Nate Whetsell on SoundBetter

Producing music for 25 years and composing since the age of 6. Former acoustical engineer. Current music theory and composition master’s student at New York University.

The challenge of writing and producing music is making what comes out of our speakers sound as good as what we hear in our heads. If your melody, beat, or entire track isn’t where you want it yet, I can help you get it there.

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Languages

English

3 Reviews

Endorse Nate Whetsell

by Finn O.
Verified
Nate provided creative and detailed feedback on my demos, showing his enthusiasm and desire to enhance and reimagine what my songs could be. He really knows what he's talking about when it comes to music.
by Scott Hampton
Nate is a stellar all around producer, instrumentalist and composer with strong roots in rock and pop, as well as plenty of reach when it comes to experimental, film score and electronic music. His technical background is extensive and his creativity is boundless!
by Michael Guerriero
A great guy and musician all around! His usage of sounds and analog/digital instruments are dope and fresh.

Interview with Nate Whetsell

Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: The words “analog” and “digital” mean different things in different contexts. Applied to audio recording, these days practically all audio ends up digitized. Applied to how music sounds, “analog” usually means “desirable and pleasant”, and “digital” usually means “undesirable and unpleasant”, which makes it hard to answer “digital”. But the truth is that “analog” sounds—tape saturation, vintage mixer pre-amps, tube amps, etc.—are readily achievable digitally, and some sounds—lookahead compression, FM synthesis—are difficult, if not impossible, to achieve unless they’re digital.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Can you send me 2 or 3 examples that are respectably close to the sound you’re going for?
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: MacBook Pro with Ableton Live and Bitwig, audio interface, microphone (with stand and cables), electric guitar, keyboard
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I keep things as simple and portable as possible. I have a pair of ADAM A5X’s for monitoring, but my “studio setup” is often my laptop and a pair of headphones.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Thom Yorke, Trent Reznor, Adrianne Lenker, Justin Vernon, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Thomas Newman