Menno Schilstra, Studio480

Producer►Mixing►Folk►Acoustic

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5 Reviews
Menno Schilstra, Studio480 on SoundBetter

I can turn your song-idea or mix into a complete radio-ready production. I can help you co-write the song and specialize in folk, celtic and acoustic (pop) music. Take a listen to the 'before' and 'after' examples to get an idea of what I can do for you. Always keep the original song in mind!

I also am a singer and a multi-instramentalist: acoustic rythm guitar, bassguitar, octave mandoline, bodhrán, harmonica and (low) whistle. If needed I've got a bunch of (studio) musicians I work with to complement a production.

I love collaborations with different kind of musicians and like to bring out the best in them!

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

5 Reviews

Endorse Menno Schilstra, Studio480
  1. Review by Femke Oevering
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    by Femke Oevering

    I would definitely recommend Menno to any mucians who are looking for a great studio engineer! Not only is he professional and a hard worker, he's also friendly, funny and relaxed, which makes you as a musician feel comfortable and free to record your parts in the best way possible. I've worked with him as a flute player on the folk/country song 'We Can Be One' by Varend Volk, Joint String Friends and Bob Ferguson. Menno himself also plays a bunch of instruments, which comes in handy when you write and record a song together. I hope to get to do more collaborations with Menno in the future!

  2. Review by Lennart
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    by Lennart

    I have worked together with Menno for several times. It's always nice to work with him. Because of his passion, he works hard and is fully focused on getting the best quality for the projects he is working on.
    One of the last projects we did was writing and recording the folk song 'We can be one'. He did co-write the song (music and lyrics), recorded several instruments and mixed and mastered the track. I'm very happy with the sound of the track and it was a hit on the local radio station. I especially like that Menno is very honest about all the points of improvement, to get the best result.

  3. Review by ROBERT FERGUSON
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    by ROBERT FERGUSON

    I have worked with Menno on several recordings. He is very professional and very easy to get along with. The atmosphere in his studio is relaxed and informal. I have been very happy with his finished recordings.

  4. Review by Mouché Palts
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    by Mouché Palts

    A ferry nice man to work with, a good musician as well
    Keep up the good work

  5. Review by Frank
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    by Frank

    Fantastische muziek en superbehulpzame man!

Interview with Menno Schilstra, Studio480

  1. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  2. A: I worked on a song called 'We can Be One' at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown. It was a true collaboration of different folk-artists from all over the country and also Scotland. With musicians recording themselves at their home studio's. the great thing about it is that everybody recorded their bit and after receiving the seperate tracks, it was amazing how well everything fitted together and complemented eachother! I did the recording, pre-production, production, mixing and mastering and also did the guitars and vocals.

  3. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  4. A: They both have their place, but with technology today, I prefer digital.

  5. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  6. A: The birth of a songidea turned into complete song and the arranging of instruments throughout the song

  7. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  8. A: That you can make a terrible song into a great hit. The initial song or hook has to be great from the start.

  9. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  10. A: 1. What style of song do you want your song to be? 2. What are your ideas and feelings with this song? 3. Can you do (home) recording yourself (in case of remote collaborations)? 4. Can you provide me with some songs (or artists) you're inspired by?

  11. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  12. A: If you have a great song (idea) and don't know how to work it out, just contact a producer

  13. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  14. A: 1. My acoustic guitar. 2. Laptop. 3. Recording interface. 4. Microphone. 5. Headphones

  15. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  16. A: I've been a musician and singer for over 25 years and in mixing and music production for over 10 years now.

  17. Q: How would you describe your style?

  18. A: Clear, engaging music that will make you feel good!

  19. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  20. A: Close your eyes, listen and enjoy the music:)

  21. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  22. A: I usually work on celtic music, folk and acoustic types of music.

  23. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  24. A: My creative skills and organizing and overlooking the process, to get the project finished as efficient and fun as possible

  25. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  26. A: I can bring musical support in the broadest way thinkable, and try to get the best out of the artist and/or song.

  27. Q: What's your typical work process?

  28. A: In production, the client usually comes with a song-idea or pre-recording. I'll discuss the posibilities with the client and ask for some reference songs and ideas for the production. If needed, I can help with the writing process and after that I do the pre-production and set up the session for (additional) recording. If needed I can bring in different musicians for tracking. During the whole process, the artist is in command and has the final say.

  29. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  30. A: As a small home studio owner, I mostly work 'in the box' with a digital mixing desk and a good pair of monitors and headphones, to really make the music come to life.

  31. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  32. A: I'm inspired by a lot of artists in folk and celtic music, but I love Altan, the Chieftains, Lunasa and Dougie Maclean, to name a few.

  33. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  34. A: I'd like to collaborate with musicians, to turn a voice memo into a radio-ready song and keep the original songidea in mind.

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We can Be One - Co-writer/producer

I was the Producer, Mixing Engineer, musician/singer and co-writer in this production

Terms Of Service

Productions: 3 revisions included, with turnaround depending on project.
Mixes: 3 revisions included, with a 3-4 day turnaround.
Mastering: 2 revisions included, with a 2 day turnaround.

GenresSounds Like
  • Altan
  • The Chieftains
  • Old Crow Medicine Show
Gear Highlights
  • Dynaudio
  • Sennheiser
  • Røde
  • Audio-technica
  • AKG
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