Pavel Shalman on SoundBetter

I arrange & record real strings for Pop, Rock, Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz, World & Film productions. I am a professional violinist with a Bachelor from Conservatory of Vienna in arrangement & composition. I am experienced & very flexible among different styles of music. My goal is to find a perfect line for your song and bring it to the next level.

String sound is very flexible: it can create a beautiful atmosphere, add depth, tension or release, add a pulse, melodies, counter point, the possibilities are endless. Every song is different: some require a more transparent string quartet type of a sound, on others I end up playing 20-30 violins to make it sound like a full string section of an orchestra. Often I will arrange, play & record the strings myself, in other cases I receive a finished arrangement and just record the parts, and in some cases only add a few violins to add some life to sampled strings.

If you're interested in collaborating, please send me your track(s) and let me know how you would like me to contribute. Please let me know what material you can provide (lead sheet, chord sheet, string parts, midi arrangement of the strings, stems or just the tracks). If you already have a vision of the string layout, please let me know, I am of course happy to advice you. My prices are based on how much time I expect to invest. Typically a full arrangement and recording of a pop song will cost $400 - 700. To record finished parts will be around $300-500, all depends on length, complexity, amount of overdubs, etc. Happy to provide a discount for multiple songs.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch and ask any questions about prices, my process or anything else. Looking forward!

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Credits

3 Reviews

Endorse Pavel Shalman

by Serill
Verified
Pavel knows his work. The assurance of a good result is guaranteed with him. Thank you man!
by Elias Berner
Pavel did a very goog job creating string arrangments for two records we worked on together. (Gasmac Gilmore- Dead Donkey; Begnadet für das Schöne) Pavel covers a wide range of musical styles. From classical-romantic Hollywoodlike String arrangments, over various jazz and pop styles to balkan, gypsy or klezmer flavours he can provide your production with whatever colour it may needs. I can absolutely recommend working with Pavel.
by Christof Straub
Pavel is a great musician, arranger and producer! Always professional, easy to communicate with and delivering great quality. I would recommend Pavel for every producer looking for high quality string arrangements, and to add real played strings to high-end productions.

Interview with Pavel Shalman

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Global Groove LAB album "I'm a Stranger". Was the first album that I produced and recorded - still love it : )
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: My duo album.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and started playing the violin at the age of four. When I was ten, my family moved to New York where I studied in Manhattan School of Music and LaGuardia HS of Music & Art, discovered jazz and played my first payed gigs as a teenager. Moved to Vienna, Austria in my early twenties where I studied in Conservatory of Vienna. Since then I played, recorded and wrote for many bands (including my own). I started making string arrangements about 12 years ago...
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Stevie Wonder. I was always amazed how he can create sophisticated music that is loved by the masses.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: It's all about making the song better, not about your ego.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Coming up with beautiful melodies and catchy hook-lines.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Beauty, groove & excitement.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: That's a difficult question: my dad is a violin teacher so as a child I grew up hearing loads of classical music. My earliest exposure to strings in Pop was probably the Beatles, those arrangements from George Martin are incredible, they take wonderful songs and just elevate them to the next level. Later I studied Jazz composition and arrangement. Nowadays I get my inspiration from all sorts of music, from the most obscure to the most main stream.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use a French master violin from the 1850's. My standard set up for string overdubs is: Line Audio CM3, going into True Systems P-Solo preamp, going into RME Fireface UC interface. For solo violin sometimes I record stereo (MS setup with my Nevaton MC416 or XY set up with another CM3). The room is treated with acoustic paneling.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: You send me a song (or a layout). We discuss your vision, your wishes (over email, phone, video call or a combination). After we agree on terms, you send me any useful material you have (I prefer working with stems, a good leads sheet is also useful and time saving). If I am composing an arrangement, I will make a rough draft with either samples or a quick recording. If you are happy and there are no changes to be made, I will record the the overdubs in my studio, select, edit and send you back clean tracks. If I am just recording an already existing arrangement, I just go directly to the last two steps, after you send me your material...
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Composing and recording real live strings for modern productions.

My Stringreel - all strings are arranged, played and in most cases recorded by me in these productions (Zoe, Global Groove LAB, Franklin Calleja, Living Transit)