I can bring the attitude to your song with a guitar solo, melody line, or rhythm track. From Zakk Wylde to Slash, and Jason Hook to Adrian Smith, let's work together to make your music rock.
About me:
I have been playing guitar for 20 years now, and in that time I have crafted out a sound that has the three "t's" - Touch, Tone, and 'Tude. Completing the Diploma and Degree courses at the Guitar Institute in London has given me an understanding of all aspects of music, and playing live with various bands every week has given me the chance to hone my guitar chops, and understand what makes an awesome guitar tone. Previous gigs include trips to Holland, Germany, Italy and Belgium with hard rock and progressive metal originals bands.
"I hired Tom recently for some session work and he was professional, well prepared, flexible and easy to work with. Well played mate!"
- Dave Shalloe, Creative Music Studios, Essex, UK
My process:
To me it is all about serving the song, and with solos especially, I try to write a "song within a song." I know when to let the notes fly, and also when to hold back. Whatever your song requires, and however long it takes, we can keep working together until you are happy. With the Neural DSP Archetype; Petrucci plug in, and Logic Pro X, any tone you are after is possible.
Delivery:
I can send you the guitar tracks as recorded, a dry guitar sound with no effects, or even a DI track if you wish to use your own re amping software.
Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.
Interview with Tom Smith
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: It varies - but you can be sure it's heavy and rockin!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital for me, because it's really easy to work with.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: We will keep going until you are happy with the guitar parts.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: The creativity of writing a great guitar part, and working to a brief is a good challenge.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: "I like what you did on that take, but can you try it again but do it this way instead?" My answer is always "no problem, I'll get right on it!"
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I ask for as many references to songs or guitar players that they can give me. This helps me understand what they are after for their song. Specifically the sound, feel, style, and even some key guitar licks or riff ideas. For example, I recently had a client who wanted me to "Kirk Hammett" the solo, specifically like the tapping section of "One." I knew exactly what they meant, so delivered the track no problem!
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Have a clear idea of what you are looking for, and find the person who matches your vision. Don't compromise - after all it's your music!
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My Ltd guitar, PRS amp, MacBook, Audio interface, Headphones.... providing there is a power socket on this island!
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I have been playing guitar for 20 years. I started at school with gcse music, then on to the ICMP (Guitar institute) in London where I gained a diploma and degree in popular music performance, specialising in guitar. Since then I've played in various bands from original progressive metal, to a jazz quartet, a line dancing band, a hard rock originals band, funk band, and various cover bands in the Essex music scene. I still play live every weekend - I love it!
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Clean, precise melodic shred with attitude.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Jason Hook, so I could steal his secret guitar licks.... and he seems like a nice guy!
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: When double tracking rhythm guitars, try giving each one a slightly different tone to help them stand out from each other, and feel wider. For example, they could have different amps, or a slightly different eq, or one with less distortion, or one played with a different guitar.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Rock and metal music.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Knowing when to let rip and play fast, and when to hold back. Serving the song, and always staying melodic and musical.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring the rock attitude to a solo, the chunkiness and tone to a riff, and the touch and feel to a melody line.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I take all the references from the client and research the players' styles and songs they mention, to get the feel of what the client wants. Then I loop the section of the track I'm working on, and play around till I come up with a part I think fits the brief the best. I'll then tweak this and edit it so that it sounds the most musical it can, and send it over to the client for their feedback.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I run Logic Pro X on a MacBook Pro, with a Focusrite Scarlett audio interface. Plug ins include the excellent Neural DSP Archetype: Petrucci and Guitar Rig, and hardware also includes a Boss GT1000 multi effects pedal.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: It changes every day! But at the moment my favourite guitar players are Jason Hook, Zack Wylde, Slash and Warren DeMartini.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I record guitar solos, melody lines, and rhythm tracks for clients' songs. Specialising in rock and metal.
I was the Lead guitar player in the solo in this production
- Electric GuitarAverage price - $50 per song
Revisions - we can keep going until you are happy.
- Slash
- Jason Hook
- Adrian Smith
- Neural DSP Archetype: Petrucci
- Boss GT1000
- LTD Eclipse
- Fender FMTHH
- Charvel Pro Mod
- Logic Pro X
