Billy Anderson on SoundBetter

Music engineer and producer with hundreds of genre-defining metal, rock, and dark folk album credits.

I'm an engineer, producer, and musician. I've had the great fortune to be given the opportunity to work with hundreds of amazing bands on hundreds of albums during my career. Many of these works have become defining career statements for the artists I have worked with. I'm humbled that so many of these albums have had such a profound and lasting impact, and I would love to work with you to help your project reach its full potential to become something great.

"Anderson is notable for producing countless bands in the heavy rock and various subgenres of the metal world among a multitude of other genres since 1988." -Riffipedia

"Billy Anderson is best known as a producer and engineer who's worked with Neurosis, Swans, Sleep, Brutal Truth, The Unsane, Buzzov•en, RDP, Fantômas, Mr. Bungle, Asunder, Agalloch, Cattle Decapitation, Red House Painters, and Damad, to name a few." - Metal Archives

Here are some artists I've been working with more recently: Dead To a Dying World, Brume, High on Fire, Pike vs. The Automaton, Pallbearer, Witch Mountain, The Keening, Eight Bells, Acid King, Amenra, Asunder, Behold! The Monolith, Bell Witch, Black Table, Holy Grove, High Tone Son of a Bitch, Khorada, Leviathan, Nightfell, Orthodox, Tragedy, Year of the Cobra

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Credits

3 Reviews

Endorse Billy Anderson

by Susie McMullan
Billy understands both the intellectual and emotional part of recording and producing. He has a niche for bringing out your most beastly spirit. If you want to sound big, commanding and powerful then you’re in good hands when Billy.
by melynda Jackson
Billy is a true talent when it comes to production and engineering, and if you are lucky you can have him in a creative role in the context of your project. He naturally understands the subtlety and aesthetic an artist creates, and has the technical know how to make it happen. He is very good at producing but not sapping the emotional content from a body of work, and makes it fun. I didn't like recording until I worked with Billy. Now it is fun for me, and I have learned so much about the process which also has an effect on writing, ideas, performance. love this guy.
by Paul K.
Billy Anderson is the world's greatest living heavy music producer, hands down. His working style is efficient and he's just one of the most enjoyable people to work with and get creative with I've ever met. The sheer number of legendary albums this man has produced, engineered, and played on say it all. In my opinion, there is simply no other choice you can make for an engineer and producer if you have dedicated your life to playing heavy, dark, emotionally powerful music and want your vision to be fully expressed by someone who is one of us, not just an outside observer.

Interview with Billy Anderson

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I have worked on most kinds of music in my career. I have developed a long repoire with the heavy music commuinity--Metal, doom, sludge, black metal,
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I like to make sure the band or musician is comfortable before recording a note. Environment and confidence are key to any good performance. Then selecting the right mics and gear to use is the next important step-every band is different and knowing what will sound good through what signal path is something i constantly strive to acheive. For mixing i like to familiarize myself with the material, find out what exactly the band hopes to acheive with the mix and then get myself "in the zone" and right headspace to do the mix. After aceiving what i beleive to be an 80-85% mix, i like to play it to the artist and see what they think, gather feedback and get ready to make revisions to round one.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: for tracking i use The Hallowed Halls in Portland, Oregon. It's an amazing space in a historic building with a giant tracking room, amazing gear and a great staff.For overdubbing/mixing i tend to use my personal space, Everything Hz. It's a Protools-based studio also in Portland with high-end outboard gear, mics and plugins for every need.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: In depth hands-on production work during tracking sessions- From selecting microphones and processing, micing instruments, getting musicians comfortable with the playing environment and headphone mixes, to recording takes, editing/comping takes and helping get the best performances out of everyone involved. When mixing i like to enhance the recorded performance with effects, processing, placement in the stereo field and getting a vibe that draws the listener in.