Olav Luksengård Mjelva on SoundBetter

Hi! Want some real strings on your recording? I´m a professional musician with a lot of experience with recording solo violin, string sections and arrangements. I also specialise in the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle, if you want that "Viking" sound. I've recorded a lot for TV (Lord of the rings & Loki), movies and computer games the past years.

Mainly into folk, americana/bluegrass style fiddling, but I´ve also done a lot of bigger arrangements.
I have a professional recording studio with a lot of different instruments; violins, violas, double bass, guitars etc.
My speciality is the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle, which gives you that Nordic "viking" sound.
I have done remote recordings for a lot of albums, movies and computer games and even been lucky to work with some of the greatest composers in Hollywood. Some of the latest projects: The Marvel series Loki (season 1 & 2), The Lord of the Rings - the Rings of Power series and the PlayStation game God of War - Ragnarok.

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

1 Reviews

Endorse Olav Luksengård Mjelva

by Richard S.
Verified
I had a great experience working with Olav. I needed some Hardanger fiddle playing on a folk track I’m producing and he did a fantastic job. He offered a quick turn around, delivering well recorded professional tracks. He’s a great player and was very happy to provide lots of takes, variations and revisions, so I ended up with plenty of options. I was very happy with the end result, so I’m sure I’ll be working with him again in the future!

Interview with Olav Luksengård Mjelva

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: One of the bigger projects I've been working on was recording Hardanger fiddle for the Marvel Series "Loki". It was a proud moment when the series was "on air"!
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Some really big stuff coming up in the next few months! Stay tuned!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Analog. I don´t have anything against digital mixers, but I love my analog Seesam2. When it comes to recording strings, there is a softness to the analog gear that the digital can´t beat.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: A fiddle, a guitar and 3 Hardanger fiddles!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: It´s flexible, but most of all I love to be creative and come up with new melodies and harmonies.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Probably that I´m only into folk music.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Don´t be afraid of getting in touch.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I´ve been a freelance musician for the past 15 years, touring all over the world. The past 4 years I´ve been spending more time in my studio.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Probably one of my American fiddle heros. Gabe Witcher, Mark O´Connor. So many good ones.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: I usually try to record a lot of stuff and put it away for a couple of days. Come back with fresh ears!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I´ve been working a lot with adding strings to movies and computer games the past years. Other than that, I´m working on a new solo album right now, and a couple of other projects, amongst them a folk-metal project.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill... Strings, obviously. And I like to think I´m quite flexible between genres. I also like to work a lot, which is a good thing in this line of work.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I started playing folk music when I was 6, and the past years I´ve been touring all over the world with my folk-bands. I´m also very inspired by a lot of other music styles, so I think I bring a folkish sound, but I like to think that I´m able to adapt to other styles.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Usually for this kind of work, I usually get sent the files and a description of what the customer wants.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have a professional recording studio where we also record other artists.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I´m inspired by a lot of musicians in different styles and I listen to everything. These days I´m mostly into metal, and I´m working on a folk metal album on my own.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I do a lot of remote recordings for albums, movies and computer games. Some times they want a single violin and sometimes they ask for string sections. I also specialize in the Norwegian hardanger fiddle, which is more "drony" and is used for many soundscapes where the "Viking" sound is needed.

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