Capturing warmth and depth in a recording, bringing out the best in a mix. I specialise in an analogue workflow with digital convenience, working exclusively from GloWormRecording in Glasgow, creating productions and mixes with impact and warmth that beg you to listen again.
I am a music producer, engineer and mixer with 15 years experience.
Having trained as a musician I have a creative understanding that serves me well when crafting an arrangement or honing a mix.
I work from GloWormRecording in Glasgow, with an incredible gear selection, mixing on an SSL (AWS 948) with a unique workflow that allows all the benefits of an analogue mix with the convenience of digital recalls.
I'm equally at home steering a project as a producer, playing keys or guitar on your production or mixing tracks that I didn't record, making bold mix choices to bring out the best in your music.
For remote mixing I can offer live-streamed realtime monitoring so you can 'sit in' on the mix wherever you are in the world.
Send me a note through the contact button above.
Credits
AllMusic verified credits for Iain Hutchison- Dirk Powell
- Eddi Reader
- Eddi Reader
- Eddi Reader
- Julie Fowlis
- Aly Bain
- Jerry Douglas
- Aly Bain
- Jerry Douglas
- Aly Bain
- Jerry Douglas
- Aly Bain
- Jerry Douglas
- Aly Bain
- Jerry Douglas
- Aly Bain
- Jerry Douglas
- Treacherous Orchestra
- Treacherous Orchestra
- Aly Bain
- Eric Bibb
- Amos Lee
- Jerry Douglas
- Sarah Jarosz
- Alison Krauss
- Aly Bain
- Eric Bibb
- Amos Lee
- Jerry Douglas
- Sarah Jarosz
- Alison Krauss
- Aly Bain
- Eric Bibb
- Amos Lee
- Jerry Douglas
- Sarah Jarosz
- Alison Krauss
- James Grant
- John McCusker
- Roddy Woomble
- Kris Drever
- Capercaillie
- Capercaillie
- Capercaillie
- Karan Casey
- Karan Casey
- Old Blind Dogs
- Old Blind Dogs
- Donald Black
- Donald Black
- Patrick Reid
- Patrick Reid
- Patrick Reid
- Patrick Reid
- Breabach
- Breabach
- Iain Morrison
- Daibhidh Martin
- Iain Morrison
- Daibhidh Martin
- Iain Morrison
- Daibhidh Martin
- Iain Morrison
- Daibhidh Martin
- Iain Morrison
- Daibhidh Martin
- Iain Morrison
- Daibhidh Martin
- Julie Fowlis
- Siobhan Miller
- Siobhan Miller
- Siobhan Miller
- Siobhan Miller
- Karen Matheson
- Karen Matheson
- Aly Bain
- Phil Cunningham
- Brìghde Chaimbeul
- Brìghde Chaimbeul
- Blue Rose Code
- Iain Morrison
- Iain Morrison
- Iain Morrison
- Fiona Mackenzie
- Brian Ó Headhra
- Deirdre Graham
9 Reviews
Endorse Iain HutchisonMy name is Jerry Douglas and I have worked with Iain Hutchison on the highly successful BBC TV music series “Transatlantic Sessions” for the last 4 seasons.
On the 3rd season we decided we needed to upgrade our audio department to match the talent that we were presenting as a collaboration of American and UK artists such as James Taylor, Alison Krauss, Paul Brady, Karen Matheson and others.
Meeting Iain was a delight and we got on right away. The pressure he takes off the shoulders is a most useful talent. We can each do our jobs seamlessly, and that's the way it should be.I’ve worked with Iain on many projects, from large scale – mixing the audio from Runrig’s final live concert, and as engineer / mixer on the band’s last studio recording – to small scale traditional projects.
Iain’s unique skill set goes beyond the usual attributes expected of a studio engineer / producer.
Possessing a thoroughly professional and friendly attitude, comprehensive technical and musical knowledge, creativity, sensitivity, forensic ears and a commitment to getting the best out of the artist, Iain is a go-to producer / engineer / mixer for any genre. Malcolm JonesMy name is Adam Holmes. I'm a singer-songwriter from Edinburgh. I recorded my second album with Iain which was a brilliant experience. He was able to match the sounds of records I love that are made on at least ten times the budget. I recorded my third album at home and asked Iain to mix it. He was able to sonically bring it up to a level that meant I had reviewers questioning wether it had really been recorded at home. I've not in my ten years as a professional musician come across an engineer as focused and responsible as Iain. I never saw him cut a corner. An incredibly safe pair of hands
My name is David Latto and Iain produced, engineered and mixed my latest e.p 'Show Me How To Feel'. From the very first day in the studio I knew that I had made the right choice. Iain was 100% attentive to the project and totally on board with the ideas that we were trying to make a reality. Iain assembled a brilliant rhythm section and his ability to get great sounds for each track was wonderful. His production ideas helped bring the songs to life. Iain is meticulous and a complete professional. I would absolutely recommend Iain for any production or mixing project. www.davidlattomusic.com
My name is David Latto and Iain produced, engineered and mixed my latest e.p 'Show Me How To Feel'. From the very first day in the studio I knew that I had made the right choice. Iain was 100% attentive to the project and totally on board with the ideas that we were trying to make a reality. Iain assembled a brilliant rhythm section and his ability to get great sounds for each track was wonderful. His production ideas helped bring the songs to life. Iain is meticulous and a complete professional. I would absolutely recommend Iain for any production or mixing project. www.davidlattomusic.com
My name is John Douglas and I am a member of the Trashcan Sinatras as well as being a member of Eddi Readers band for the past 20 years or so. I have made records with both Eddi and the Trashcans with Ian at Gloworm. I can totally recommend working with Ian for any project. His technical skills are flawless, very quick to get great sounds, no time wasted in idle chat, his studio presence enhanced every session, a good guide when needed and a background presence when needed, great ears for the best takes or when to take a break. A real enthusiast that I would have no hesitation to recommend
My name is John Douglas and I am a member of the Trashcan Sinatras as well as being a member of Eddi Readers band for the past 20 years or so. I have made records with both Eddi and the Trashcans with Ian at Gloworm. I can totally recommend working with Ian for any project. His technical skills are flawless, very quick to get great sounds, no time wasted in idle chat, his studio presence enhanced every session, a good guide when needed and a background presence when needed, great ears for the best takes or when to take a break. A real enthusiast that I would have no hesitation to recommend
My name is John Douglas and I am a member of the Trashcan Sinatras as well as being a member of Eddi Readers band for the past 20 years or so. I have made records with both Eddi and the Trashcans with Ian at Gloworm. I can totally recommend working with Ian for any project. His technical skills are flawless, very quick to get great sounds, no time wasted in idle chat, his studio presence enhanced every session, a good guide when needed and a background presence when needed, great ears for the best takes or when to take a break. A real enthusiast that I would have no hesitation to recommend
My name is Pete McAllen, and go under the artist name of Pyramid Park. I have now recorded two albums with Iain at GloWormRecording and although I live in East Anglia (UK), it is always worth the extra effort to work with Iain.
Iain is a brilliant producer who understands the mix of sensitivity to run with an artists vision, while also being on hand to correct, suggest and improve. From songwriting edits to vocal take nuances to guitar tone, to simply a gut feel, Iain is a delight to work with.
Highly recommended. I will be working with him again.
Interview with Iain Hutchison
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both! I love what my analog desk and outboard bring to my sound, but I'm in no way precious about being an analog purist - I also love the infinite creative options that plug-ins offer. They are all just tools and all part of the palette I use to create.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love creating music recordings and mixes that you can get lost inside, and that invite you into 'another world'. I love that the studio is an instrument every bit as much as a piano or guitar, and I love using all the tools available to me to take something from 'documentary' to 'cinematic film' (to use a metaphor from moving pictures).
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: - What do you hope to achieve from this project? - What would you like it to sound like? But since descriptions can be very subjective: - Can you name some other bands/artists/tracks that you like and describe what you like about those songs/sounds? - What are you looking for me to bring to the project (I'm always delighted to step into a production role, but also I won't overpower a musician's own creative path, so it's helpful to know how much the clients will be looking to me creatively as well as technically).
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I'm delighted with the new Pyramid Park album (released 4-24-20), which I engineered, produced, mixed and played keys on. This was a particularly creative project where the artist and I spent our overdubbing days surrounded by synths and guitar pedals, creating a sonic world that inspired and excited us both. I think the mixes worked out really well and I hope that this project propels Pyramid Park to a much bigger audience!
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I studied music at Strathclyde University, specialising in piano performance and studio production. After graduating in 2005, I set up my own studio space and started producing music for friends and colleagues. The business has grown since then and I have worked with hundreds of artists over the last 15 years,
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My work is typically described as 'full', 'warm' or 'rich' sounding. Not afraid to be aggressive, but never sounding thin or harsh. Stylistically I definitely favour a more 'analog' sound and enjoy using compression to colour sounds to paint a full picture in a mix.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: When EQing drums (or any multi-miked source) in a mix, it's always worth checking the phase polarity of each element as you continue to build the mix. EQ can introduce phase shift and you might find that you actually prefer the combined sound with the phase reversed on one of more of your channels once you've applied your EQ. There's no 'absolute' with phase in this context - if it sounds better, it is better!
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Since I am trained as both a musician and an engineer/producer, I'm able to understand a recording musically, and communicate on that level. This makes communication much easier, and sessions flow much more smoothly.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: For mixing, my normal process is to have my mix assistant receive all the files ahead of time, and organise and prepare the session for me, including routing things to my preferred desk channels. I like to listen to the rough and then start building a mix, usually from the drums, but I'm open depending on what feels like the 'core elements' of the song. I mix analogue on the SSL console, with my own version of a 'multi-buss' technique with outboard compression, but I'm not afraid to use plug in processing to mould the sound before it hits the desk. I like to ask for reference tracks from any clients along with descriptions of what they like in the tracks, as they can be a very helpful way of understanding how a client hears music - particularly when working remotely. For full album production, I like to start with the rough demos, a conversation with the client about what they hope to achieve, and ideally a reference playlist of other music they like, again to help me understand how they hear. I'm very hands on with production all the way through the process, but at the same time my core goal is to help the artist realise THEIR vision, rather than just imprint my own vision onto everything I work on.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: GloWormRecording is a 2 studio facility. I work mainly from Studio 1 which is centred around an SSL AWS 948, 48I/O on Pro Tools HD Native, Burl B2ADC for mix capture, Barefoot MM27 Monitoring and a high end selection of outboard (Retro Instruments, Inward Connections, Tube Tech, Neve, API, Empirical Labs, Kush Audio). We have a fantastic microphone selection, catering to both studios working simultaneously. Studio 2 is based on a UA Apollo, with Barefoot MM45 Monitoring, Burl B2 ADC, and a small but high end outboard selection (Neve, AEA, Kush Audio, Mohog Audio, Warm Audio).
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I love Michael Brauer's mix approach - the fact that it's all about emotion and connection with the song, movement in the mix, and creative use of compression to paint different colours. I'm also a big fan of Joel Hamilton and Tchad Blake, both of whom are not afraid to use bold sonic choices using saturation or effects.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I am regularly involved in producing a full project, from tracking drums and bass, to overdubs, vocals, editing and the mix. Outside of that work, I am busy with mixing projects from clients who have recorded elsewhere. I work regularly with a top London mastering engineer who masters all my work, and offers a very affordable indie rate.
I was the Producer, Engineer, Mix Engineer in this production
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $300 per song
- Recording StudioAverage price - $600 per day
- ProducerContact for pricing
- Live drum trackContact for pricing
- PianoContact for pricing
Mix includes one round of revisions. Lead time usually 2-4 weeks.
- Foals
- Death Cab for Cutie
- Gregory Alan Isakov
- SSL AWS 948
- Barefoot MM27s
- Burl B2 ADC
- Bricasti M7
- Distressors
- Tube-Tech CL1bs
- Retro 176s
- Vac Rac TSL4