Send me your raw tracks and I can lay piano into your existing mix in a variety of styles. Everything from soft pop to hard-hitting honky tonk. I can do Hammond B3 tracks as well. Blues, Rock, Pop, Ballads, I play in every style. Check out my Soundcloud for examples of my playing!
Music is what I absolutely do best.
I'm a freelance musician out of the Philadelphia area with degrees in piano and voice. I am classically trained pianist who paid my way through music school playing piano in rock and pop bands. I've studied with some of the best teachers in the world and am versed in all styles of piano performance. If you have sheet music, I can play it. If you don't, I can learn it by listening to it. If you need me to create a newly-composed piano part, I can do that for you, too. Send me your raw tracks and I can play piano, B3 and/or string parts for you.
If you need me to mix your raw tracks, I am well setup with high end reference monitors in a Sonarworks-referenced room with solid acoustical treatment. I have all the standard DAWs, but work primarily in Studio One and Cubase. I can also work efficiently in Logic Pro and Reaper. I have an 6' 3" Estonia acoustic grand piano for live piano performance, or can fire up the synth that connects to all the absolute best piano samples/VSTs available today. My mixes are referenced in mono, on multiple sets of monitors, and smaller devices such as Iphones and laptop speakers. My mixes hold up in any listening situation and are well thought-out, diverse, and very clean.
Check out my soundcloud to hear some of my mixes and my piano playing and hire me to help you on your next project!
I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.
Credits
Interview with mrpiano
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I recently mixed a country song by an artist named Eric Passmore. It's a great song and I was really happy with the mix. Check it out in my Soundcloud profile!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love using my musical gift as way to help others achieve their musical goals and objectives.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I'd like to know your vision for your production and partner with you to bring the best possible version of your track to the surface
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Wildly diverse
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I am currently recording my concert instrument, the Estonia model 190. A 6' 3" concert level instrument in my secondary recording room. I'm recording Mozart and Beethoven sonatas at the moment.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My studio is treated with acoustical treatment and bass traps. The primary listening position includes Yamaha NS7s and Focal Solo 6.5s for monitoring. Dangerous D Box for Analog Summing and the Focusrite ISA 430 MK II for the mic pre. I have an Estonia "Hidden Beauty" 6' 3" grand piano that sits in a dedicated room for piano performance, and the Yamaha MOX F8 for midi or sampled piano VSTs, organs, strings. I have all the major plugins from the usual suspects and my room is calibrated using Sonarworks 4 Reference. I typically record at 44.1 at 24 bit resolution.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: How you choose to produce is going to influence how you need to mix. Be thoughtful in your instrumentation. Leave space. Don't overcook the dish :-). Don't be afraid to pull things back out. It's all about balance.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I work on all types of music from pop, rock, honky tonk, country, classical, orchestral and even musical theatre.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skills are my ears and my piano chops. If I'm mixing, I bring a lot of experience to the studio and a repeatable, sensible approach to engineering. If I'm playing the piano, you get the benefit of a musician who can work fast and efficiently, and understands the role the piano should "play" in your production. I add the right amount of spice, and do not try to make your song into a piano solo...I lay into the track just as I should, with the right amount of color, nuance and texture.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring a lot of experience and fresh pair of ears. Whether you're engaging me as a pianist or a mix engineer, I can listen to your song and add that extra push of creativity. I write my own piano parts, or I can read from either a lead sheet or printed music. I've been doing this my entire life, so I've performed in many musical styles as a live or studio musician, as well as a soloist. You will get the level-best quality from me every time because I will not stop until I get the take that is going to bring your song to the next level.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I spend my time producing and tracking in all musical styles and genres. Once I am finished tracking, I do editing and cleanup of the tracks. From there, I do a rough mix to get levels once I gain stage. This includes panning choices. Once the rough mix is complete, I begin to work in mono, using EQ and compression only to get the mix tight in mono. Once that step is complete, I bring the mix back into stereo and do sweeting with reverb, delay, and perhaps some saturation, depending on the track. Automation is last. Once the mix is complete, I export it out and prep it for mastering.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I'm a huge fan of the "Mutt" Lange style of mixing. Raw, powerful, and you feel like you're sitting in the room with the musicians. I've learned a lot from Fab Dupont, Graham Cochrane, Jason Moss, Dave Pensado, Chris Lord Alge, Rob Mayzes and Andrew Scheps.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I am often engaged as a session musician. I'm a trained pianist who plays in virtually all styles. I am also often engaged to produce and mix raw tracks.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been a musician my entire life since I could sit upright on a piano bench.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: I use both. I don't bang the analog drum. You can get great sounding productions "in the box." If you understand the differences (gain staging, etc), there ends up being virtually no difference in today's modern studio.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: All you need on a desert island is a good mic, a decent mic pre, a hard drive with endless amounts of space, a fast laptop with my favorite plugins, and a good set of reference monitors. The sky is the limit with only those things, contrary to what many people will tell you is needed to make radio-ready sounding songs.
I was the piano player and mix engineer in this production
- PianoAverage price - $100 per song
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $150 per song
- EditingAverage price - $40 per track
- Dialogue EditingContact for pricing
Standard delivery time 2-3 bus days; Free revisions until full-satisfaction; Ask about premium 24 hour rush service; All work is 100% WFH; My name may not be used in credits without prior approval.
- Focal reference monitors in a treated
- calibrated studio. Estonia Grand Piano and MODX synths. All major plugins. WA2A Opto and WesAudio NG Bus Compressor for outboard compression. RME UFX+ Audio Interface.
