I'll do whatever it takes to mix your raw tracks into punchy and polished records that you will be proud of! Specialized in punkrock, hardcore and metal. Don't hesitate to get in touch!
About Bart van Lier:
Entering the music scene as guitarist/bandleader in the early 90's, he has been recording, mixing and mastering music for over 20 years, all kinds of genres ranging from singer-songwriters/rap/pop/rock to his regular clientele of punkrock, hardcore and metal.
About High Lake Hill Studio:
High Lake Hill Studio is a recording studio founded in 2006, located in Brecht, Antwerpen (B).
Control room, recording room and ISO booth are designed by an acoustic engineer and they sound amazing.
Equipped with high-end gear.
Relaxed, spacious environment.
Services:
- Recording
- Editing
- Time Alignment
- Vocal pitch correction
- Re-amping
- Mixing
- Mastering
Send me a note through the contact button above.
Credits
- Arrow Haze
- This Means War
- The Agitators
- Midnight Tattoo
- Fabulae Dramatis
- Bruce
- Capital Scum
- Customized
- Dear Hearts
- Fit For The Bleeding
- The Grave Brothers
- Hellsonics
- Inner Sun
- The Insumers
- The Jesters
- Lesser God
- The Phantom Fury
- Pushed Too Far
- The Reapers
- Shandy
- Ten Form Fist
- A Strange Alliance
- Adios Pantalones
- Art Of The Fallen
- Black Cat Bone Squad
- Black Leather Jacket
- Carpe
- Crucial Times
- Dancing Morons
- Dead End Path
- Designed By Dirt
- Dick Torture and the Selfabusers
- The Dirty Hands
- Dischargers
- Discipline
- Drunks With Guns
- Electrons Libres
- Engelvuur
- Enough Said
- Fester
- Five Across
- Fokuse
- Funeral Dress
- Gerasene Pigs
- Grand Divine
- Guardian Heliotrope
- The Heartaches
- Helluray
- Hordes Of Devastation
- I See The Sea
- Microphonics
- Mise en Scene
- Misogynes
- Mniño
- Mudcookies
- The Neglected Wood Pigeons
- Nervous Chillin'
- The Nipples
- No Reason Why
- One Minute Off
- Overweight
- The Partycrashers
- The Patrons
- Phyzzzical Indian
- Poison Heart
- The Redhounds
- The Reeves
- Rob A Dub
- The Rumble Jacks
- Sacrifice To The Elves
- Scumluck
- The Sick Boys
- Silly Bird
- Silver & Gold
- Str8 2 The Point
- Strychnine
- Timmy Hillfire
- Toxic Shock
- Trail Of Hope
- Unite Against Society
- Unleash The Fury
- Witness The End
8 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client
Endorse Bart van Lier- check_circleVerified
My band looked into a ton of different options for mastering before running across Bart. We were really impressed by how involved Bart was with our project. It was evident that other engineers were just running our tracks through some preset system they had. Bart's masters were drastically better than the competition and really worked with us. He is very knowledgable and gave some game changing feedback on our mixes. Hopefully he is available for our next album!
Dedlights
- check_circleVerified
Bart did an amazing job mixing and mastering with our song. It was recorded on my home studio and he really put his talent to fix some recording issues. He was very successful on getting the concept for the song and created a very powerful track. Revisions were quick. Very satisfied with the results and looking forward to hiring him again for new tracks.
In the 80s I played in an Oi! group called Comrade.
We then recorded a demo (on cassette) and 1 ep.
Recently a German label wanted to release everything back.
Bart then remixed and mastered everything from that cassette, from that EP and some video recordings. We are incredibly satisfied with the result. This re-mixc will soon be released on an LP.Each time we visited the studio, he succeeded in putting us at ease and pushing us to a higher level . Taking away the stress, especially for new recording artist, results in a relaxed atmosphere in the control room, even if certain sessions need to be played over and over again until perfection.
Once all is recorded, Bart can start working his magic. His knowledge of punk and other alternative music styles, results in a sound that fits perfect to what we had in mind: powerful yet melodic sing-along music in high quality recordingsI went to Bart & High Lake Hill Studio for the first time years ago. I’ve been returning ever since. Bart has amazing skills, well-trained ears and he is most talented. He has an impressive knowledge of recording, mixing and mastering techniques. On top of that he has a wonderful personality and makes you feel at home (it’s a lovely place anyway). Of course when recording, the songs have to be good, but in the end the sound is equally important and at High Lake Hill you get an amazing sound. For future recordings with my bands Engelvuur and Inner Sun I’m definitely going back to High Lake Hill
We recorded our last 2 BRUCE albums ("Captain, we've lost Bruce" + "My Latest Popstar Crush" in Bart's High Lake Hill studio, and are extremely happy with the result.
We all felt very comfortable during the recording sessions, everything was perfectly organised, and managed to work efficiently without wasting useless time.
Bart understands like no other how punk rock should sound, he immediately knew which sound fitted best to our music and made lots of suggestions.
Not only a great guy and great musician, but also the best sound engineer and co-producer for our albums!We are very satisfied with Bart van Lier's services. He has a great attention for detail and quality. Van Lier mixed our long play album "Solar Time's Fables" and mixed and mastered our last single "The City (Translucent)". Being a musician himself, he has the musical know-how to understand your music and to record, mix and master it patiently and with the highest quality possible. Bart listens and adapts carefully to the client's feedback. He has a well-trusted responsibility and he keeps a constant and professional communication with the musicians in order to guarantee the best and desired.
The first time I heard Bart's work I was impressed right away. His work on the records from Midnight Tattoo and 1984 was something I was looking for for a long time with my own band. The fact that Bart is very familiar with the punk rock genre was a big benefit as well.
We recorded our second album with The Reapers at Bart's High Lake Hill Studio and the result was amazing. From that day I decided to involve Bart as much as I can with my musical projects. His easy character and amazing skills are the best you can find in a studio. High Lake Hill is THE studio for your punk rock sound!
Interview with Bart van Lier
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Second full length album of Fabulae Dramatis. They're a very diverse, open-minded guitar driven band, combining metal with influences from all over the world. I had to record instruments that I didn't even know existed. It was challenging bringing it all together in a mix but very proud with the result. Rules are there to be broken and Fabulae Dramatis is the perfect example!
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Not yet but hope to make some connections.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Macbook Pro, Neve 1073, Townsend Labs Sphere L22 mic, guitar and a coffee machine!
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I'll ask them to send 3 reference tracks to give me an idea of what overall sound they're after. I'll also ask for clearly named multitracks, NOT "audio_1", "audio_2",... but "Kick", "Snare",... Specials request per song (effects, edits,...) before mixing starts are a huge timesaver as well.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Aim to track/record your songs in the best quality and as tight as possible. Record DI tracks of the guitars and bass as well so we can re-amp if necessary. Try to avoid the "we'll fix it in the mix" mentality. If you track mediocre you'll end up with a good mix but if you track great you'll end up with a fantastic mix!
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Punchy & polished, in your face! As I've been playing in punkrock and hardcore bands for many years myself, I also look at the mix from a musicians' perspective. When the goosebumps arrive, I know I'm in the good direction!
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Butch Vig, Steve Albini, Chris Lord Alge, Jordan Valeriote
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital. Plugins these days are so good that you get the best of both worlds. You can back off on the analog emulations if needed, bring down hiss etc. And recalling sessions is instantly which makes revisions much faster.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: That I'll do whatever's in my power to deliver a mix/master they're happy with. As I said before, musicians work hard on their songs, I see it as my duty to give them a mix/master they are proud of. Once they release their songs they're out there forever!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: You never stop learning new tricks, there's always room for improvement. But what I like most about my job is diving into a mix to make the pieces of the puzzle fall together, making clients happy/proud of the end result.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started recording demos on a 4-track tape recorder in the 90's to help out local bands. Gradually upscaled into the DAW world starting with a Roland VS880. I was always intrigued by the recording/mixing engineers when standing at the other side of the glass tracking guitar for my bands. First it was all a hobby but eventually couldn't combine it anymore with my day job so decided to take the jump and went fulltime pro running my own studio (High Lake Hill Studio) in 2007.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I mainly do full productions for guitar driven bands (recording, editing, mixing & mastering). Musicians work hard on their songs so it's my goal to give them a production that represents their vision and they can be proud of.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I mix in the box with Pro Tools HDX and an Avid S4-24 fader mixing console. I've got a huge list of plugins in my arsenal, the options are almost endless. I prefer to mix in the box because it makes revisions so much faster, the session is back in front of me with the push of a button!
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I ask the band to send me 3 reference tracks to give me a better idea of the sound they're after. I usually mix one or two songs and send these out to the band, they give me feedback and I'll keep on tweaking the mix until they're completely satisfied. From then on I'll start mixing the other songs, the band gets 3 included revisions per song. Most of the times 3 revisions are enough to bring the project home.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Less is more! If you're going for a wall of sound, hard hitting production, there's no need for excessive layers of guitars. Just track 2 rhythm guitars (left and right) as tight as possible.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Streetpunk, Punkrock, Hardcore, Metal and Alternative/Indie
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I'm a perfectionist when it comes to editing & mixing.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I've been in bands myself since the early 90's and know from experience how hard it sucks when you pay a recording studio hard earned cash and get a mediocre result. When you release a song it's out there forever, so I will do whatever's in my power to make an amazing, in your face mix that puts a smile on the artist's face!
I was the Recording & Mixing engineer in this production
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $300 per song
- Mastering EngineerAverage price - $70 per song
- Recording StudioAverage price - $450 per day
- RemixingAverage price - $300 per song
3 revisions included (more at hourly rate), typical 1 week turn-around time, please send 3 reference tracks to give me an idea what sound you're after.
- Cock Sparrer
- Social Distortion
- Dropkick Murphys
- Pro Tools
- Avid S4
- Kemper Profiler
- Neve 1073
- UA 2-610
- Plugin Alliance Mega Bundle
- Waves Mercury
- Soundtoys 5
- iZotope
- ...
Discount on mixing multiple songs, open minded about working on tighter budgets
- The AgitatorsOct 19, 2020
The Agitators mark over 588k streams since 2015 on Spotify.
Recorded, Mixed & Mastered at High Lake Hill Studio by Bart van Lier.
The Agitators on Spotify - Fabulae Dramatis rewardedOct 19, 2020
Fabulae Dramatis was rewarded, in the most important category there is, BEST SOUND & MUSIC at the "Experimental, Dance & Music Film Festival" and "WILDsound" - "FEEDBACK Film Festival" from Canada and United States of America. Extremely happy for them, they really deserve this!!
Recorded & Mixed at High Lake Hill Studio by Bart van Lier.