Paul Harlyn on SoundBetter

Paul Harlyn is a producer, keyboardist, guitar and bass player, studio owner, and arranger, but his specialty is working with artists and singer-songwriters. From concept to the finished master, Paul helps the artists he works with to bring out their musical vision.

Paul's CD's under the name Great Barrier can be heard in restaurants, airplanes, and clubs internationally. His single Cairo released on Buddha Bar Records Volume II has sold over 450,000

Paul's musical projects cover a wide range of styles and influences. As a remixer for major labels, he has played all of the instruments on the re-mixes of the Alicia Keys song “If I Ain't Got You” (J Records), the Mary J. Blige song “To Be Real” (Geffen Records), and the Angie Stone song ”Come into my Life” (BMG records).

An ADDY Award was awarded to Paul for Producing and Composing a Radio commercial for the town of Ft. Myers, Florida.
Paul has also worked as a Pro Tools editor for the Walt Disney World Music Department, and at Disney's Post Production Department

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Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Paul Harlyn

Jojo Kuo
Captain Harry Henry Hann
Captain Harry Henry Hann
Captain Harry Henry Hann
Captain Harry Henry Hann
Paul Harlyn
Incas in Cyberspace
Incas in Cyberspace
The Tropicals
The Tropicals
Captain Harry
Captain Harry
Claude Challe
Claude Challe
Paul Harlyn
Poppyseed
Poppyseed
Poppyseed
Poppyseed
Poppyseed
Steppenwolf
Sometime Never
Gregory O'Quin
Ghoti Hook
Poppyseed
Poppyseed
Poppyseed
Poppyseed
DMZ
John Kay & Steppenwolf
Juliana Luecking
Steppenwolf
House of Freaks
Steppenwolf

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Interview with Paul Harlyn

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: My song Cairo that has received XM airplay for years and was featured on the Buddha Bar Vol. II complication.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Producing the 2nd album for a Gospel singer, another hard-hitting R&B project, and my 8th solo album.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I could research if I was given the parameters.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I put myself into every project.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Grand piano, my acoustic guitar, Dobro, hand percussion, and Melodica since there would be no power there it would be an unplugged jam fest.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: Over 40 years total: 7 years in the Philly area,15 years in NYC, 18 years in Central Florida
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: See my Spotify playlists.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Analog synths, guitars, pianos, and cymbals, and digital capture, and editing.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Working with talented artists to help them get their sound.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Q. How much can we get done in 4 hours? A. Many instruments and vocals.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That the gear creates the sound. It all comes down to the fingers and who is behind the mic.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What are their goals for this project? What is the budget and time frame?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Listen to see if the productions and mixes speak to you.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Chill
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Singers that bring their full range of emotions to each song.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Go for the performance and edit after.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Chill, R&B, smooth grooves and classic sounds
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Piano playing and arranging my synths, orchestral sounds and guitar/bass playing.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: My deep knowledge of the history of recorded music.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I work quickly and go for the performance aspect of arranging on the fly around the performer's style.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: For 40 years I have been collecting gear and I keep pieces around that inspire. From the collector's items like the 1983 Jupiter 8 with MIDI to the Yamaha CP70 electric grand to my 1963 Fender P-Bass, the vintage sound meets my modern approach with the latest plugins, virtual instruments, and recording software.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Produce and arrange for songwriters and performers