Chris Mars on SoundBetter

Specialising in keyboard, piano, vocals, songs, music for film, adverts, sound design and special FX, no job is too big or small. As a classically trained Pianist/Keyboardist and Vocalist I have the tools to bring out the very best in your work. With years of recording and live experience I understand the needs of the modern musician and writer.

I started my career as keyboard player and backing vocalist for 'A Flock Of Seagulls' in 1986 for the USA and Canadian Tour before continuing as lead vocalist on one of the UK's popular television variety shows in the 1990's. Writing songs and working my way through different recording formats I teamed up with some of the worlds best musicians to write and record on a regular basis.
I strive for perfectionism in all aspects of my live and recording endeavours, with extreme focus on detail. I work quickly and methodically which suits my work ethic, as often sessions and recordings need to be completed yesterday!
My love and passion for music is a huge part of my life and continues to grow with every new project and production I am fortunate enough to be involved with.
I keep up to date with the very latest cutting edge new software engines and plugins and learning to use them to the very best of my ability is a must in todays fast changing soundscape and sound design environment.

Once we discuss in detail what you are looking for I will send you an mp3 for you to listen to and then we can discuss any changes you would like. When you are happy with the finished files I will send you the high resolution files.

I look forward to working with you on your projects and promise to give you the very best I can to make your tracks stand out from the rest.

Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.

Credits

Languages

English

6 Reviews

Endorse Chris Mars

by Prince T.
Verified
Chris was very quick and brought a new element to the production that complimented and accentuated the track brilliantly. Quality + speed = efficiency and Chris has been the most efficient musician I've dealt with to date on SoundBetter.
by Scott B.
Verified
Working with Chris has re-ignited my desire to write more. I asked him for help recording some keyboard parts and a real horn section, and he took it from there. The result blew me away - from the parts he charted, produced and played to the quality of the recording, I honestly can't say enough good things here or thank him enough!
by Travis W.
Verified
An absolute pleasure to work with. Delivered a great song quickly and professionally. Looking forward to working with chris again in the future!
by blake h.
Verified
He's your man
by blake h.
Chris Mars employs a musical Occam's razor that gets your instrumentation from point A to B with perfect simplicity, execution, and delivery. I highly recommend avoiding the unnecessary weeds of creative confusion by placing your trust, time, and compositions into his truly tasteful artistry.
by Chuck Sabo
I worked with Chris on a couple of projects, and played on his LP. He's a very good musician, and has a great selection of Keyboards & sounds! He's a pro, and a nice guy with it!

Interview with Chris Mars

Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I've been inspired over the years from playing cover songs in various venues with different artists and have absorbed the brilliance of these classic songs, which have subsequently inspired me to write along similar veins. My style is a melting pot of all classic songs and productions without putting it into one category I would say i'm original but inspired by the classics.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Macbook Pro running Logic Pro X. Native instruments Komplete software. Omnisphere, Stylus RMX, Trillian, Massive, Reaktor, Real Guitar, Kontakt, Predator, Korg M1, Polysix, Wavestation, UVI Xtreme FX, UVI mellotrons. UVI Vintage Organs. Maschine Studio and Micro modules. MainStage for live. Variety of mother keyboards including Native Instruments S49. Korg 88 key fully weighted electric piano. Neumann TLM 103 microphone Fender Stratocaster
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Singer songwriter, instrumentals. I love a challenge, I thrive on original concepts as well as old school.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I played guitar in bands from the age of 13 and started earning a good living playing piano, singing in clubs and venues around London before becoming involved in touring and television work. I have been writing and performing all my life, along with my love of keyboards and sounds.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: My first major album release, 'Another Time Another Place' I wrote all the tracks along with some co-writes, I produced and nurtured it from start to finish, it was self funded and the finished product was better than I expected. The end result turned out exactly how I had planned and on time.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: My second album, and about to start work on producing a covers album for a client.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Chuck Sabo - he played drums on my new album and cannot recommend him highly enough, a top world class pro.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both have their place in the world, but with the advent of faster and more complex algorithms, recreating analog using computers is creating an almost invisible border between the 2 formats. Ultimately analog will always have that classic edge but we must move on with technology and embrace it for what it can give the industry. A good song or piece of music will still be good on either platform.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: To do my very best with passion and for them to be 100% happy with the results.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Creating something that never existed before and to be able to inspire others with the music.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What is the music for, and when do you need it by.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Be clear as to what you would like me to add to your tracks. If they are not clear then allow me to suggest what I instinctively feel is best for the job.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Piano, Guitar, Microphone, good PA and reverb!
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Coldplay - for their original inspiring use of modern sounds and clever simple melodies. It suits my way of thinking.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Don't dwell on demos for too long, if it doesn't sound right the first time it probably wasn't meant to be. Move on and don't be precious about it. Fluidity is an art form and can generate a strong steady workflow.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Melody, structure, emotion, singing with passion, choosing chords wisely and doing it quickly.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: From 'The Beatles' for their simplicity in writing commercial songs to 'Coldplay',' Pink Floyd', 'Genesis', 'The Police', 'Pat Metheny', 'Santana' for sheer craftsmanship and mastery of their instruments. Brian Eno for original and ground breaking production.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Keyboard arrangements, lead and backing Vocals - music for adverts for corporate and film music along with sound design.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I try to bring out as much feeling with the minimal amount of instrumentation, less is more, and it's not easy to do but over the years I have honed my craft to be able to achieve this quickly and efficiently.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Write a melody on the piano, record it into logic, build the tracks with bass, appropriate instrumentation needed for that particular track whether strings, organs, brass, FX etc. Programme drums or use real drummer. vocals, harmonies, mix and master.