Zach Barokas on SoundBetter

Experienced, responsive, and efficient Audio Engineer specializing in modern Rap/Trap, Hip-Hop and Pop genres.

My clients choose me because I take the time to fully understand their vision and sincerely care about getting a great recording and mix. I am not a "press play and sit back" kind of engineer. I stay current with industry sounds and my experience also allows me to provide a quick turnaround for most projects.

I was a drummer in bands for many years, and when I moved to a small apartment without room for a drum kit, I started making beats instead. I ended up growing a business with my beats, and soon after started recording my client's songs. I quickly found that my engineering capabilities were beyond any of my other skills, so I started my journey into engineering professionally. I have been professionally engineering now for several years and have worked with hundreds of client's spanning many degrees of fame and experience.

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Interview with Zach Barokas

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Honestly, more than any major-label artist I have worked with, i am most proud of the ones just starting out. it's hard work to take that initial step, but i enjoy helping artists find their own sound and mix songs that they can be proud of moving forward.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: a combination of mixing/mastering songs, developing artists, and producing custom beats and tracks.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: digital, as the possibilities are far beyond some analog limitations - but a combination of both can be effective in many situations as well.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: to get your song right and be communicative throughout the process. i am happy to do revisions after the initial mix and i will give my opinions if asked, but i will not argue or try to change your wishes for your project.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: bringing an artists' vision to life, being able to take their ideas and enhance them. i care about my clients' having a solid experience and feeling proud of what they've made after we're finished.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: how long i've been engineering - 5 years professionally.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: that you need expensive analog gear to make a hit record.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: keeping realistic expectations. a great mix can enhance an already great song but focusing on the writing and performance is equally important. being clear on the sound you want/having clear reference tracks helps an engineer understand the sound you are going for and speeds up the overall process.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: macbook pro apollo twin townsend labs sphere L22 microphone yamaha hs8's WA73 preamp
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: after years of producing beats for artists and recording their songs, i landed a job at a well-known commercial studio in Seattle and made a transition to engineering full-time.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: minimal and effective. i prefer to enhance what's given to me rather than add too many extra fx of my own.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: you! you could have the next hit sitting on your hard drive, we just have to bring it to life.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: cut 1khz from your beat to add space for vocal.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: client communication and relationship building. my experience also allows me to provide efficient mixing and quick turnarounds.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: a modern, punchy sound with emphasis on clarity and balance.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: i typically have an introductory phone call or text exchange about a client's needs for their project. i then ask for stems, a pro tools/logic/garageband session and get to work on mixing or mastering. i send the MP3 bounce through email, and send WAV master once payment is completed/client is satisfied with mix.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: i have a small, treated basement studio where i do most of my recording, mixing/mastering. i do not believe in having expensive analog gear just for the *clout* so i keep my setup pretty minimal yet very effective.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Rick Rubin Jason Goldberg Alex Tumay Neek
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: recording and editing vocals mixing and mastering songs re-mixing and enhancing a client's former mix producing custom beats/tracks
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: what's your vision, and what kind of sound are you going for? what are positive experiences you've had with engineers and what are some negatives?
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: rap/hip-hop/trap music, but I am familiar and have worked on many other genres.