Stefan Olofsson on SoundBetter

During my career I've worked with Jay Graydon (two-time Grammy winner, twelve-time Grammy nominee, Steely Dan, Earth, Wind & Fire), Bill Champlin & Jason Scheff (Chicago), Michael Landau (Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd), Craig Bailey (Ray Charles) and Ian Bairnson (Kate Bush, Alan Parsons Project) among others. Looking forward to working with you!

I believe strongly that interesting things happen during musical meetings. How's this pop tune going to sound with a few jazz harmonies? What happens if we modulate this dance beat with a Bo Diddley rhythm? How can a Bernard Purdie half-time shuffle work within a lo-fi track?

Some of my personal favorite artists are those that kept pushing boundaries: The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Steely Dan, Electric Light Orchestra, Pink Floyd, Yes etc.

For my Steely Dan like productions, please check out the band State Cows.

Apart from studio work, I'm a regular contributor to Toontrack's products as well as teaching and leading jazz ensembles.

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Stefan Olofsson

Daniel Andersson
Langhorns
Soilwork
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
Stefan Olofsson

Discogs verified credits for Stefan Olofsson

David Franzén
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
Dynamo Bliss
Dynamo Bliss
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
Seashells (2)
David Franzén
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
Dynamo Bliss
Dynamo Bliss
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
Epi K. Paradox
State Cows
State Cows
State Cows
Rydholm* / Säfsund*

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Interview with Stefan Olofsson

Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Working on new tracks with our group yacht rock band State Cows as well as demos for the Orange Tree Sample product "The Famous E".
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: An acoustic piano, a guitar,
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I think I land somewhere in the middle of art rock, cool jazz and lo-fi.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: I'll share three: 1. Reference listening, give yourself new perspectives. 2. Combine elements from vastly different genres. 3. Avoid static mixes, make things flow dynamically.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I'm very happy with the latest State Cows album "Challenges" which has been deemed by fans and critics the best composition-wise and the best sounding to date.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital. I've worked with both (started on 4-track cassette) and the advantage of analog is the loss of transient material which makes it sound "warmer". I think of analog as more of an impressionist painting and digital as printing on transparent paper. Digital is a much more flexible format though, you just have to approach it differently.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I will leave your tracks in a better condition than when I got them.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I've always been fascinated by music and sound. Being able to work with it as a profession is a privilege.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Mostly pop/rock and jazz. Lately, a bit of lo-fi / chill.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Puzzling things together and making it all work.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I like to believe I bring something unique to a track to make it stick out from the rest.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I work mostly in the box. The setup is centered around Reaper (wonderful piece of software and I'm not paid to say that). I'm a Toontrack consultant and I use a lot of their products, the new Decade SDX drums with Al Schmitt are amazing. I also use plugins by oeksound and Modartt.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Piano: Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, David Foster, Production: Jeff Lynne, George Martin, Brian Wilson, Quincy Jones, Nile Rodgers, Trevor Horn, Todd Rundgren Mixing and engineering: Mick Guzauski, Ken Scott, Reinhold Mack, Alan Parsons, Bob Clearmountain, Richard Dodd, Humberto Gatica, Elliot Scheiner, Andy Wallace, Al Schmitt
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: As for keyboard parts, mostly piano but also a lot of Fender Rhodes. Sometimes Wurlitzer and Clavinet. More rarely Hammond organ and synth. I also do full productions and arrangements. Sometimes bass tracks, vocal comping and background vocals. Very rarely guitar overdubs.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: For a mix project, I import the tracks, group and color code them and set general levels. Then I follow