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.

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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.