got to record many of our own sound effects to incorporate into the mixes of each song, along with coming up with lots of new creative approaches to the tracking process. In this project we also made each song flow seamlessly into the next with ocean wave sounds that transition each song, and take the listener on a journey as they listen through the EP.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I am finishing up an EP by a local punk band "TxBxDx" and I am currently in the mixing phase of that project. I'm also working on finishing up the tracking process on a full length album with a local musician, Austin Greene.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I am new to Soundbetter but I am thrilled to be a part of this awesome community of professionals within my craft and I look forward to the relationships that will come through collaboration on musical projects.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital, for many reasons, but to say the least, its possibilities are endless, and it is very affordable to get the tools necessary to being on the path to easily creating high quality work.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise my clients to know my role in the project, not stepping my boundaries of taking control of their art, and making sure to keep their projects authentic all while adding to the value of their projects, making it become the best that it can be. Going above and beyond to make sure my job is done the way they need it to be done.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love the creative freedom I have with my job of producing and writing music.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: How much I charge to record a song so I give them my hourly rates.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: People thinking that it is easier to fix things in post rather than seeing the importance of taking time to get a great performance and great quality on the front end.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What is their vision for their project and how can I help add more value to it.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: To look for not only their quality of work thats produced but also the personality and core values they have, to make sure that it's someone you feel you can have a strong work relationship with and get along with throughout the collaboration.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: An acoustic guitar, mac book, Protools, Townsend Labs L22 Microphone, & a pair of studio monitors by Adam Audio.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been recording and mixing music for half of my life, but hadn't started doing it professionally until a little over two years ago. Up until then I had been in many different lines of work and in and out of subcontractor work as a carpenter.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My style is very laid back, creative and genuine.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I'd be honored to work with Jason Isbell because his songwriting and sound is a big influence of mine.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Make sure to get your tracks sounding as good as possible on the front end to create less work in post.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I usually work on acoustic/singer songwriter music.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Bringing to life peoples creative visions/ideas.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: A good ear for what the song could use to help push it in the direction it might be needing to go.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: My typical work process is seeing a project the whole way through with tracking, mixing and mastering it.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I'm very inspired by a lot of great musicians within the Gettysburg area, along with Ryan Adams, Jason Isbell, and Deathcabforcutie. As far as music production professionals, I've always enjoyed learning techniques online from Warren Huart's videos from Produce Like A Pro, and Ryan Earnhardt from Creative Sound Lab.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My Studio setup consists of a control room, vocal booth, and a LIVE room for tracking drums and using as rehearsal space. I track into protools through my Universal Audio Apollo 8p, using my Mac Book Pro and G Drive external hard drives, recording through different Shure, and MXL microphones.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: The most common work I do for my clients is completing their musical projects from start to finish, which includes recording, editing, and mixing their songs. I also will usually do some light mastering to finalize the project for distribution.