Remote Mixing

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: We are currently working with a non-profit record label to help provide recording and mixing funds to artists and bands. We are excited to see where this can go!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: We are constantly working on new projects! We hope to add yours to our list!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! There are benefits to both technologies, and we harness both to get the best of both worlds.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: We will always do our best to provide top quality recordings and mixes. If you are unsatisfied, we will work with you to meet your expectations (within reason). We don't have magic powers.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Working with clients and helping them build out their music.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: How long have you been around? - Since 2016 Why should we work with you? - That is really up to you! We always suggest you talk with us to see if we are a fit for your project!

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: Having a song mixed well does not mean you can get signed or sell your song any quicker / better. Arrangement, lyrics, production, performance, melody, etc. all play a bigger role in how your song appeals to labels, sync agencies, etc. If you focus on creating a masterful piece of music, then mixing process just accentuates what is already there.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: (If we are recording you) Have you recorded in a studio before? If so, what was your likes / dislikes about the process? What are you hoping to accomplish with the recorded songs / album? Do you have a budget you'd like to keep the project under? (If sending us a recording for mixing) Can you provide us with reference tracks of the style / sound you're looking for? What is your deadline for the song? Are you needing stems or other versions of the song(s) (Instrumental, Lead vocal Up/Down, etc) Do you have a mastering house in mind? Do you have credits / split sheets, etc ready for the song?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Have a sonic goal in mind, and be mindful of your abilities. Giving us an idea of your vision is crucial. Sending us other songs, instrument parts you like, and an overall sound you'd like to pursue helps immensely. Also, be mindful of where you're at in your music career and skill level. We can only do so much to your music on the mixing side. The quality of the recording and performance usually has a larger impact than what we do in the mixing stage.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: Neumann U67 (or clone), Shure SM57, Beyerdynamic DT1990 Headphones, Neve 1073 with EQ (or clone), 1176 compressor. (assuming computer and some interface would be available)

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: Both of our engineers attended different schools for audio engineering. One followed the "underground" path, working in Los Angeles, cutting their teeth in the garage rock / underground Hip-Hop scene before moving to Oregon. The other pursued a path to teach music, which morphed into a passion for recording and engineering. Classically trained and having played in Jazz for over 20 years, found themselves enjoying the recording process and helping artists from a bedroom studio. Matt & Scott eventually formed Central Oregon Recording in 2016 and have been helping musicians music come to life ever since. They also provide lessons, in home consultations, and much more as a way to help artists and future engineers excel.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Our style is laid back, fun, engaging, and helpful. We do this because we love it. We love the smiles on peoples faces when they hear their music. We love their reaction upon first listen back. The joy it brings not only the artist(s) but their friends, family and fans.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: We really don't have a "bucket list" of artists. Mainly, any artist who has passion in their art and would like to push further and grow. We do our best to help our local bands and artists push their careers further by providing help and consultation beyond our engineering of their songs / records.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Bare your soul. While this can be daunting to an artist / musician, it's the one thing that really helps an audience connect with your music. As an engineer we can fix timing, we can fix tuning, but we do not have the ability to put emotion into your music. This one element trumps all others.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: We try not limit ourselves to one specific style, as there are 2 engineers that work in the studio. Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B, Indie Rock, Punk, Funk, Jazz, Acoustic Singer-Songwriter, Jam Band, or No Band, we do our best to pull from all genres, and stay current in the sounds and styles that relate to each.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Flexibility. While we often have our own ideas and pursue them when creating a mix, we are always open to new ideas and change. One of the "rules" in the studio is "be open to all ideas". It usually takes 5 minutes to try something, and only then can it be determined if it works in the production or not. Some of the best ideas in songs we have mixed came from a random idea someone had when listening.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Engineering is as much as a performance as the musicians themselves create when recording. Helping lift the song in areas, accentuating the mood, and reinforcing the energy and emotion elicited when recording. We take pride in investing the time and energy needed to help any song we take on blossom into full potential, while keeping the artists vision firmly set.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Recording: We focus on getting sounds correct at the source, adding Compression & EQ as needed across the channels that need it. Recording with a sound in mind helps the mixing process go quicker, and provides the artist(s) with a more polished sound from the beginning, inspiring more creativity and top notch performance. Mixing: We start by cleaning up tracks as needed, removing unwanted noise, fixing timing, tuning vocals, and preparing the song overall to have the greatest impact. We then use tools and techniques in and out of the box to enhance the emotion and feeling of the song. We then send the audio out through the summing mixer chain, adding the final touch of analog "good-ness" and printing back in via our high-end Dangerous Music Convert AD+ converter for pristine audio.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: We have 32 channels of analog preamps (comprising of Manley, Warm Audio, DBX, and others) that record directly into Pro Tools. We have over 16 channels of outboard compression, EQ, & Reverb to use in the Recording process, or for mixing. We send out of Pro Tools into a 32 channel Summing Mixer (Burl) into bus compression and back into the computer via a Dangerous Music Convert AD+ The Convert AD+ acts as the Master Clock across all other interfaces. (MOTU AVB Series)

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Some of our inspirations include, Sylvia Massy, Andrew Scheps, Micheal Brauer, Steve Albini, Greg Wells, Al Schmidt and others.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: We primarily work in recording and mixing music of all genres. We have also worked in Podcast Production, VoiceOver, ADR, and Audiobooks. We have worked on corporate projects and indie / personal projects.