Marc Joy on SoundBetter

Producer, recording and mixing engineer, and musician. Strongly committed to projects, highly creative and passionate about detail. Recognised for solving problems quickly and accommodating ideas. Tailors projects to individuals needs. Determination to produce high quality work reflected in results.

I use Pro Tools, Logic and Cubase. Normally do all my tracking in a local studio (http://roc2.co.uk) in North Wales.\I do all my post and mixing back home where I mix out of the box through a 32 ch analogue console and a growing collection of outboard (http://www.ferndaleproductions.co.uk).

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Interview with Marc Joy

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Prepare your work and rehearse everything. Keep overdubs to a minimum.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: To be a good songwriter that led me into recording over 30 years ago.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Old school/newschool hybrid.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Practice you songs so that you know them but don't over do it. keep it fresh and retain the vibe.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: The majority of the music I work with is alternative, I love the left field, but really anything that's a challenge.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: For mixing I spend hours with the drums so everything else sits nicely on top.I bring everything out of the box and process old school and treat the DAW just as a tape recorder and try to use very little plugins.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Flicker album "How Much Are You Willing To Forget". It was a prog album, I actually got to perform on a track. It took the best part of a year in 4 different studios across the UK. It got great reviews and I am prod of it.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I am mixing a bunch of tracks for a client
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I don't know.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both. It's an ear thing.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I don't promise anything apart from getting the recording done and complete.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love working with people and having a good laugh but also getting a great record done.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Make us sound like Cold Play or White Stripes kinda thing. I always say I will make them sound like themselves but better.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Just because I have done some mastering for the Saturdays doesn't mean I am some kind of Simon Cowell.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I ask about influences and some dumb questions just to break the ice.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: An acoustic guitar and tools to help me grow good food.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I think my strongest skill is tracking. I love get the microphones in the right place and never assuming it's the same everytime. Never stop learning.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I try not to manipulate a song if I can help it. Always prefer to let the song lead.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: For tracking I mostly use Roc2 studios situated in a Cold War bunker near Wrexham previously owned by K-Class. Great live rooms fitted with a Calrec Q1 console with Quested,PMC and NS10 monitors with too much outboard to list here. One of the most outstanding collection of microphones in Wales and North West of England. Run by a very old friend Steve Hywyn Jones. My home equipment is Pro Tools Logic and Cubase system with 32ch 8 bus with outboard list ranging from Calrec, Klark-Tecknik, LA Audio, Alesis and DBX. I also use Soundtoys, Universal Audio plugins. I use Yamaha NS100, Tanoy M1 and Dynatron LS3048 monitors. For mastering I use Wavelab9.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Robert Smith, Ken Scott,Tony Visconty, Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Dave Brubeck, Brian Eno and Dinosaur Jr.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Tracking, mixing and mastering.