Daniel Matthews on SoundBetter

As a trumpet player of 22 years, I have had the pleasure of recording two Grammy-nominated albums, major Bollywood films, and and backing artists such as Shakira, The O’Jays, Father John Misty, Bobby McFerrin, Erin Dickins and A.R. Rahman.

Hello! I've been playing trumpet for 22 years, and am an established arranger and musician in Dallas. I've recorded on two Grammy-nominated albums, and performed/recorded for artists like Shakira, The O’Jays, Father John Misty, Bobby McFerrin and A.R. Rahman. As a professional musician of 15 years, I am incredibly seasoned in all genres and very versatile. I am an excellent horn arranger, and would love to contribute to your project as a writer. Check out my portfolio to hear full-length examples!

Instruments
Trumpet
Flugelhorn

Services
Re-creating MIDI stems with real instruments
Coming up with original lines & horn section arranging
Improvised solos
4K videos with professional lighting

I always deliver 100% balanced and cleanly played stems no clipping or cracked notes! All tracks are recorded with a tuner, to make sure there's no editing required.

Equipment
Acoustically treated room
Slate VMS ML-1 Large diaphragm condenser microphone
Shure SM7B Microphone
Behringer U-Phoria UMC440HD audio interface/preamp

Workflow
I can work from stems or mixdowns
I can read sheet music or play by ear
Need horn section mixing, video, or sheet music? Quick turnaround? Not a problem!

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

Credits

Endorse Daniel Matthews3 Reviews

by Scott W.
Verified
Daniel did a superb job performing trumpet on my song. Great feel and tone with nice recording polish/warmth. His advice on adding a layer at a lower octave over doubling was appreciated and the right call, making the instrument pop more in the mix. Overall great experience. I would not hesitate to book Daniel again.
by Rob Day
Verified
Daniel was great to work with. Excellent communication, great player and quick turnaround. I would definitely work with him again. Thanks very much!
by Josh D.
Verified
His horns section was the perfect addition. Flawless job. Highly recommended!

Interview with Daniel Matthews

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I'm very proud to have recorded trumpet for 12 Bollywood film scores written by maestro A.R. Rahman. Each music video receives tens of millions of views and reaches millions on each continent. Working in the Bollywood film industry has helped make me more visible as a top session musician in the United States.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm recording a track for a musician in Santana's band at the moment.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Yes- my friend Joakim Toftgaard for all of your trombone and low brass needs!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital, it's the only way I know!
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: Clients can expect to receive the highest quality possible from my trumpet tracks. Immaculate tuning, blend, articulation, volume, and phrasing coupled with mix-ready stems.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I thrive in my career when I have variety- working on different projects for clients certainly contributes to that!
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: When can you complete the recording? Answer: within 3-5 business days.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Expecting an end of day turnaround time for a given track- recording is just one thing I do for my career, I also play a lot of gigs and teach 24 private students!
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: How many trumpet tracks would you like?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: I always love when clients are as specific as possible about what they're wanting musically, project settings, and timely in their communication.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My trumpet, GR mouthpiece, computer, interface, and microphone.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I originally wanted to be a studio musician in Los Angeles for major film and television productions, but my love for jazz took me to Texas where I'm a top commercial player in my area. I've been playing professionally for 16 years, of which much of my work is studio recording.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Jerry Hey
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Being conscious of blend within a track- what kind of sound best matches the track musically from a color perspective?
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: The versatility in my playing and musical instinct.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I record trumpet, flugelhorn, and trumpet stacks. I can record the material you wrote, or I can write something that will both add to and enhance your project!
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Versatile.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: It depends! Most are one-off jobs that range from epic movie scores, pop horn sections, to hip hop stacks, to improvised trumpet solos.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: The mission of my playing and writing is to both enhance and reinforce what is happening musically in an exciting but stylistically appropriate way.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Clients will usually send me a track of the song they want me to record on, and it will vary between me being asked to replace pre-existing MIDI trumpet/a prerecorded idea with my own playing. After listening to it, I will set up a new Logic session and begin tracking a separate trumpet track until it is perfect. When it's finished, I send the client my .wav file/files for what's needed as well as a quick mix down mp3 file of what I played with the track so they can hear it in context.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have an acoustically treated studio complete with a Slate VMS ML-1 Large diaphragm condenser microphone, Shure 7M7B Microphone, and Behringer U-Phoria UMC440HD audio interface/preamp.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Jerry Hey Horns, the absolute model for horn section writing and playing!