Jef Leeson on SoundBetter

Hi there. I'm a producer, singer, songwriter, guitarist & bassist. I'd love to apply my +30 years of experience (pop, country, rock... all the staples) to your project.

Singer/songwriter/producer, and host of CJAI-FM's 'Eastern Ontario Playlist'. A passionate fan of all forms of music, Jef is currently performing across Ontario promoting his new album, 'Topic Of The Day', and producing albums from his home in rural Ontario.

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

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Interview with Jef Leeson

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Man... I'll... have to get back to you...
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I produced and co-ordinated the album 'Keep Me Warm This Christmas' for a charity which raises funds and clothing for children in need. In many ways it's a project I compare everything else to.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Finishing up mixes on 2 tracks for a couple of films, and completing 2 new albums.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Analog for it's pure tactile experience (I almost miss splicing blocks). Digital for it's efficiency, power & amazing control.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: What you hear I'll help you get & what I may add you're welcome to accept or not.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: The collaboration.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: My timeline: ASAP "Can you make it better?": If I can't I know someone who can.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Haven't run into much of that. Maybe it's while providing one service that the larger vision of the song or project is not kept in mind.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Main goal - making a release or demo? What services are required? Timeline? Budget?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Work your project as far as you can take it, and remain as open as you can to working with others.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My ratty $40 gut string guitar, a mic, my Fender Precision, my main CPU w/Reaper & a solar panel.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I began performing full time in the mid 1980s. Within a few years I started producing for other artists & also began releasing my own albums. Haven't looked back since.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Singer-songwriter, performance wise. In production, capturing the energy.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Andy Partridge. A brilliant writer.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Mix in mono first.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop, country & singer-songwriter material.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Probably vocals. Just not immediately in the morning.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Passion.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Strengthening everything from a song's lyrics, music & arrangement through it's final mix is very important to me. I offer what I can to a project and follow the lead of my clients very happily.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I work in a variety of studios, but my own revolves around tracking & mixing with the DAW Reaper, on a custom 64bit CPU, through a custom pair of Camber monitors. Tracking a project depends highly on the genre and songs. More trad & alt sounds are generally done old school open room style. And when required top of the line modelling & programming are used for more modern or aggressive projects.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Most clients are looking to have their work taken to the next level - improvements to lyrics, music, performance, arranging, etc. I've been very fortunate to help out many people over the years in doing just that.