Connor 'Conzo' Robertson on SoundBetter

The artist's vision is my vision. The input I give my artists in the production process is based on what I believe will best help them achieve their creative vision. I'm a very open-minded collaborator, and always want anyone on the session feel like their ideas are welcome and considered. We should try everything!

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

Credits

Languages

English

3 Reviews

Endorse Connor 'Conzo' Robertson

by Max Knoth
Connor has a great ear, and is quick to be able to produce the sound that we’re aiming for, whether we use a direct reference track or were forging out into the sonic unknown. His thorough process reflects his work ethic and it’s always a joy to work with him.
by Dylan Grantham
Connor is everything you'd want in a producer, engineer, you name it. He's all about getting the best version of what you make. He understands that what makes art great is what everyone uniquely brings to the table, and he just wants to serve the song. Working with Connor was the first time I truly felt the producer I worked with made my vision finer, stronger, and fully realized. He's the real deal.
by Sofia Perez
Connor is genuinely a production genius and such an incredible human. His knowledge is so vast but he’s still so humble and encouraging in sessions. His ability to capture the essence of your creative vision is unlike anything I’ve experienced as an artist. Working with Connor will make you fall in love with making music all over again and could not give a higher recommendation for a producer if I tried.

Interview with Connor 'Conzo' Robertson

Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Whatever gets the music out.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: The song's not finished until it's exactly what you envisioned or better. I strive to pleasantly surprise.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Whats your vision? What's your story?
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: A laptop, a Shure sm7, an Apollo Twin, a pair of headphones, and a Jazzmaster guitar.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started playing music at the age of 6, beginning with the drums. When I was 15, I started my first original band 'Leland Blue' with my brother, the two of us being the main creative leads. A few years into that band we started producing our own demos, which a lot of the time ended up being the finished songs in some capacity. In 2018, I joined a band called 'Michigander' and started touring the country. In 2020 when covid shut down the world, I wanted to take my love for producing demos for my own band(s), at this point including my current band 'Trauna,' to the next level and used my unemployment money to buy a big boy interface and more microphones. I first learned how to record drums; started recording friends' bands, and eventually other artists heard my work and started hiring me as their producer. Since 2022, I've been located in Nashville, recording primarily local, up-and-coming artists when I'm not out on tour.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Honorary band member.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Keep perspective and reduce.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I usually work on indie rock and Alternative rock, even leaning into more hard rock and punk. I've also worked on tracks for indie pop artists and folk artists, and have dabbled in some dance/disco themes.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I think my biggest strong-suit is arrangement and accentuating hooks. It's not hard to get caught up in the excitement of recording and end up layering a lot of parts that we might think sound cool on their own, but end up not working together to support the song in the end. So, picking which ideas we can expand on in order to make the song(s) sound less cluttered and more directional is something I like to focus on.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have a small project studio in my house where I track drums, acoustic piano, electric guitars - you name it, we can record it in here. It's a cozy but mighty space in a treated mix room. I have an assortment of drums, guitars and basses as well as an acoustic upright piano and a mirco korg. But I do most of my synth programming on a MIDI with plugins!
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: First and foremost, Paul McCartney is my musical hero. As far as music producers go, I'm very inspired by James Ellis Ford, Nigel Godrich, John Congleton, and I must admit... Jack Antonoff :)
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Usually when I work with an artist, we will have a meeting where we listen to demos and talk about the overall vision for the project. Unless the tracks were previously selected, we'll listen to demos and decide together what the strongest tracks are. We'll then head into tracking the songs in the studio! We might do pre-production with the artist's full band or get a band together for solo artists, but we also might just start laying stuff down and follow our own intuition as the song unfolds.