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.

let's work!

Send me an email through 'Contact' button above and I'll get back to you asap.

Credits

Reviews

Endorse Zach Barokas

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.