Nix Bakx on SoundBetter

Hi! I'm a queer, transfeminine guitarist who specialises in creating unique guitar parts for everything from Rock to Hip Hop. My approach always puts the song first, without falling into cliché, I always strive to find something that both fits the song and adds something unique and recognisable. I play electric, acoustic and fretless guitar.

I have been active as a producer and musician in London (UK) for over a 15 years, and during those years I have steadily honed my skills playing, performing and producing a wide variety of music from post-punk to ambient electronica to folk. In my production work I uphold that same ethos of being open-minded to all music and blending different styles in new and exciting ways.

My musical style and taste is widely varied but is generally characterised by one or a combination of the following: deep and funky grooves, ethereal soundscapes, infectious guitar riffs, creative synth sounds and quirky melodies.

There are 3 main services I offer:
- Session musician, where I will record and write guitar (electric/acoustic/fretless), bass guitar and/or synthesizer parts for your track.
- Producer, where I will produce and mix a full song arrangement for you in the form of a backingtrack and/or full track (including vocals).
- Remote Mixing, where I will mix the recorded instruments you send me into a well balanced, professional sounding track.

I am comfortable working to a strict brief or be more hands on in creating your track. So wether you're looking for your track to sound in the style of another artist, or something more unique to you as an artist, I can take your track to the next level..

Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.

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Interview with Nix Bakx

Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: The analog vs. digital debate is silly. It's like asking plane or helicopter? Depends what you're trying to do, each is good at certain things, and not at others.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: High quality productions that are unique and recognisable.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: It's always changing and there are always new things coming on my path. Every song, every session, every brief is a new mini adventure (and sometimes not so mini..).
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That we just slap a bunch of plugin presets and AI on everything. To me producing, mixing and writing guitar parts is like sculpting. It should ultimately be a process of mindfulness, where you're constantly checking in and make micro adjustments based on stepping back and listening to the whole. To me presets and AI in music production are time-savers, not product finishers. They allow me to get to the fine tuning quicker when required, but they're far from the whole process.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Deadlines, style and/or song references.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: If you have a clear idea of what you're after, provide reference material if possible! And if you don't then don't be afraid to express that, it's my job to create a guitar part/track that you'll love :)
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My acoustic guitar, a drum machine, an sm58 (because it would actually survive a desert island), a tape machine and a big supply of fire starters because fire sticks and maintaining hands that can play guitar don't go great together..
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been working as a professional musician for 15+ years. I got a degree in music performance in London and while studying started building my work life. Teaching guitar has been a mainstay throughout and in addition to that I've been in function bands, original bands, played as a session musician for live and recording sessions, organised my own live music night for a while and honed my production skills in the meantime. I've released over 20 records with my own bands, as a solo artist, and I currently have an additional 5 albums that are part of production music libraries (most are on Warner Chappell). The past years I've been focussing primarily on music production as well as my more recent venture of becoming a content creator on IG and TikTok.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Quirky, unique, out of the box but aware of when the box is appropriate.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: St. Vincent, because I love what she's doing blending quirky guitar music with pop. Queens of the Stone Age because they're one of my biggest influences and inspirations. Squarepusher because I didn't know you were allowed to do what he does with a bass and a drum machine.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Learn to to keep iterating on an idea, and learn to know when to accept something as finished. Lacking the former will end up with unoriginal music, lacking the latter will end up with a gigantic "to finish later" folder. Finding that balance is key!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Primarily guitar-based music, regardless of genre, and electronic music (soundtrack, ambient and chill-out mostly).
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I am patient, determined and value clear communication.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: An ability to identify what makes the song unique and recognisable and enhancing those qualities in a song.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: It depends a bit what I'm working on, I like to radically change my workflow from time to time to avoid getting stuck in autopilot. However when I'm working to a brief or creating a production for a client I will usually start with either the foundation sketch; a rough outline of the chords and rhythm tracks, or a with a hook or "character part"; something that helps to define the track and will make it unique and recognisable. When working with a vocalist I will usually hand this sketch version to the singer to make sure they're happy with the feel and flow before building up the rest of the parts. I think of it as a house: if the foundation is strong you can have more freedom building on top of it.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I run a small DIY studio setup from my own house and have been working in that space for 8 years now. While it's not the most shiny, high-level professional studio I know the sound of this room and the equipment in it very well, the room has become an extension of my creative endeavours and I consider it as much as one of my "instruments" as my guitars. I run Yamaha NS10 and Genelec Monitors and do most of my recording in Logic X using various preamps. Other equipment notable mentions are my modular synth rack, which I use both for sound design as well as outboard effects/EQ when I'm mixing, there are also a couple regular synths including a Yamaha DX7 and a Korg Monologue. I have a varied collection of guitars, pedals and amps that cover most guitar situations (and I have NI Guitar Rig for the rare moments where the hardware isn't sufficient) with the pride of the studio being a 1962 Copycat Tape Echo which sounds absolutely lush on anything from guitars to vocals to synths.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Without going into particular artists or producers, as there are too many to name that I admire, I highly value people who strive for authenticity. Anyone can become a master imitator with enough practice, but finding your own voice and honing that is something special and precious. Anyone who is fearlessly themselves, thinks outside the box and doesn't shy away from trying things in new ways inspires me to do the same!
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: My work is split roughly 50/50 between doing guitar sessions (live and recording) and producing full music tracks.