Mark Bullock on SoundBetter

I'm a passionate producer and mixer—specializing in folk and indie music—whose work has cumulatively gathered over 650,000 plays on Spotify. Highlights include "Chip Clip" by Swirlhood (58k plays), "Tangle Drift" by Body Origami (77k plays), and "Baby" by Sad Baxter (54k plays). My mix stems for Nashville band "ONLY" were just used in a Vans ad!

I love working to craft the best possible representation of a song. This is called "making a record," but what it means in practice is relentlessly pursuing the maximum emotional impact of your art. To do this, we combine a vision, a performance, an arrangement, and yes, *recorded* sound!

Magic happens when these things coalesce into something greater than the sum of these parts. That's how the music you and I love came to be, and that's what "making a record" means to me.

If you like my song samples, my philosophy, and want to work on something great, I'd love to talk to you about making a record.

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Credits

14 Reviews - 4 Repeat Clients

Endorse Mark Bullock

by Bethany G.
Verified
Mark is hands down the best. He's committed to capturing the most authentic version of a song, a sound, a voice and it really shows in the work. His approach to recording has transformed the relationship between me and my music and given me so much confidence in what we create together. If you're looking for someone to help you create beautiful productions that really showcase the heart of a song, Mark is your guy!
by John A.
Verified
Good communication and good work! I’ll come to Mark for projects in the future.
by Ellice E.
Verified
My band has been working with Mark for a few years now. He’s very receptive and a great producer to bounce ideas off of! If you have more lo-fi recordings where you like the performance but they need some polishing, Mark is super fast at editing in Pro Tools to give you the sound you want. The quality of mix you get is better than most, and above all he’s a pleasure to work with.
by James C.
Verified
I took a chance giving Mark one of my songs to mix and when I got the mix back I was BLOWN AWAY!!! The drums were huge, the tones were pristine, and he made my voice sound PHENOMENAL... any revisions I had he was quick to accommodate which was awesome. Very nice guy! Great taste in effecting sound! I will definitely be working with him again. Thanks, Mark!
by Luke Q.
Verified
Mark's the one, guys.

He's receptive to feedback and timely with his revisions; he's a great engineer, but most importantly, if you're (like me) precious about what you've written, he'll tune in to the vibe of the song, and become the limo driver for all your creative ideas.

I plan on working with Mark again in the very near future, as I evidently can't get enough of music, or the Mark that makes it happen.
by BJay M.
Verified
I won't go into too much detail, as I left an (unverified) review already previously. But rest assured that I absolutely love working with Mark! He's extremely talented, patient, friendly, fast and efficient, and most importantly has a great ear and does a wonderful job mixing. I can't wait to continue working with Mark in the future and couldn't recommend his services enough!
by Part S.
Verified
Mark was such a pleasure to work with! He truly puts his heart and soul into his work, and I think he brought a lot of life to my songs. Would LOVE to work with him again.
by Angel P.
Verified
Loved working with Mark. He's really professional and has a lot of very good producer ideas, too. I'll definitely work with him again.
by Matt M.
Verified
ive worked with Mark for 3 years . We have done about 12 songs together. He is very easy to work with and very accommodating. He is very reliable on communication which is a big thing of mine. His ear, patience, and understanding of music make him great! And he is cool! What else is needed??
by Oliver J.
Verified
Good stuff.
by Josh N.
Verified
Mark is the man! He always knows how to make clients feel at ease and comfortable no matter what. It also doesn't hurt that his mixes are super exciting! Mark's professionalism shines through in his willingness to get the right results every time, and he always does so in a highly efficient manner. Highly recommended!
by Christiana Zollner
It's so easy to work with Mark. I've worked with him as both a sound engineer and a mix engineer. He's patient, thoughtful, timely, and professional. You'll have a lot of fun working with him and the result will be great.
by BJay Moore
I've worked with Mark on a few tracks to date, with several more lined up for the future. He has performed mixing services for my band from recordings I did myself. I'll be the first to admit my recordings aren't the most superb of quality, but with his wonderful talents he has really breathed life into them. I truly couldn't ask for better results!

And aside from his great technical skills, he has been a joy to work with. Extremely timely, super understanding and patient, and very honest and friendly. I can't recommend his services enough! I look forward to working with him in the future!
by Josh Frigo
I love working with Mark. I've hired him many times to play Bass in the studio and on stage, we've collaborated on productions together, and I've consulted him for advice in my own productions.

Mark brings an open working environment to everything does. Always excited to listen to what you're trying to accomplish and help you take it to the next level.

In addition to being musically talented, he also brings a technical proficiency to his recording processes that is arguably unmatched by anyone I know personally. Hire Mark for your next production!

Interview with Mark Bullock

Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm doing some mixes for a returning client, and producing for Swirlhood and other close collaborators/friends.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Josh Frigo
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I'll love your music like you do.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love doing it! Lots to unpack in that though: I love that I'll never know it all, there will always be more to try, there will always be new songs, there will always be great songs that get better and better the longer I know them.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Cultivate and maintain your inspiration! You will need it where we're going.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Studio monitors, a vintage Martin, my Princeton amp, a big old ribbon mic, and a spring reverb.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I got my first guitar in the year 2000, and very soon after that I was using my computer's gooseneck microphone and pirating recording software—the rest is history!
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Remember that it's all about the music. Don't be afraid to change things if it's best for the song, even if that means subtracting things that once seemed exciting. Ultimately, every element's purpose is to serve the song, and sometimes an element must be dismissed to fulfill that purpose.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring intentionality, which helps a song retain its sense of life throughout the production process. A song's inherent sense of life can sometimes be diminished if we're not careful to stay mindful of it. The goal is for the song to be burning its brightest as the record is completed.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Listen A LOT. Only through listening do you know where you're at the process and how to get sense of direction. If at the very beginning, listening will inspire ideas and direction. When further along in a project, I find it's very important to continually cleanse my palate between intentional listening and focussed work time. This keeps me able to repeatedly hear the work anew, which is vital to maintaining perspective in the final stages, and ultimately complete the work.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: The Beatles, or course, but lots of other excellent music and personnel. Here's a few off the top of my head: The Beach Boys, Elliott Smith, Joni Mitchell, Mac DeMarco, Bill Evans, Sibylle Baier, Twain, Wilco, Art Garfunkel, Blake Mills, Feist, Radiohead, Charlotte Cornfield, The Band, David Bowie, Weezer, Judee Sill, Mitski, Lomelda, Rick Rubin
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Sometimes I'm there from the very beginning—helping tweak song structure and parts, setting up a microphone for the first capture—all the way through to the end of mixing and sometimes mastering. Out of all the various projects over the years, I've most often come in at the mixing stage.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I would describe it as "Raw Polish." Raw because I like to maintain the original intimacy and energy without overly sanitizing anything. Polish because I aim to be intentional with every sound, and groom it just enough to find its purpose within a production. To my ears, lot of approaches feel either raw OR polished, but I like to find where they intersect, which is often the most exciting presentation to me.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: A lot of artists I love are doing their thing so well, that I wouldn't want to interfere! For that reason, I'm picking a band that would have to be resurrected to work with—Colour Revolt. There's a special place in my heart for what that band did with the basic elements of rock (guitar, bass, drums, vocals, etc). I would work to help them regain their magic!
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I'm extremely communicative and timely, and thorough with my documentation. This very much comes in handy in the revision stage of any project.