Nathaniel Edison on SoundBetter

Established woodwinds performer, storyteller, composer, and Cirque du Soleil artist. Experienced and proficient on all orchestral woodwinds. Resumé includes Cirque du Soleil, Summer Rep. Theater Festival, Boston Chamber Orchestra, independent work for filmscore composers, and numerous others.

Hi all!

Welcome to my page - whether you're here to inquire about lessons, recording work, or composition, thank you for stopping by.

I'd love to connect with as many other musical artists as possible, whether it's to play together, teach, learn, write, or what have you. I travel to teach (free travel up to 20 miles, further is charged per mile) and readily provide teaching opportunities for everything I play/do including voice and composition. As I've just settled in the greater Los Angeles area, I don't have a local studio yet. Let's change that!

I perform on the following instruments: flute+alto flute, bassoon, clarinet, oboe, piano, alto saxophone, and voice. I do play all woodwind auxiliaries, but do not currently have access to piccolo, contrabassoon, English horn, soprano/tenor/bari saxophones.

As a composer, my biggest influences are David Maslanka, John Williams, Respighi, and Bartók. I write on a daily basis and am often recording my own music. I primarily use Finale and Cubase, but also have experience with Ableton, Garage Band, Audacity, and FL Studio. Please check the audio sample to hear examples of some of my projects - they're always changing.

Let's make some music!

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

Languages

English
Latin

3 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client

Endorse Nathaniel Edison

by Frederik T.
Verified
Nathaniel was a pleasure to work with! Great communication, fast turnaround and high quality recordings.
by Daniel O.
Verified
Nathaniel was prompt at responding and recording his ideas to send over, I was super impressed with the quality of his tracking/ signal chain. The playing was basically flawless, and his Oboe tone stood out to me as being extra special, but everything was great and very useable. I will be going back to Nathaniel next time I need Woodwinds.
by Steffi
Nathaniel is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist with strong attention to detail. His knowledge of music goes above and beyond the norm and it shines in his finished products. Highly recommend working with him and I hope to do so AGAIN in the near future!

Interview with Nathaniel Edison

Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: This is a loaded question - I'm working on an animated series (currently in comicstrip form) that I've written the screenplay and soundtrack for, and am hoping to voice one of the characters. Composers are always working on something!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Having the freedom to pick my hours, and the opportunity to teach people about the instruments I play. There's really nothing better than having your passion be your profession.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Q: Can I pay you in pizza? A: Sadly, pizza doesn't pay the bills.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: How soon do you need this recorded? Is there an audio sample you want me to reference? Do you want wav or mp3 files, or something else? Do you want the raw files or do you want them prettied up (i.e. reverb, etc)? Do you want the instruments doubled, or solo? Etc.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: All I ask for is clean scores (or a clear audio sample if transcription is necessary), and decent communication. I am an open book and will be very honest if something is too difficult for me, or needs editing before it can be playable.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Steffi Ledbetter - vocalist. Worked with her at Cirque du Soleil and she is a fabulous singer with a fantastically versatile voice.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: A reusable water bottle, a barbecue pit, a large, fresh orange, an umbrella, and a deep pan. (I know, boring. I'm being realistic here, come on.)
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: Music has been my career path since childhood, and gigs popped up in my teens. I've always been immersed in it. I've been performing my own music since I was nine years old.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My music is often eerie, somber, and a bit psychotic. I aim to bridge enough styles to speak to many audiences, because although "crowd pleasers" are nice, they don't excite me. As a great wizard once said, "the wheel is fine, we don't NEED to remake the wheel." While the wheel does need to be enlarged to include new styles, my strengths lie in using/manipulating what has already proven to be effective.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Jake Heggie. The depth behind his music is immense. I would love to know the science behind his artistic decisions and his creative process. Plus, he just seems like a really cool guy. And who doesn't love that?
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: If you're not 100% satisfied with your result, chances are your client won't be either. Be transparent and willing to collaborate with them throughout the entire process.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Classical, filmscore, vocal, chamber ensemble, singer/songwriter
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Flexibility/collaborativeness.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Humanity, refinement, with undertones of structured chaos.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: For recording: receive music, look at it immediately, practice it when time warrants, record immediately after practicing, master the tracks in Ableton, export and send to the recipient. For composition: work from a motif or section of music, expand and alter it, check with the client, solidify a beginning/middle section/end, check with the client again, finalize the structure, fill in the missing pieces, run the rough draft by the client, edit and complete.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Office space at home dedicated to recording - soundproofing on the walls and floor, BadAax mic with stand (hopefully updating soon), audio is usually recorded with Ableton Live Suite on my Macbook Pro.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: John Wion (flute), Antonina Styczen (flute), Béla Bartók, David Maslanka, John Williams, Sergei Prokofiev
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Recording studio work for woodwinds or piano: for short films, projects, animated shorts, soundtracks, etc. Transcriptions. Arrangement or composition.