Phil Engsberg on SoundBetter

Alto saxophone specialist, composer, and horn FX. Carrying two decades of live and studio recording | quick turnaround | top quality stems | lead sheets and written music

Working from his home studio in Milwaukee, WI, Phil offers exceptional saxophone recordings and horn arrangement in all styles and sizes. His keen ears and experience as a session producer will make the most out of every song.

During his time in NYC, Phil studied and collaborated with modern giants Jim McNeely, Ted Nash, Pete McGuinness, and Cecil Bridgewater. His commissions have premiered at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Cutting Room, and The Knitting Factory, and have featured renowned instrumentalists Rich Perry, Vincent Herring, Cecil Alexander, Dianne Moser, and Freddie Hendrix.

His current work includes the growing use of effect pedals on horns.

Included draft and final version
Included wet, dry, and fx only stems at 32-bit float via weTransfer

Send me an email through 'Contact' button above and I'll get back to you asap.

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Interview with Phil Engsberg

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I practice a lot in my spare time. I'll take a week long trip sometimes to record my own music, put the pressure on myself to get it done. I'm currently mixing and producing singles for Roky's Reign, getting ready for an album release early next year.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: A critical, honest ear
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Whatever the song needs. Everything is a little bit different.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I just sit down and do the work. I'll usually do a lot of takes in one evenings, then do any edits and re-records the next morning with fresh ears.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I like to have as much within arms reach as possible. My studio is fairly dense, but has a ton of character to it. I've been collecting microphones, preamps, tape gear, pedals, and plugins for a number of years now, and have really been honing in on my own sound. I think this gear gives me the widest range of flexibility: to make both pristinely recorded horn arrangements, and the dirtiest lo-fi sound.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Through my early jazz career, I was inspired by the big bands of the 40's-70's - Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Thad Jones (among others), but have always had an eclectic taste in music. These days, I tend to gravitate towards what I'm calling "art pop." Artists shooting off Brainfeeder records, Nonesuch records, Leaving Records, International Anthem.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Things usually go one of two ways. I'll either be asked to play on a few parts of a song, this could be a melody, doubling the vocals, taking a solo, or adding textures / atmospheres throughout the song. Or the song will call for a more extensive horn arrangement. In this case, I'll usually stack some harmonies in Pro Tools, or sit down at the piano to write a more detailed arrangement. If the song calls for it, I've worked with some of the top session players in NYC and Milwaukee, and would be happy to contract additional trumpet, tenor, or trombone players as needed.