David Stanley on SoundBetter

Worked with some of the biggest names in the industry including Elton John and T-Pain. 24 hour access to a leading recording facility based in the UK.

Hugely versatile engineer working with a large range of genres from Rock, Hip-Hop, Pop, Soul, Classical and Jazz.

Very adept at working on big editing projects where impossible results are needed from less than perfect recordings but a passion for working with beautiful sounds.

I regularly record and mix songs for major label projects and regular have work played on national radio. Tracks I've work on have millions of streams on Spotify and YouTube as well as Official UK Chart success.

I produce tracks too but am far more selective with my work as I like to be equally as invested in the music as the Artist writing it.

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

Credits

2 Reviews

Endorse David Stanley

by Mark U.
Fantastic engineer, producer and all round creative talent. It's a pleasure doing sessions with him and his talented team. Calm under pressure, resourceful and good with managing the many personalities you are likely to encounter in a studio environment.
by Joe Sheldon
I have worked with Dave in many different ways; recording, mixing my music, engineering with him as his subordinate and peer, on live broadcast and live sound to mention a few. In all of the above he has always been the most professional and consistent person I've had the pleasure to work with. He cares so much about the job at hand and has a perfect balance of proficiency, flare and humility. If you get a chance to work with him you'll be getting more than just any old Dave to do the job, you will be getting THE definitive Dave (special edition), highly skilled with experience to back it up.

Interview with David Stanley

Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: A huge project of music made from unfinished recordings left in a "vault". Reworking them all into one big album.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Null question. You need to know how to use the equipment to get the best sound out of it. Analog can go terribly wrong if you don't know how to use it and digital can be extremely repetitive if you resort to presets.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I will always work to the best of my ability. If something isn't right yet, it is not bad - it is just not finished yet. It is finished when you say it is.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Working with creative and talented musicians.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Do you master? No. Mastering is a separate skillset that is usually honed by dedicated mastering engineers. While many people can mix, produce and master, they should never be doing all three at the same time. If they are they are doing at least one of those processes badly.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Knowing the difference between and engineer, producer and mastering engineer. It's important to separate all 3 so you are getting the right and best person for each part of the job.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What end result are you looking for? Who would you compare yourself to or what song do you want your music to sound as good as?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Always consider quality over quantity.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Neumann U47, Neve VR mixing desk, Pro Tools, Genelecs and a microwave (so I can still eat)
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been working in the industry for over 14 years and I am doing what I love, working with talented musicians and artists from all over the world and helping bring their project to life.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My style is pretty classical and old school as even with the state of the art digital equipment I prefer to treat it as if I'm working with analogue so I can really appreciate the effect (or lack of effect) it is having on the music.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Never take the shortcut to get a quick result.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: My most frequent genres are hip-hip, rock, acoustic and pop music.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My diversity and experience working with all types of clients from all kinds of backgrounds means there isn't a single type of project that I find daunting. A difficult mix is a challenge I relish, and an easy mix is a joy to be involved in.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: My ability to edit and work extremely fast in Pro Tools allows me to bring out the best of a song without getting lost in the detail. I will always be looking at the bigger picture so the song will always feel like a single, living, breathing piece of art rather than layers of unrelated parts simply being put in place.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I tend to separate my work into the technical side and the creative side. Usually getting the technical edits and audio clean-up out the way first, and as quickly as possible so I can then sit back and hear the music for what it really is and relish in the audio - bringing in all the elements together until it's one cohesive song.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My studio is a full commercial set up built to handle all types and sizes of projects. A hybrid system, it is built around state of the art Pro Tools Ultimate HDX and connected to analogue Neve preamps and mixing. Complete with a huge selection of microphones including the vintage Neumann U47. Monitoring through Genelec, Yamaha and Avantone.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I'm hugely inspired by the pairing of Bruce Swedien and Quincy Jones, combining their technical brilliance, classical training and creative flare.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: The most common type of work I do for clients is mixing their music to an industry standard. My attention to detail instantly makes the mixes stand out from the crowd no matter the style or genre.