Let me put a live horn section on your recording and help bring it to life.I play most brass instruments plus Akai EWI wind synth and harmonica. I also layer backing vocals .You get several musicians for the price of one with me. I use an assortment of mics to give a nice sound variation.
I'm able to play in pretty much all styles. I can arrange and lay down all the parts for a complete horn section and do solos as required.If you're not sure what you want; I'll do the arrangements for you at no extra cost. I play straight and cross harp harmonica too and can embellish and solo. I am a singer too and specialise in layering backing vocals. I cut my chops playing in brass bands and then jazz big bands. My first pro gig was with Supercharge who played at huge festivals such as Reading and Glastonbury and backed up top American and UK blues artists.I then did session and live work all over the UK and Europe as part of a horn section, playing on TV and radio commercials and also with the likes of Ruby Turner and Climax Blues Band,
I spent a year teaching trumpet whilst I put together my own band. I front, sing, play trumpet,harmonica, drums, trombone, EWI, keyboards and guitar in my band which has released several albums and toured all over the world and recorded at Abbey Road Studio in London.I've also had a BBC Radio 2,Terry Wogan record of the week.
Send me an email through 'Contact' button above and I'll get back to you asap.
Credits
45 Reviews - 8 Repeat Clients
Endorse Mike Snow
check_circleVerifiedAnother very good session (my third) with Mike. He delivered great sounding tracks that were exactly what I was looking for. Quick response and turnaround time. Highly recommended.
check_circleVerifiedMike was responsive, flexible, and delivered great work fast. Our exchange from musician to musician felt creatively satisfying, and I got just what I was hoping for: fun horns to round out my track! Thanks, Mike!
- check_circleVerified
Great work! Bang on brief, with some lovely additional touches. Very quick and easy to work with. Highly recommended.
check_circleVerifiedMike is amazing! He was fun and easy to work with and super flexible and happy to help me troubleshoot some technical things. His horn playing is incredible and he sent me lots of options and parts really quickly. I look forward to working with him again in the future.
check_circleVerifiedMike is really talented. I sent him my song and he took care of the rest. I felt like he read my mind on what I was looking for. Very creative and super talented. I am extremely happy with what Mike sent me and I look forward to working with him in the future.
- check_circleVerified
Mike was fantastic, he put a lot of hard work and commitment into my project, and the results were fantastic. Provided me with a great horn section for my song.
Would definetly Recommend! 
check_circleVerifiedI can't recommend Mike enough! Absolutely amazing performances and quick delivery time. Will be using him in the future for sure!! Book him today.
check_circleVerifiedOutstanding job! Groovy and funky horns. Good skills, patient, and good communication
- check_circleVerified
This is my second project with Mike. He is a master of the trumpet and trombone and goes out of his way to produce a performance that is truly magnificent. It is a pleasure and a privilege to work with him!
check_circleVerifiedMike was spot on! New exactly what I wanted. Will work with again!
- check_circleVerified
Mike did a fantastic job. Parts are amazing, quick turnaround time. Would love to work with him again.
- check_circleVerified
Absolutely brilliant! Contributed with such a lovely vibe :) I really hope to do more work with Mike.
- check_circleVerified
Second time I've worked with Mike - two tracks this time. Amazing work on both as with the first track. Quick turnaround and great comms. Cheers Mike!
- check_circleVerified
Mike is an amazing one-man band! I needed a horn section to spice up a rock dance song, and I quickly decided Mike is the man to go with. Mike did professional edits and extensions on my rough arrangement, and recorded back a 10-track section for my stereo needs. I truly appreciate his active turnaround, perfectionism and impeccable playing.
- check_circleVerified
Mike absolutely nailed all the parts for my track, very talented player and a pleasure to work with, will be using him again.
check_circleVerifiedMike is fantastic! VERY easy to work with and gives a great lift to whatever you send him. He took what I was envisioning for a horn section and really made it sing
- check_circleVerified
Mike is a true professional! There is no reason to seek trumpet or trombone from anyone else on soundbetter.com. His trumpets and trombones blew me away, both literally and figuratively! His performance far exceeded any expectations that I had, and I will very definitely be using him again. 10 stars!
- check_circleVerified
Mike did an amazing job on my track and added additional parts that massively embellished my initial arrangement.
check_circleVerifiedI am very happy I hired Mike. He was very pleasant, responsive to my requests, and quick. He really is a one-man band. He first laid down the initial trumpet and trombone takes that I gave him simple midi recordings of, and then he went FAR above and beyond, adding killer solos, more instruments that I can choose from, and arranged an excellent section for another part of the song from scratch. He clearly got into the mood of my song and found how to compliment it. I highly recommend Mike.
- check_circleVerified
Mike, never let me down! Another nice work from him. thanks a lot.
- check_circleVerified
Mike is great to work with. Real horns bring a song to life!
Will definitely work with Mike again. 
check_circleVerifiedWe were so proud of our tune, and the job that Mike did, we wanted to include him in the video. He was happy to help. He's a great guy, that can really help kick your work up to a new level.
- check_circleVerified
This was my second time working with Mike. He really brings something extra with his work. I gave him a guide track, and he ran with it. I can't wait to start mixing these great new tracks.
- check_circleVerified
Good job! Very easy going and co-operate! I'm satisfied.
check_circleVerifiedGreat working with Mike. Provided great sounding phrases and arrangement for my song.
- check_circleVerified
Mike is a great musician with an excellent musical taste. The real professional, pleasure to work with.
check_circleVerifiedJust finished buy second project with Mike. The first was a big arrangement with full horn section. This one was much more intimate. Both times he came up with interesting and creative sounds that really added to the project. Highly recommended. Would definitely work with him again.
- check_circleVerified
Mike was super, super easy to work with. He put a lot of thought into his parts, and delivered something that fit in nicely. Everything was top notch. Very lucky to work with him.
check_circleVerifiedWant a world-class horn section playing on your song? Well then you've come to the right place. Mike did an awesome job my song in which he included stellar performances on multiple instruments. In addition, he's super easy to work with, fast and professional. We clients are lucky to have him as an SB player.
- check_circleVerified
Mike did a great job of bring life to the brass parts. Excellent sounding tracks. Easy to work with. Would use again.
check_circleVerifiedMike is great! He was able to take a melody and lay down a full horn section with harmony parts and everything, and went above and beyond what we asked him for. Prompt response time, great sounding tracks, easy to work with. Looking forward to working with Mike again in the near future.
- check_circleVerified
very tight and a lot of variety
- check_circleVerified
This was my first time working with horns in an arrangement. Mike made the experience a pleasure. With very little direction, he quickly got the vibe I was looking for and delivered a series of layered tracks that gave me plenty of options to pick from. Great communication. Quick turnaround. Highly recommended. Would definitely work with him again.
check_circleVerifiedI’ll readily admit I had nothing more than a vague idea of wanting horns in a song. Mike took that and gave me something great. My song is many times better for his talent.
check_circleVerifiedMike gave my track EXACTLY what it was missing. Even went as far to give some extra tracks that I didn't even request, but ended up using, and gave the song that magical extra 10% that sets it apart. THANK YOU MIKE!
check_circleVerifiedMike recently added horns to a track of mine and did an amazing/incredible job! What an extremely talented/creative/professional individual! Thanks Mike- was such a pleasure working with you :)
check_circleVerifiedMike put just as much heart and care into this project as the original artist I produced these songs for. It never felt like we had a hired session player, it felt like we had a new member of the band. Thank you Mike!
- check_circleVerified
Can't be more happy with the horns tracks Mike delivered for two songs. Mike went way beyond what I expected with multiple layered tracks, all great quality and a wonderful performance.
check_circleVerifiedMike was very fast and delivered exactly what I needed for a good price.
- check_circleVerified
Mike delivered exactly what i wanted. work fast and cool guy - professional and a pleasure to work with. Will definitely use him again.
- check_circleVerified
Mike is great. Absolute professional.
Will definitely work with him again and recommend him to anyone looking for an awesome horn section.
check_circleVerifiedThis was my second time working with Mike and it was every bit as awesome as the first! He's a great communicator and a very talented arranger and musician. Thanks Mike!
check_circleVerifiedMike is an expert multi-instrumentalist who supported me on my latest track by performing a fantastic brass section. Not only was his playing perfect, he was very quick to respond to communications and flexible on delivering the part quickly with revisions. I would be very happy to work with Mike again on future projects and would recommend him wholeheartedly.
- check_circleVerified
Mike is a class act, both in communication and his work. I told him the mood I was looking for and gave him some basic instructions and what he delivered totally exceeded my expectations. I'd gladly work with Mike again and would have no hesitation recommending him to someone who needs a horn section arrangement and recording done well and in a timely fashion.
check_circleVerifiedGood job Mike.
All my tracks are respected
Interview with Mike Snow
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I recently worked on a rock tune for a guy call Shaw Shaw from Montreal ,Canada. He was after slightly different sound so I had to re explore my usual harmonic structure. I played all the horns as usual but I had to slightly re invent myself. A nice challenge.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I’m working on an Afro beat funk tune for a return client who lives in Norway.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Singer Ben Botfield and as clients, pretty much everyone I’ve worked with.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital for convenience but analog for warmth. A combination of both.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: My promise is that you’ll be totally satisfied. I’ll keep working until you’re happy.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love playing on recordings of so many different music styles. It also gives me a real buzz communicating with people from all over the world.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: The most common question is would you lower your price per song if I commission you to do more than one song? My answer is usually yes.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Sometimes clients may not realise that everything has to be tracked several times on several horns . This takes much more time than people realise.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I usually ask my clients if they have an idea influenced by another artist so that I can reference that artist.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Listen to my demos, read my reviews and take a leap of faith.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: I would take my trumpet, flugelhorn and trombone plus my guitar and harmonica.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started out in brass bands and orchestras. I learned to improvise from an early age. I also learned drums and played in rock bands before going pro as a trumpeter with a top UK touring band. I became a session player back in the 80s and have been doing this ever since.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I think I’d describe my style as empathetic.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Alto saxophonist, Candy Dulfer would be someone I’d love to work with because she’s someone I practice to occasionally. Her music has a great groove plus it’s great to improvise to.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: I use reversed phasing to avoid phasing when double tracking.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I work on such varied genres of music that there is no “usually”. I love all styles of music so every project is welcomed with open arms.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Is taking the client’s idea and running with it, either by embellishing it or coming up with ideas that fit perfectly with th over all concept.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I can articulate any preconceived ideas the client may have a and give them the authentic feel that I think they’re after. I usually add some ideas which the client can either use or discard. Better to have too much than not enough.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I send my clients a quick demo and if they’re happy, I then record all horns and track as necessary. I record all the parts using trumpet and trombone first and then replace some of the voicings using other horns.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My studio is a soundproof room at the top of my house. I use various mics, ranging from Neumann KMS 104 to Sure SM57. I use Logic Pro X software and Allen & Heath QU16 desk.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: For soul and funk, it would be Tower of Power, James Brown and Earth Wind and Fire. For more rocky stuff, Southside Johnny, Blood Sweat & Tears and Chicago. Count Basie and Buddy Rich for big band jazz.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I would say that it’s clients who have the odd song they’ve written and can hear the necessity to add a few horn licks. These clients often come back because they can suddenly hear possibilities for other songs they’ve written.
I was the player of all horns, harmonica player and played all solos in this production
- HornAverage price - $150 per song
- TrumpetAverage price - $50 per song
- TromboneAverage price - $50 per song
- HarmonicaAverage price - $50 per song
- Pop-Rock ArrangerAverage price - $25 per song
Week day turn around is approximately 48 hours,depending on availability and size of the job.
- Bach
- Conn Trumpets
- Getzen and Blessing Flugels. Akai EWI 5000
- Conn Trombone
- Logic Pro X etc
Free horn arrangements for SoundBetter Visitors.
