Brendan Dorman

Producer | Instrumentalist

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6 Reviews (1 Verified)
Brendan Dorman on SoundBetter

Countless hours in professional recording studios in all sorts of roles across Music City. University music training (B.M., Commercial Music, Music Technology - Belmont University - 2013). I want to help you unlock your project's full potential. I’m happy to work with any and all genres, so let’s make some noise!

ABOUT ME AND WHAT I DO: As a university-trained musician and producer, and formerly the studio manager and demo producer for a branch of Capitol Records and Universal Music Group, I’ve produced and performed music in many genres for a wide range of clients, including Disney, Sam Ryder (Eurovision 2022), and Warm Audio. Trumpet, Keys, Synth, and BGVs are my main areas of expertise, so if you're looking to add some extra instrumentation and color to your song, I can provide it for you. My other primary strength as a musician and producer is turning your unfinished song demo into a full, finished track that you can be proud to share with the world.

LET'S JAM: Send me your song demo or work tape with a description of what your production or instrumentation needs are, and I'll get to work to carry out your vision. I'll be in close contact with you throughout the process and will make sure that you are satisfied with the direction I’m taking your project.

NEED SOMETHING ELSE? No problem. I provide many other music and audio services for my clients. Check out my list of services or send me an email at portariusmusic@gmail.com to ask for something not listed here. My studio is also equipped with live-streaming cameras and direct audio from my computer and DAW (NOT audio from a phone or webcam mic), in case you want to work with me in real-time online!

@portariusmusic

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

6 Reviews

Endorse Brendan Dorman
  1. Review by Henry S.
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    Brendan's timely and expert work is top notch! I highly recommend him for Quality tracks, trumpet work, and consultations. He rocks!

  2. Review by Mitchell Taylor
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    by Mitchell Taylor

    We used Brendan for his trumpet skills on 3 tracks for our most recent LP entitled “Before There Was Plenty” - A Lover’s Plea (Acts I & II), and It Used To Feel Right. Nothing but good vibes. Quick and efficient, but most importantly layered the songs with dynamic flavor that made them so much more impactful and interesting instrumentally.

  3. Review by David Adkins
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    by David Adkins

    If you need any music produced that needs top notch synth, sound design, or trumpet/horns, look no further...Brendan is your guy!

  4. Review by Bryan M
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    by Bryan M

    We hired Brendan to create a theme song for our video game themed podcast. I wasnt expecting any kind of fast turnaround time as projects like these can take a while to ensure quality. I was not only pleasantly surprised at the much faster than expected turnaround time, but the track he provided was so much better than anything I could have imagined or asked for. It was so good that I didn't even have to ask for any rewrites or changes. Brendan is a serious professional with an incredible mind for music so many different genres and I can't recommend him enough!

  5. Review by Chase T.
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    I've had the pleasure of working with Brendan in multiple settings (live performance, co-writing, studio sessions), and he always brings loads of talent, marked by an effervescent personality that makes him easy to work with. When recording my first album and realizing I needed trumpets on a song, Brendan came to the studio prepared to play the parts I'd written for him, as well as ready to offer suggestions and improvements that greatly benefitted the song. I then offered him a trumpet solo, which he improvised masterfully. Ever since then, I've been inviting him to record on all my albums.

  6. Review by Sean Power
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    by Sean Power

    Brendan is amazing! I've had him sight read midi parts on trumpet, track on multiple projects, and perform on videos as well. He's efficient, knows his stuff, easy going, and professional. Highly recommended!

Interview with Brendan Dorman

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

  2. A: "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." I get to be creative, write music, make noise, be silly and work with incredible people for a living. I couldn't ask for a better job.

  3. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  4. A: The question I get asked the most comes after clients tell me an idea that they've had: "...is that possible?". As a producer, my job is bring ideas and sounds to the project that you might not have thought of on your own, and to make your project feel complete. So my answer is always, "let's find out!"

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

  6. A: Music production technology is often overwhelming and mysterious to those who don't understand what the technology does. There's a lot of buttons, knobs, and faders after all! For people who don't understand what a music producer actually does, they may think that I'm just pressing buttons in an unartistic way, only using presets made by someone else, and trying to throw ideas at the wall hoping they stick. In reality, producing is more like painting on a canvas; I take colors of sounds, chords, fx, and soundscapes, and create a picture for your ears. Sometimes, it IS random colors thrown together that create an interesting piece. Other times, every choice is intentional and the parts are arranged in a specific way for a specific reason. For me, it's all about finding a healthy balance between the two - that's what I think makes great music production and in turn, makes great art.

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

  8. A: Be honest and authentic with your music. Don't be ashamed of your craft, or what inspires your creativity. That's my mentality when it comes to working with other musicians. Mainly because this is what professionals do; they take their work seriously.

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

  10. A: Music takes practice. It doesn't matter if you're writing, performing, or producing. Practice like you're close to achieving your musical goals, because whether you realize it or not, YOU ARE. My professors and music teachers have all agreed over the years that practice brings the BEST musician out of your inner-most self. Without dedication to the craft, our skills won't grow. Practicing doesn't always mean picking up an instrument. Sometimes it means listening to songs you like, analyzing the production of the song, and then replicating it. One of my favorite quotes about music is by the great Russian composer, Igor Stravinsky : “A good composer does not imitate; he steals.” Start "stealing" production techniques. Practice.

  11. Q: How would you describe your style?

  12. A: The music I write for myself is a blend of various styles of electronic music, but leans towards EDM. If we're talking about my personal style, I'd have to classify myself as a big nerd trapped in a musician's body.

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

  14. A: In 2016, I was approached by Disney to participate in a video game soundtrack for the game "TRON RUN/r". I was hired to produce two remixes of tracks by the great Giorgio Moroder (Scarface, Donna Summer, The Never Ending Story), and Raney Shockne (Queen of the South, The Assignment) for the game; one of which was actually used in the game for it's own level. The audio department at Disney sent me the original stems for the songs, and I used those stems and my own instrumentation to produce two remixes that I'm still very proud of. at 26 years old, that was a huge accomplishment for me, and I look forward to the next time that I have the opportunity to do that.

  15. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  16. A: Over the last 6 months, I've been acquiring the best production gear I can so that I can streamline my production workflow and deliver quick returns for my clients. I've been working with bands, artists, and brands from all over Music City as an instrumentalist for their projects; Trumpet, Keys, and Synth mostly, but I've also been arranging horn charts, cowriting with clients and friends, editing podcasts, and making tracks for live performances. When I'm not doing those things, I'm writing original music, and practicing a LOT. I'm also the lead trumpet player in the 12 South Band (12southband.com), a party band from Nashville, so I've been performing all over the country with them for the past several years.

  17. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  18. A: I've always thought this was an arbitrary question. I use both in my studio, because sometimes, one sounds better than the other. I use whatever helps me get the best sound for your project.

  19. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  20. A: I'm here to be a resource for you - not just to take your money. I care about your project as if it was my own, and that's what my previous clients have always appreciated about my work ethic. You can expect my very best work, because that's what you'll get.

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

  22. A: I would take my Behringer Poly D synth, my favorite trumpet, my AKG C414 II mic, an interface, and my laptop! I think that's all I would need in order to have fun!

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

  24. A: I've been on this path since I was about 18 years old, so that would put me at 15 years of real production and performance experience.

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

  26. A: That really depends. Pop/Electronic is my specialty, but I have real work experience producing in every genre from children's music to metal and hardcore, so I don't discriminate.

  27. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  28. A: My studio is made up 5 hardware synthesizers, 3 drum machines that are all controlled with MIDI through a MIDI interface and USB by my computer. My computer is a 2012 Macbook pro, but works better than most brand new laptops because of the way that I have maintained and upgraded it over the years. I use Logic Pro X as my primary DAW, but I also have Ableton Live 10 and Reason 11. I have several MIDI controllers of various kinds (keys, drums, wind controllers) that I've programmed within Logic pro to help me put new ideas down fast. I don't like to waste time searching for the "perfect preset". I prefer to design an original sound using my instruments first, then add the finishing touches after. Check out my instagram for a look into what I do! @portariusmusic

  29. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  30. A: Music theory can be our greatest friend or our worst enemy when it comes to creating. But as the old adage goes, "rules were made to be broken." My strongest skill is taking an idea and taking it into its full potential as a project - whether I'm producing the entire project, or only adding small parts into it.

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

  32. A: One of my greatest strengths as a classically and commercially trained musician is my ear for hearing a song's potential. I look past the song into the "realm of the invisible" and try to imagine what it would sound like if there were no "rules" and I let the music do the talking instead of me.

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

  34. A: After more than 20 years of playing in bands and orchestras, and nearly 10 years working in the music industry, it's especially difficult for me to list all of the people in this industry that inspire me. Some of my personal favorite bands and artists are Tears for Fears, Giorgio Moroder, Above & Beyond, Daft Punk, Tangerine Dream, and The Midnight. I wouldn't say that the musicians themselves inspire me, per se, but rather the interesting sounds they create with electronics of all kinds. In my opinion, these are some of the bands and artists that have set the bar for music production today and over the last 50 years.

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Disney_TRON RUN/r_Brendan Dorman Remix

I was the Remixer/Producer in this production

Terms Of Service

- Base project fee for full song productions is non-negotiable
- Individual services can be negotiated before starting the project
- Free Demo mix, 2 free revisions, $50 fee for additional revisions

GenresSounds Like
  • Above & Beyond
  • The Chainsmokers
  • Tommee Profitt
Gear Highlights
  • Logic Pro X
  • Reason 11
  • Behringer Poly D
  • Korg Minilogue XD
  • Roland JU-06
  • Yamaha CX5M and RX-15
  • AKG C414II
  • Waves Plugins
  • Native Instruments Komplete
  • Kontakt
  • Arturia v8
  • iZotope
  • Serum
  • Omnisphere
  • Spitfire LABS
  • Cinestrings Core
  • and many more.
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SoundBetter Deal

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