Eric Swanson on SoundBetter

Eric is a musician, producer, engineer, and solo artist (under the name 'Swansonge') with a talent for finishing songs start-to-finish in his bedroom. He has experience with every part of the creative process: writing, producing, recording, mixing, mastering. He's worked in a variety of genres of music and even has experience editing podcasts.

Eric offers a variety of services at low cost. He will help at any individual stage(s) of your creative process or take your work all the way from start to finish. Whether you need a mixing engineer, or want to take your song from a few bars to a mastered track, he has you covered. Because he works out of his bedroom and not in a major studio, he can keep costs low and give you his full attention. He also offers remote mixing and mastering so you can stay safe and get what you need from the comfort of your home.

Eric has a diverse musical background; from playing brass in drum and bugle corps, to joining a few gigs for a ska band, to writing originals in his own alternative style. He enjoys experimenting in his production style and is willing to tackle most genres. He'll even edit podcasts or dialogue if that's more your style!

The full list of his services included below. Prices are negotiable:
Music Production
Song writing
Recording
Mixing
Mastering
Podcast/dialogue editing

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

Credits

3 Reviews

Endorse Eric Swanson

by Gregory Mahan
Eric has a great ear, and is a talented musician and songwriter. Super personable and a pleasure to work with, he is an asset to both the songwriting and production process!
by Dallas
I hired Eric to edit my podcast and couldn’t have been happier with the result. On top of being a skilled and versatile audio engineer, he’s as personable and professional as they come. Give this guy a try - you won’t regret it!
by Jake
Eric is a truly dedicated and organized artist. While being open minded and laid back, he always has positive energy and some great creativity up his sleeve! I can’t stress enough how worthwhile it is to get him onboard your project.

Interview with Eric Swanson

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I am most proud of my most recent single, Truly. This song has a lot of personal meaning to me and is my first song to break 1000 listens on Spotify.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm currently working on my first album! I'm about 3/4 through the writing process
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Lucas Delisle (aka l.ucas). He's a great guy and does awesome production work!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital. Realistically, I cannot afford much analog gear. Digital allows for a lot of flexibility and experimentation.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: My 'promise' to my clients is that I'll always try to respect them and their art
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: What I like most is being involved in making a piece of art that's available for the whole world to listen to
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: They usually ask what type of music I like to work on. I say that I'm open to most genres.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: I think the biggest misconception about what I do is that making music is as easy as plugging in a mic and recording. A lot of work goes into making a cool production and putting time into the mix.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What can I do to make sure you're happy with the final product and how can I help you have fun along the way?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: My advice would to not be afraid to reach out and ask to collaborate. A lot of smaller producers like myself are looking to make more connections.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My laptop, my SM57, my acoustic guitar, my moleskin to write lyrics in, and a pen (for writing of course!)
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I actually went to college and got my Bachelor's degree in computer engineering with a minor in sound recording technology. Although I have some formal education in audio engineering, I had to learn a lot on my own and/or from my friends. I mostly do my music work part time.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I would describe my style as "home-y" and inviting. I try to write music that's authentic to me and that I have a lot of fun making
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I would love to work with Magdalena Bay. As creators they have so much fun with their work and have nailed a pop production style.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: My best tip would be to occasionally have a day where you trying producing in a new genre. You could discover new elements or tricks you could use in your other music!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: The best way to describe the music I work on is "alternative" or "indie" with pop and rock elements. For me it's hard to pin an exact genre.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is my ability to collaborate. I have no problem experimenting with others' ideas and pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone to make something cool.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: For every song I embrace creativity and bring a willingness to experiment. I love music in all genres and appreciate what different styles can bring to a song.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: For my own music, I write and arrange my songs in pieces over the course of a few sessions. Once I have my ideas written out I like to go back and re-record all my audio tracks and leave MIDI as a good frame for timing and key. I like to spread mixing over the course of a few sessions as well. Mastering is usually done in one session. I find that by spreading my work over a few smaller sessions rather than one large one, I can sit with my ideas (or mix) and don't have to worry much about listening fatigue.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I do all my work in my bedroom. Usually for tracking mics I use my Audio Technica AT2020 or Shure SM57. I run all audio through my Behringer UMC404HD (with 4 combo inputs). Audio playback goes through my PreSonus Eris E3.5 speakers. All my workflows run through the PreSonus Studio One DAW, which gives me a lot of flexibility to write, record, mix, and master.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I'm inspired by artists in a variety of genres, but here are some highlights: Production -- Tame Impala, l.ucas Lyrics -- Hozier, LIAM Song writing -- Hayley Williams, Magdalena Bay
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Production and editing/mixing