Steev on SoundBetter

I'm a freelance music producer, engineer and guitarist based in Belgium. I write, record and produce music for independant artists and major brands.

I am a Luxembourg based producer, and session guitarist. I have been producing music dor major brands (commercials) and making killer tracks for tons of awesome indie artists as well.

I produce pop, rock, country, and most top 40 genres. I play electric/acoustic/baritone guitar, bass, synth, keys, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, lap steel, dobro, and program drums. For real drums I have access to the top drummers in France, Belgium and Germany. I can mix, and master as well. I basically live in my studio!

My goal here is to translate your ideas and vision to tracks. I play for the song, and will strive to give you the absolute best performances, tones, and vibes for your music.

For instrumental tracking: I create all parts/riffs from scratch depending on how specific, or broad your vision is for the song. You can send me rough clips singing a hook idea, and I can take and make it a signature lick for the song etc.

My studio has a wide range of vintage guitars and amps as well as modern gear and hundreds of effect pedals. We can nail any sound you like.

When i record or mix, i'm always 80% analog and 20% digital. I prefer the old fashion way of doing things to bring that 3rd dimension to the sound.

I'm here to be an asset to your music. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thank you for stoping by !

Steev

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

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Interview with Steev

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: The album "Tombée de l'arbre" by the french artist Lydie Keller. I was asked by Lydie to produce the record and make some arrangements on some songs. She gave me "carte blanche" to choose the team and the studios, i had one month to deliver the finished product. I locked everybody at ICP Studios in Brussels, hired a musical director, a good engineer and the best musicians i knew. To this day i still love this record and i'm really happy of the arrangements i wrote.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: On a sonic branding project for a new french sport brand.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I don't now anyone yet on SoundBetter but i love expanding my network so i probably will.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Analog because.. Analog is like being on a date with Margot Robbie in a nice restaurant while digital is having a date with Margot but through skype...
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: Your project can be the next summer hit, a soundtrack for a commercial, a radio jingle or a video of your kids posted on YouTube, i will work the same way with no compromise ! I'll spend the same time fine tuning things and i will use my vintage analog gear for any type of work.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: No routine, every day i start something new and i learn something new very day too.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Can i ask revisions ? Of course ! we're not done until you get what you want. Do you work on digital or analog gear ? Full analog, no kemper, helix,.. real amps with mics. Do you read music ? yes i do. How do you deliver your work ? I set a shared folder on dropbox and i put prints of individual tracks (with and without fx) as well as mixed stems.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: The time i spend on things you can't hear (reverbs, compression, EQ,..)
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What kind of files will you send me ? Do you have a ProTools session ready to go ? AND at what stage is production ?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Ask anything and think outside of the box.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Is there electric power on that island ? If no ; a vintage Gibson J45, a kick drum, a megaphone, a ukulele and a dobro with a slide. If Yes ; a fender tweed deluxe 57, my 63 telecaster, a good delay pedal, a ribbon mic and a 4 tracks reel to reel tape recorder.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been working as a musician and producer for nearly 20 years. I first started as a freelance guitarist and toured quite a lot during 10 years. At the age 30 i started to get tired of this life and i found the studio was the place where i could do what i wanted to do at any time. Even if the energy you get while playing on stage is great and i can miss it sometimes, the studio is to me much more creative.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Ry Cooder and Jeff Beck had a child who was raised by U2
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Paul McCartney... because he's the greatest songwriter ever !
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Always start from the vocals ! The DNA of a song is a voice and the words not a kick and snare sound or a fuzz lead. Those are there to serve up the vocalist.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop Rock mostly, i have this Brit Pop natural sound.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Music and sound culture
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Texture, dimension, spaces, melodies, hooks and emotion
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: First i like to make a clear and visual ProTools session with tempo, markers and color codes. It's important to me so i can see how the music is built. This helps me to picture my arrangement with a nice build up. When i have that done, i already have a few ideas of what i will be doing, i hear the parts in my head. The next step is finding the right amp, mic, guitar, pedal and get the sound that fits the best into the song. Then i'll make some rough takes to see how it works and how it sounds, make a balance of the stems with my parts so i can fine tune my sounds for final takes.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I'm an old fashion analog guy ! 80% of my studio is pure analog, vintage Neve 1073 mic pres, Neve 33609, 1176, Chandler limited,... as well as a nice selection of ribbon and condenser mics. For guitars, i like to use real mics on real speakers in a real room. The other 20% is digital using UAD, soundtoys, waves,.. plugins for mixing. I do have an analog mix bus rack withe a SSL Fusion, Neve 33609 and a Kerwax Replica.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I really like Greg Wells, he's a very talented musician and producer. I'm also very inspired by Dave Cobb and Michael Brauer for music production and mixing. For the guitar ; Jeff Beck, Ry Cooder, Jimi Page, Scott Holliday (Rival Sons), Neil Young,..
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I produce a lot of music for commercials, television and marketing campaigns. As a guitarist, when i don't write for my own catalog, i work with independant artists and producers.