Aaron Hemingway on SoundBetter

My name is Aaron Hemingway. I am an audio engineer that specializes in working with contemporary Christian and worship artists and bands. I also work with churches to produce high-quality sermon podcasts. I have mixed sermon podcasts for Story Church and worship sets from their band. I've also produced my band's and other artist's music.

I love taking raw tracks from artists and completely transforming it into a song good enough for radio. Seeing a song go from idea to raw tracks, to fully mixed and mastered is simply magical. To be a part of this process and to know that bands and artists trust me with their art is a huge honor. I use Logic Pro X and a combination of digital and analog plugins to mix songs and really bring them alive! Since I work with mostly, but am certainly not limited to, churches and Christian artists, I believe in editing and mixing songs to an industry-standard to eliminate any distractions. This way the listener can focus on the message and heart of a podcast or song.

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

Credits

6 Reviews

Endorse Aaron Hemingway

by holyspiritparish18
Verified
Aaron was a pleasure to work with. He is timely, does a fantastic job and works with you until you get exactly what you're looking for. Thanks Aaron!
by John Zaninovich
Aaron is a big reason the Move My Mass podcast got up and running. He made everything so easy to get started. I do the podcast out of my home and he makes sure my guest and I always look and sound good. Not only does he do a fantastic job editing but he also produced my intro song and I get positive comments all the time about it. He is definitely fun to work with and very professional at all times.
by Bonnie Lehmann
Aaron was incredibly patient during my recording! He did an amazing job and I love my song! Not only is he excellent at what he does, but he sees your project through to the end! I highly recommend Aaron! I’m so thankful for his professionalism and I love the finished product!
by Whitney
Aaron did the mixing for one of my singles and I was very happy with the results. He was professional, affordable and the mix sounded great! I would highly recommend him.
by Guy Hoss
Very grateful for the passion that Aaron exemplifies in his recordings. He never settles for what could work, and strives tirelessly to make sure each job is executed with excellence. Having him edit/produce the audio for Story Church during this COVID season has been a tremendous blessing, and our production/s were so much better because of his time/effort/energy.
by Nick M.
This guy has a heart of GOLD and creativity that just won’t quick. If you want guitar tones thicker than a double western bacon cheese burger, then give Aaron a try! You’ll be glad you did 💯

Interview with Aaron Hemingway

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Customers usually would like to know the process of how everything works. I simply ask them to upload the files and I'll listen to it. I would like to know
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: The biggest misconception is that mixing is a cureall. Mixing cannot fix bad recordings. Mixing cannot fix timing issues. Mixing is there to enhance the track, so a good recording is vital.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I first start out by asking them about their vision for the song(s). I am there to serve them and want to make their vision come alive. I'll also ask them basic questions like what is the desired tempo of the song? What is the key? I want to know what their expectations are.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: As I said before, record everything like there was no mixing. Take the time to produce a quality recording. You can have a great mix, but if the audio files aren't of high quality, then it doesn't matter.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: If I were stranded on a desert island, and assuming there was power, I'd take my computer, my microphones, my cables, my interface, and my headphones. This is a perfect example of getting everything right at the source. Record everything as best as you can even while stranded on a desert island.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: My career path was mixing. This is my favorite thing to do. I love seeing a song come alive! I have been doing this for about 7 months.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My type of mixing is top-down mixing. In other words, I start with the bigger picture and work my way down to individual tracks and instruments. If I'm recording, I'll spend most of my time at this stage, and then move to editing vocals, timing issues, etc., and finally the mixing stage.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I would love to work with Tom Delonge. He is a visionary as it comes to combining art, music, and storytelling together. Sure he's a little weird when it comes to UFOs, but don't we all have that one strange thing about us? I love his music and the hope that he spreads. To see his journey from blink-182 to now is so inspiring and he stays true to what he believes in.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: The biggest tip that I always give my clients is to take your time recording and get it right at the source. This includes timing, keeping things in phase, tweaking the knobs on a guitar amp, etc. Record like there's no mixing. You want the best possible product to start with. This helps to eliminate a bunch of problems down the road when you get to the editing and mixing stages.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: The type of music that I typically work on is Christian/Worship/Gospel music. Obviously this can be quite a broad range. This includes Christian rock, ambient praise & worship, acoustic (with or without piano), gospel funk, and so much more.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is in the area of compression. I can make things sound huge and punchy, or I can add simple and little amounts of compression to create consistency. Again, it depends on what the song needs. If drums need to be thick, if you need a thumping bass, or if you just need some basic consistency compression, I can do it all!
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring my personal flair to a song, which includes standard EQ and compression. However, I like my vocals to sound nice, huge, and wide if it fits the song. I've got my own process for creating such an effect to make the vocals shine and be front and center of the entire song.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: My wife and I will be releasing a song soon called "Set Free." I am very proud of the mix of that song. The bass growls, the guitars are driving yet ambient at some points, and the vocals are loud and powerful! I'm really proud of all the work that went into that song, and I think the love and care that went into it are very obvious. This is why I am using it as my example before & after track on my profile on SoundBetter.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I am currently working on finishing up some final mixing on one of my own project songs. My wife and I release music under the name, Hemingway Music.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I'd recommend Jake Kodweis and James Worsham. They are mentors of mine and are incredible musicians and sound engineers.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: I believe in both analog and digital. Analog provides that nice, smooth, warm sound. It also thickens the sound. Digital makes recording & mixing possible for everyone. It also provides a completely transparent way of editing and mixing audio. In other words, it adds no coloration to it. Digital opens up new opportunities that would've never been there otherwise. Yet, you still can't beat the sound of analog. That's why I believe that they go hand in hand and compliment one another.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: My promise to my clients is that they'll be completely satisfied with the mix. I'm not happy until they're happy. I want to meet and exceed their expectations.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I've loved music for all of my life. To be able to do it for a living is a dream come true. Most people think it's a childhood fantasy, but it is very much obtainable. I'm able to help others achieve their dream sound, and I'm able to do what I love every single day.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: The late Jerry Finn, Chris Lord-Alge, Greg Wells, and Blake La Grange are some of the music production professionals that inspire me just to name a few. As far as musicians go, Lincoln Brewster, Travis Barker, Tom Delonge, The Edge, and David Elkins inspire me.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: The most common type of work that I do for my clients is mixing their song to a radio-ready industry-standard. I also help produce by giving recording guidance to my clients that are working remotely to help them produce the best-recorded product possible.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: My typical work process can vary depending on what the assignment is. If I am editing and/or mixing a song, I will begin a session dedicated entirely to editing. Once I am done doing all the editing, I will then open a new session and import all the edited files into my "mix session." This is how I keep my project organized and flowing from one logical step to the next.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My studio setup is very simple. I am equipped with a mac and audio interface. With that, I do all of my post-production "in the box." I am equipped to do recording if necessary.