Ben Barnett on SoundBetter

I've been in the recording industry for over 8 years. I recently graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Production & Engineering, and now I own/operate The Hang Studios in Fort Worth, Texas where I'm involved in projects across all music genres. I love to develop artists and help bring their passion and music to fruition!

Producing & engineering immediately become my first love in 2009 when my dad pulled out an old Roland VS-2480 and taught me how to track my own songs my brother and I had been writing. I was raised in a very musical family, and with me being the youngest, I had to take on all the filler instrumentation. It wasn't until I learned how to engineer that I really stuck out in a family full of superb musicians. So I stuck with it ever since!

I spent about 4 years at Square One Studios, then received a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music and got my degree in Music Production & Engineering in 2016. Since then, my brother and I started The Hang Studios where we've been grinding away at the quickly growing Dallas/Fort Worth music scene.

My services include full production, recording, mixing, and mastering. I have made it a point to be as versatile as possible, so I've done projects of all genres: jazz, metal, country, punk, pop, etc. Let's make some music together!

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

7 Reviews

Endorse Ben Barnett

by Jarrod Glasby
Ben is a highly qualified mixing and recording engineer with great attention to detail were it really counts... YOUR MUSIC! I'll be continually working with him at The Hang Studios for as long as I can!
by Chris White
Great producer and engineer who also has a great work ethic. Ben is finishing my album this year for Common Grounds and has been exceptionally fast and thorough. He's very versatile in styles such as Rock, Jazz, Electronic, Americana, indie and more. I've paid for more at other studios in the DFW area that were not as professional or reliable as this one. Ben Barnett is the guy to go to!
by Charles Humenry
I've been working with Ben for a couple years and he is one of the most talented, most invested engineer/producer I know. We worked together on films, records, live recordings, ads and every single time I'm surprised by the final results! Ben works incredibly hard and fast but without loosing any quality in his work. Do yourself a favor and work with him!
by Joe
Ben produced, recorded and engineered my latest album. We spent 5 days at The Hang Studios working on it, and it was one of the most joyous weeks of my life. Ben made the process incredibly easy, and the 12 songs we finished are full of happy memories. They are more musically advanced and technically precise than anything I've done before. I can see myself working with Ben for the rest of my life.
by Taylor
Ben has mixed 6 albums that I've put out since 2012. Just recently wrapped up my newest in April after doing the whole record in his studio. He is an amazing producer and engineer. Took my album to places I never expected it to go. I highly recommend him!
by Brian Rockwell
Ben is extremely professional and proficient. Ben has incredible insight and attention to detail. I've worked with Ben on probably a dozen projects and I am more impressed each time I work with him. I would highly recommend him.
by Caleb
I've been in the music business for over ten years and Ben is hands down the best audio engineer/producer I have ever worked with. I am always dumbfounded with how knowledgeable he is, how consistently world-class his product is, and how he never settles for mediocrity. I would highly recommend hiring Ben to work on your project. You will be glad you did!

Interview with Ben Barnett

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Austin Blair Campbell - Uphill Climb I was writer, producer, engineer, mixing, and mastering engineer for this 6 song album. All we had to work with was a few song ideas and/or chorus ideas on the acoustic guitar/vocal, then it turned into this huge country/americana record. It was a blast to be a part of and I learned a ton from it.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Just finished an alternative record, a country record, a singer/songwriter pop record, and a folk record. All to be released in 2017. I'm in the process of mixing an easy-core record, mixing an indie record, and production of a christian record. That doesn't include all the various singles I've been doing with other projects!
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Mix by Matt Sim. We went to Berklee together! He's great at what he does.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital. It's what I'm comfortable with.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I'm going to do my best to make sure you are satisfied with your music.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love working with people who are as passionate about music as I am.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: -What do you charge? -What were you looking to spend?
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: The time investment it takes to make a record sound professional.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What's your style? Who are your influences? What are you looking to accomplish? Can I hear you play or any of your music? How much were you looking to spend?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: If you want the best, you've got to invest.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: A laptop, an interface, a guitar, an amp, and a microphone. Don't really care about the specifics as long as they work!
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started out on a Roland VS-2480. It's a digital board that comes with some recording software built into it. I used that from 2009-2011. I got my first Mac Mini at the end of 2011 and used Logic Pro exclusively until 2013. I started at Berklee in 2013 and started using Protools. As of now, I've been doing this for 8 years.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I love moving forward and not looking back.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I would love to work with Jared Leto or Childish Gambino. Partly because both are amazing musicians, but also because they are successful in multiple art forms. Jared Leto is also an actor and artist. Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) is also an actor and comedian. I'd love to learn from them!
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Less is more.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Typically anything that involves live instrumentation: drums, guitar, bass, etc. So pop, singer-songwriter, rock, punk, alternative. But I'm also heavily involved in a few electronic projects and projects where live instrumentation and EDM are mixed.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Know when enough is enough in all aspects of music production. Whether it's enough production, or enough tuning, or enough processing, etc.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I have the ability to be deeply involved in a song as a producer, but simultaneously zoom out and see the bigger picture as an average listener.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Pre-production, solidify song structure, multitrack starting with drums, then guitar, bass, vox, and extras, finish tracking, mix, master.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have a sizeable live room. Enough to fit a 5-6 piece band. I'm using a Midas M32r for my preamps, interface, and monitoring. I run my audio productions through ProTools and my MIDI productions through Logic Pro.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Jared Leto, Childish Gambino, Tom Lord-Alge
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I commonly work with singer/songwriters who bring me a song they've written with a single instrument (guitar, piano, etc.) and a vocal, then turn that into a full fledged arrangement/production.