I fix vocals. I’m a highly experienced Producer from London, UK, with many name credits, working out of Key West, Florida for the last 12 years (I know, tough gig!). The music genres I work best in are anything where there are real musicians playing and singing. My “thing” is producing great, natural sounding, vibey vocal tracks.
I have perfect relative pitch (I can hear micro-bastard amounts of out of tune-ness). I don’t use any of the traditional tuning software, because imho, they’re not transparent sounding and introduce a harshness to the vocal that isn’t pleasant or natural. I found a way to tune by ear which I’ve been using ever since digital recording became the norm. Over the last 20 plus years, I’ve recorded, comped and tuned thousands of vocals this way. Many of my recording clients are probably unaware that I've used any tuning on their vocals at all!
I don’t always tune everything, part of the skill in putting a vocal together is knowing when to leave something alone. For example, sometimes slightly sharp, or above the note can sound exciting. In the real world, nobody sings perfectly in tune all the time, and perfection is kind of boring :). Performance, feeling and emotion are everything!
Give me a backing track/stem and 4 or 5 good vocal takes and I’ll put together a great, in tune vocal comp for you, or send me a backing track/stem and 1 vocal take and I’ll tune it for you.
As a bonus, if your vocal recording is a little lo-fi, I will process it through my vintage analogue mic pres, eqs & compressors (not plug-ins).
I can fix some out of tune instruments too, violins, cellos, solo horns, un-shredding lead guitars, bass.
Try me!
Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.
Credits
- Primal Scream
- nick heyward
- Kevin Rowland
- Paul Cotton
- Heavenly
- Huggy Bear
- Julian Cope
- Edward Ball
- Belouis Some
- The Weather Prophets
- Biff Bang Pow
- Hugh Harris
- Juliana MacDowell
- Bill Blue
- The Wouldbegoods
- Shock Head Peters
- Furniture
- Yat-Kha
- Sonny Burgess
- Linus
- Glen Matlock (The Sex Pistols)
- Shriekback
- Virginia
- Proud Mary
- Matt Backer
- Megan Henwood
- Ericson Holt
- Super Furry Animals
- Liza Jane
- Safety Bear
- Lia Hide
- Mark Owen
- Living In A Box
- Snuff
- Karen Bishko
- Agnes
- Brian Roberts
- Ian Shaw, Karen Taylor (6)
- The Wimps
- The Wimps
- The Head (2)
- The Times
- The Times
- The Times
- Mood Six
- The Times
- Mood Six
- The Times
- Aces & Eights (8)
- State Of The Art (7)
- Shock Headed Peters
- The Moment
- Ship Of Fools (3)
- Milltown Brothers
- Biff Bang Pow!
- The Times
- Flood (12)
- Freefalling
- The Times
- Cat's Paw / The Slingbacks / The Nuthins
- Conspiracy Of Noise
- The Times
- The Times Featuring Tippa Irie
- The Times Featuring Tippa Irie
- Various
- Sara Davis
- Peach (7)
- Love Corporation
- Heavenly
- Linus (7)
- Ed Ball*
- Ed Ball*
- Comet Gain
- Ed Ball*
- The Times
- Various
- Edward Ball / 18Wheeler*
- Edward Ball
- Various
- Edward Ball
- Bis / Heavenly
- Heavenly
- Heavenly
- The John McGee Orchestra
- The John McGee Orchestra
- Edward Ball
- Edward Ball
- Agnes (2)
- Marine Research
- One True Parker
- Shriekback
- Virginia (37)
- Shriekback
- Rinaldi Sings
- Rinaldi Sings
- Friends Of The Bride
- Friends Of The Bride
- Friends Of The Bride
- The Head (2)
- Claudia Morris (2)
- The Answer (3)
- Matt Backer With Julian Lennon
- Bill Blue
- Matt Backer
- Megan Henwood
- Thee Cee Cees
- Nick Heyward
- Nick Heyward
- Nick Heyward
- Nick Heyward
- Bill Blue
- Safety Bear
- Various
- Karen Bishko
- The Times
- Mercenary Skank
- One True Parker
- Various
- The Times
- No Corridor
- Biff Bang Pow!
- The Times
- Nick Heyward
- Nick Heyward
- The Times
- The Times Featuring Tippa Irie
- Sara Davis
- The Times Featuring Tippa Irie
- Nick Heyward
- Linus (7)
- Kelly's Heels
- Swell
- Nick Heyward
- Agnes (2)
- Yat Kha* = Ят-Ха*
- Would-Be-Goods
- Would-Be-Goods
- Kelly's Heels
- Kelly's Heels
- Would-Be-Goods
- BrokenFriend
- Conil (2)
- Comet Gain
- Chris Ricketts & Mark Willshire
- Nick Heyward
- Paul Cotton
- Megan Henwood
- Nick Heyward
- Mercenary Skank
- James Vallon
- Mood Six
- The Moment
- Sonny Burgess
- Ivor Biggun And Ivor's Jivers
- No Corridor
- Furniture
- Summerhill (2)
- Summerhill (2)
- Paper Fish
- Dead Famous People
- The Times
- The Times
- Biff Bang Pow!
- Freefalling
- The Times
- Teenage Filmstars
- Ruthless Blues
- Nick Heyward
- Nick Heyward
- Huggy Bear (3)
- The Times
- Heavenly
- Teenage Filmstars
- Heavenly
- Nick Heyward
- Linus (7) / Pussycat Trash / Comet Gain / Skinned Teen
- Sara Davis
- Idha
- Sara Davis
- Love Corporation
- Linus (7)
- Linus (7)
- Ed Ball*
- Ed Ball*
- Ed Ball*
- Comet Gain
- Edward Ball
- Edward Ball
- Heavenly
- Heavenly
- One True Parker
- Teenage Filmstars
- Idha
- Idha
- Nick Heyward
- Edward Ball
- Edward Ball
- Idha
- Nick Heyward
- AMP / Centipede (2)
- Linus (7)
- Kelly's Heels
- Nick Heyward
- Bender (6)
- Nick Heyward
- One True Parker
- One True Parker
- Kevin Rowland
- The Family Way
- Yat-Kha
- Would-Be-Goods
- Virginia (37)
- Various
- Dead Famous People
- Various
- Would-Be-Goods
- Various
- Kelly's Heels
- Kelly's Heels
- Would-Be-Goods
- Various
- Friends Of The Bride
- Various
- Various
- Sunshine Ponies
- Yat-Kha
- Nick Heyward
- Nick Heyward
- Nick Heyward
- Nick Heyward
- Nick Heyward
- Various
- Bill Blue
- Heavenly
- Julian Cope & The Teardrop Explodes
- Various
- Various
- Various
- Various
- Bill Blue
Languages
- English
6 Reviews
Endorse IAN SHAWI’ve worked with Ian on three LPs now , He knows his business and how to capture a performance. I ask for his production input also not just engineering. I get compliments on the vocals of the recordings , clean , crisp
, clear are terms used a lot . He also knows how move the projects along . Seriously professional in every aspect.
Always a pleasure to work with Ian.I have worked with award-winning producers and a legendary, multi-Grammy winning engineer in Nashville who are highly respected in their fields and still, I entrust my vocals only to Ian Shawl. I sing in a lower register than most females and there's sometimes a hard edge to my voice. It takes a certain know-how to impart the right amount of softness whilst leaving the soullfulness intact. Ian Shaw has a special gift for identifying and bringing out what is most alluring about a clients' vocals. On a personal note, he's an absolute joy to work with and a consummate professional.
I have been a professional vocalist, musician for over 30 years. I have recorded with many engineers and producers. Ian did a fantastic job with a vocal that we recorded recently in his studio here in Key West! I was not overly impressed with my vocal takes, and was blown away when I heard the vocal "comp" that he created from my 3 takes. I highly recommend Ian for any recording, editing, mixing, etc... He is a real pro and also a very nice person, a pleasure to work with.
He's a perfect blend of producer, engineer, and editor. Ian gives thoughtful feedback and offers excellent suggestions. His impeccable ear and technical prowess has helped develop my music in the best possible way. He is a talented collaborator who steeps a mean cup of tea too!
In a four decade career in the music business, it has been my privilege to work with some of the finest producers in the business like Stephen Hague, Alex Sadkin, Pete Smith, Paul O'Duffy and Chris Kimsey. Ian Shaw is up there with them.
His skill in capturing and enhancing a vocal performance is second to none, as is his sensitivity to nuance and expression - something that can get lost in lashings of auto tune and too many plug ins. He even makes me sound like I can sing!I've worked with many producers over the years and Ian hands down, has always got the best vocals from me. Both his equipment and his ears seem to find a silky smooth sound in my voice that no-one else has. He comps the vocals meticulously so that they flow and never even sound comped. He also instinctively understands the song and therefore how the story should (in my case). He's always my first stop if I want to record a new track. He's a perfectionist and also a thoroughly nice bloke!
Interview with IAN SHAW
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Too many really to single out one. Here are two. I was the engineer/producer for most of the UK Riot Grrrl scene in the 1990s which included bands like Huggy Bear, Linus, Heavenly, and Comet Gain. I engineered Nick Heyward's solo US Top 5 hit "Kite" and was engineer and co-producer on his 2017 UK Top 5 album "Woodland Echoes".
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm mixing albums for Key West local Bubba Lownotes, also for guitarist Matt Backer who is based in the UK, and I have tracks to mix for a guy called Allen Karch from Baltimore, and Nick Norman who is signed to Lee Brice's Nashville label. I'm recording an album with Key West local Brian Roberts, and am just starting to record a couple of other album projects too. I've got vocals to edit for a new album by Juliana MacDowell who is based in Leesburgh Virginia. I'm always pretty busy and usually juggle multiple recording projects simultaneously.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Chris Sheldon. He's a very fine British Rock Producer and Mixer. Probably best known for mixing "The Color & The Shape" by The Foo Fighters. Super nice guy too. Chuck Sabo. American drummer based in the UK. He's worked with many big names. Great tight drummer and easy to work with. Gary Carter. He's a Nashville Pedal Steel player. Great player, many credits, he's in the Grand Ole Opery house band too.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital because of its ease of use. Things can be achieved in minutes that would take hours if you were working on tape. I don't know how many years of my life I wasted waiting for tape machines to rewind! :) I think analogue and digital are of similar quality these days, but I do think that most modern records don't sound very good. They're harsh, over compressed and fatiguing to listen to. Just because you have limitless numbers of tracks available to record on, and multiple plug-ins, reverbs and compressors that you can add to every audio track, doesn't mean that you should use them all. Analogue records sound better to me because producers and engineers were limited to generally 24 audio tracks, so they had to make creative decisions as they went and record things properly. During mixing, they had to plan how they were going to use their outboard and effects, because even the best mixing studios had limits to how much gear was available. Analogue recordings sound warmer, more natural, and have more air and space to my ears.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I'll always give you my absolute best. I'm diligent, focussed and will make you sound great!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Hanging around with musicians in a room full of cool equipment listening to music all day. :)
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Customer: How did you get my vocal to sound so good? Answer: It was all there in your performance, and I just tidied it up a bit.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That you can just make a vocal good just by tuning it. There are so many sterile records out there, where the vocal has had all the life tuned out of it. All the subtlety and nuance of the performance has been lost.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What kind of music it is and some kind of background information about their project and how they've recorded it. How many tracks of vocals they're going to send me and what they're looking for me to do. Then I'll ask some technical questions about the files they're providing, and tell them what I ideally like to work with.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Work out what you're trying to achieve by hiring someone. Look at the providers track record, listen to some of their work, and if you like what you hear and you get a sense that they'd be easy and fun to work with, go with them.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: A Mac with ProTools. My Neve mic pres. An 1176 compressor. A pair of Adam Monitors, 1 Neumann Mic and 1 Shure SM58. You can pretty much record anything with this combination.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I could tell you how long I've been doing this, but then I'd have to kill you! :). I started recording in my Grandmother's attic in South London, then ran a 16 and 24 track studio in Central London for 17 years, making largely demos at first and then progressing to records for most of the major labels. I switched to digital and ProTools in the early 2000s, and have been working in the USA for 12 years.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I like fat warm productions. I think my favourite period of recorded music is the early 70s through to 1980. So many fantastic sounding records recorded during that period, that still sound amazing today. I aim for that kind of timeless sound in my work.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I think it'd be brilliant to work with either Bruce Springsteen or Paul McCartney. Bruce because his songs are just so amazing and he's an incredible all round performer, singer and artist. Paul, because he's Paul! :)
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: With vocals, it's generally there in 4 or 5 takes. Take 1 for level and for the singer to get comfortable with the headphone balance, Take 2 and 3 are generally the best. By Take 4 the singer is getting bored, Take 5 is for recording individual lines that you didn't get in the other takes.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Anything where there are live musicians involved. Singer/Songwriters, Rock, Pop, Blues, Americana, Funk and Soul. I'm not the guy you book for EDM, Rap or Hard Rock, although I'd do a good job on the vocals on the latter category.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Vocal production first, I just have a good feel for when it's right, and putting various takes together into a cohesive and great performance. After that, I'm generally pretty good at recording everything. I've been doing it a long time!
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I'm fortunate to have worked with many successful songwriters, so over the years I've learned about song structuring and keeping it interesting. I'm pretty good at coming up with bridges on the fly if the song doesn't have one, but needs one. Obviously I'm good at producing a strong vocal, keeping the performance and the lyrics central to the song.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Ideally, I like to track everyone in the band together. We may not keep everything, but it gives the song a better feel then tracking each instrument individually. After the rhythm tracks are down, I like to do overdubs, then vocals, backing vocals, percussion, any last overdubs, mixing, then live with the mixes for a week and make any mix tweaks.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My current set-up is on a houseboat! ProTools. Vintage Neve mic pres and eqs, Shadow Hills mic pres, Neve 8816 Summing mixer, Vintage Altec 436C compressor and UA 2x1176. Thermionic Culture, Culture Vulture, TLA EQ1, Roll Music Super Compressor, Neumann U87 and TLM 103, various dynamic mics, Adam and Tannoy Monitors.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Production/mixing-wise I love Tchad Blake's work. Steve Lillywhite has made some fantastic sounding and iconic records. Daniel Lanois for the vibe, Glyn Johns because his records sound so good. Denis Blackham for mastering, he's the best!
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Generally I produce and engineer entire LPs for my clients. Recording, comping and fixing vocals is one of my specialities. I'm there for the whole process from listening to the songs in their rawest form, often choosing the musicians to play on the record, helping the artist make the best decisions possible sound, performance and production-wise, through to mixing and getting the record mastered.
I was the Producer/Engineer/Mixer in this production
- Vocal compingAverage price - $200 per track
- Vocal TuningAverage price - $150 per track
- ProducerContact for pricing
Turnaround in 3 to 7 days, 1 free round of revisions, then $75 per round after that.
- The Beatles
- R.E.M.
- Joni Mitchell
- Vintage Neve mic pre/eqs
- Shadow Hills mic pres
- Altec 438C
- 1176
- Culture Vulture
- Neumann mics
- Adam Monitors
- ProTools.