
I have toured and recorded with several legendary Country Music artists over the past 25 years. I have owned and operated a recording studio since 2001 where my works can be heard on national ad campaigns and even the theme song for the SyFy hit series "Haven".
My instruments include fiddle/violin, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, dobro, nylon string and baritone guitars.
I am proficient in many different styles including Country, Rock, Bluegrass, Folk, Blues and open to trying just about anything!
- Multi Instrument Discounts-
Send me an email through 'Contact' button above and I'll get back to you asap.
333 Reviews - 81 Repeat Clients
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Bruce knocked it out of the park yet again. So easy to work with and always a high quality result!
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Fantastic fiddle and pedal steel work! Super fast turnaround, beautiful playing, and top-notch quality. Highly recommend Bruce!
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Another exceptional performance by Bruce. He played fiddle, dobro and mando on this track. Always a pleasure working with him. Very highly recommended!
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I love adding Bruce's tracks to my songs! This recent one was a cover I recorded, and the pedal steel guitar was a perfectly beautiful touch to finish it off - so appreciated!
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I love working with Bruce. Easily the best multi-instrumentalist you can find. Very highly recommended!!
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Always great and grateful to work with Bruce! He is a true master of his craft!!
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Bruce is as professional as they come! I requested a fiddle part from him and he crushed it! His response time was incredibly fast and he was very easy to work with. Five stars all around!
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Beautiful work, I'm really pleased with how the track turned out. Bruce went above and beyond and knocked it out of the park. 5 stars on the pedal steel, fiddle and banjo!
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I love working with Bruce because he knows what I need to make my song sound better (pun intended) and I don't have to give him a lot of direction. Very talented and highly recommended!!!
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HOLY MOLY! Had the joy of collaborating with Bruce for a pop country project and he completely blew my mind. His fiddle, Pedal steel and banjo added so much authentic country magic and depth to the project. Total pro, INSANELY talented, fast turnaround and just a pure joy to work with. Bruce is an absolute WIZARD! Can’t wait to collaborate again...1000/10 recommend!! 🙌🔥🎻🤠
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bruce is always on point, thank you!
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Bruce is always right on the money! Never disappointed in what he brings to a record. Looking forward to working with him again!
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We've hired Bruce five times now and his fiddle and pedal steel talents take our songs to a wonderful place! We can't say enough about his expertise and ease to work with through SoundBetter!
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It was a pleasure working with Bruce. He’s a proficient professional. I hope to work more with Bruce in the future.
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Bruce was amazing and added just what I needed to my record! He was also very timely and got the project done within 24 hours! Definitely going to work with him in the future!
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I would give Bruce extra stars for not only being a masterful musician, but he's also an exceptional person to work with. I'm already looking forward to our next project!
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My second time working with Bruce and he did a stellar job livening up my country track with fiddle and lap steel. Turn around time was super fast and he is a great guy to communicate with. Highly recommended!!
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I needed to put some fiddle parts on my new track, within a day Bruce understood exactly what I wanted and sent me the parts, really nice work!
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This was my second time working with Bruce. He added pedal steel to a track that was missing an important element to take it to the next level and complete it. He delivered a wonderful part that was well recorded and was that missing ingredient. A great musician to work with, I highly recommend Bruce.
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Working with Bruce is not only easy and professional but also an absolute pleasure. Dedication and outstanding quality. I can’t wait to collaborate on our next project!
Interview with Bruce Hoffman
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I recorded an album using the violin that belonged to Laura Ingalls Wilder's father Charles "Pa" Ingalls. It was a compilation of tunes she remembered as a child and wrote about in her "Little House On The Prairie" book series. It was a very special project and all of the violin tracks were cut in the living room of the house that she wrote her books in Mansfield, Missouri.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Comping vocals for an upcoming project on a young lady from Japan
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Yes, I've worked with Andrea Perry, I recommend her for production, bass, backing vocals and composition
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: I grew up in the analog world and love the warmth of 2" , but it is so nice to have the flexibility of digital. With the plug-ins we have today, it takes a better ear than mine to tell them apart.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: My promise is that I make every effort possible to achieve an excellent result for their tracks.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: This beats working for a living!!
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: My customers ask various things.....time frame, my recording process and what I need from them. I generally have a quick turn around and I'm very detailed with my tracks and recording techniques.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Fiddle -not only a country / hoe-down instrument.... actually a very versatile instrument for blues, rock and many other styles as well as doing orchestrated string lines. Same with Steel Guitar - I can do your straight ahead country twang, and turn around and put a wah-wah or distortion on it. Very versatile as well
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I try to make every effort to obtain the sound and feel that a customer is seeking.. I will ask them what direction and style they are after. Sometimes having them find an example will help, usually when I hear the song, I'll pretty much feel what it needs but will communicate to reach satisfaction for the customer.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Give me a shot, I feel that our first session could be the first of many.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: A Bass fiddle to convert into a boat and a banjo to use as a boat oar.....Oh sorry, that was a bad joke!......................... Probably my fiddle and mandolin,(steel guitar is too heavy to lug around) If I have electricity.....a Mac book, UA Apollo and a tube microphone
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been playing fiddle/violin since I was 5, picked up guitars and mandolin soon after. At 16 I bought my first steel guitar. I've been performing in live shows in Branson, MO for over 22 years. I was first introduced to studio work when I was 14, I started operating my studio in 2001 along with my show performances and touring.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Country/Blues/Rock..... I try to be flexible and strive to give the song the style it deserves.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Actually, as a child, I grew up with music in our home. One of my all time favorite singers was Mel Tillis.....singer, songwritter, publisher, movie actor, TV personality. I was blessed to tour with him for over 5 years.......it was a dream come true! I would like to work with John Fogerty, Bob Dylan and maybe Melloncamp... love their music!
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: The project is a painters canvas......what I as a studio instrumentalist do can either compliment or complicate it!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Mostly singer/songwritter projects, I love bringing someone's creation to life! Country Music (old and modern) Folk and Americana Rock Bluegrass
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: fiddle, mandolin, and steel guitar are my strongest instruments
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I feel my strength is in knowing when and where to color....it's all about knowing how to compliment a vocalist's performance and knowing when to stay out of the mix. I love to create small lead lines and either twin the parts or do a unison line with one my other instruments.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Client sends either an mp3 or wav of the project and setup info like bpm, sample rate. Also any instructions or notes. I import into a session and start coloring. When done, I will send a sample mix mp3 and wait for approval or any notification of any changes needed. I usually can turn a project around within the day if not a few hours.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Mac Pro dual Quad processor, Cubase 7.5, Tascam DM4800, 2 Presonus Eureaka preamps, Valley People Dyna-mic preamp, Several tube, condenser, ribbon, and dynamic microphones.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I came up in the world of Country Music and Bluegrass, I've been inspired by the great producers like Owen Bradley, Chet Atkins and players like Pete Drake, Lloyd Green, Buddy Emmons, Tom Brumley, Buddy Spicher, Johnny Gimble, Kenny Baker as well as so many others. I am very current with todays sounds as well with influences of a more modern sounding Country Music and it's crossovers to Americana, Folk and Rock as well as other genres of music.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Multi-instrument overdubs.......fiddle, steel guitar, mandolin, dobro, guitars

I was the fiddle, guitars, steel guitar in this production
- ViolinContact for pricing
- Pedal SteelContact for pricing
- DobroContact for pricing
- Full instrumental productionContact for pricing
- String SectionContact for pricing
- Mac Pro 2x quad core
- Cubase 7.5
- Tascam DM-4800
- 2 Presonus Eureka preamps
- Valley People Dyna-mic pre
- various Tube
- condensor
- dynamic microphones
Discounts for multi-instrument tracking... See description for other instruments available