Mike Snow

Horn section / brass section

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127 Reviews (125 Verified)
Mike Snow on SoundBetter

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.

127 Reviews - 29 Repeat Clients

Endorse Mike Snow
  1. Review by Ryan M.
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    Never ceases to elevate my songs to an entirely new level of life and energy.
    I'll keep coming back for more as long as he's willing!

  2. Review by Simon W.
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    This was my first time working with Mike. He did a superb job, and is a great player and arranger. He was happy to go the extra mile with my delivery requirements, and I very much hope we will get the opportunity to work together again soon. Thanks Mike!

  3. Review by Rex M.
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    by Rex M.
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    Mike is very easy to work with and puts his creative stamp on it. highly recommend!

  4. Review by Marco P.
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    I really enjoyed the sound of his instrument and his recording. highly recommended.

  5. Review by Charlie W.
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    Mike is a joy to work with! He’s incredibly responsive, flexible to whatever you need, and gets you tracks right away. His ideas and playing are spot on, so get him on your music, you will not be disappointed!

  6. Review by kevin s.
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    Mike Snow is fantastic-- don't think twice, just book him!
    This was my first time working with someone via web platform, and I was a little hesitant about not working in-person.
    Mike completely exceeded my expectations, and I couldn't be happier with the end result. He communicated and executed quickly and efficiently; he 'got' my brief right out the gate; most importantly he is clearly a *superb* musician. 1000% recommend.

  7. Review by Bill Gordon
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    Another great session with Mike. Mike has played on six of my tracks and is always fantastic performing something I have written but really shines when he adds his own take on the music. Track audio quality and communication are top notch.

  8. Review by Richard D.
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    Mike is great. A total professional. He delivers high quality tracks on time, every time. He usually provides more than I need. He always seems to come up with great horn lines on the spot no matter what the song may be. I highly recommend

  9. Review by Dario M.
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    Mike is an amazing musician and also a great person. Super professional, great sound, excellent communication, what more can I say? A true pleasure to work with.

  10. Review by Nichalean M.
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    Mike is a delight to work with, he was amazing at what he does ! Will definitely be back for more .

  11. Review by Patrick R.
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    Mike was amazing. He was an excellent communicator and turned around my project on a very tight last minute deadline. He nailed the part on the first take and delivered high quality files. Highly recommended.

  12. Review by Michael P.
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    Another great job by Mike. Finished faster than I thought it would be and the parts were all carefully curated for the song at hand. A true professional.

  13. Review by Van
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    by Van
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    Mike is a great person who understands my needs and truly has patience to help me modify my tracks! Working with him is a very pleasant experience!

  14. Review by Florian M.
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    Super nice guy, very quick, accurate and professional! Highly recommended!

  15. Review by Kyle M.
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    Mike was easy to work with and delivered exactly what I wanted!

  16. Review by Paul
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    by Paul
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    Mike brought at least five horns and sax instruments to the table for a Beach Boys groove meets Earth Wind and Fire song. Just a superb multi talented musician. You get trumpet AND trombone together so no need to look for separate players Again he never disappoints! His arrangements suits your production and more with his creative touch. Did I mention he’s a great guy too. He’s the gift that keeps on giving! 👍😎

  17. Review by Paul
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    by Paul
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    Mike is like having Herb Alberts band all in one person! He’s that good. He turned a good song into a fun amazing song! So wonderful and talented horn player and nice guy too!

  18. Review by Dario M.
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    Second time working with Mike, fantastic arrangements and great sound again! Fast and super easy communication. Highly recommended.

  19. Review by Dario M.
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    Mike is an amazing musician. He delivered exactly what I asked for plus he added some incredible ideas of his own which made the track 10 times better!

  20. Review by Leonard R.
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    Mike is one of my favorite 'Go-To' guys. He really knows his stuff and can help you bring out a vibe you didn't even know you had.

Interview with Mike Snow

  1. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  2. 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.

  3. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  4. A: I’m working on an Afro beat funk tune for a return client who lives in Norway.

  5. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  6. A: Singer Ben Botfield and as clients, pretty much everyone I’ve worked with.

  7. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  8. A: Digital for convenience but analog for warmth. A combination of both.

  9. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  10. A: My promise is that you’ll be totally satisfied. I’ll keep working until you’re happy.

  11. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  12. 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.

  13. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  14. 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.

  15. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  16. 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.

  17. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  18. A: I usually ask my clients if they have an idea influenced by another artist so that I can reference that artist.

  19. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  20. A: Listen to my demos, read my reviews and take a leap of faith.

  21. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  22. A: I would take my trumpet, flugelhorn and trombone plus my guitar and harmonica.

  23. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  24. 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.

  25. Q: How would you describe your style?

  26. A: I think I’d describe my style as empathetic.

  27. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  28. 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.

  29. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  30. A: I use reversed phasing to avoid phasing when double tracking.

  31. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  32. 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.

  33. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  34. 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.

  35. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  36. 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.

  37. Q: What's your typical work process?

  38. 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.

  39. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  40. 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.

  41. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  42. 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.

  43. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  44. 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.

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Several Artists

I was the player of all horns, harmonica player and played all solos in this production

Terms Of Service

Week day turn around is approximately 48 hours,depending on availability and size of the job.

GenresSounds Like
  • The Memphis Horns
  • Tower Of Power
  • EWF Horn Section
Gear Highlights
  • Bach
  • Conn Trumpets
  • Getzen and Blessing Flugels. Akai EWI 5000
  • Conn Trombone
  • Logic Pro X etc
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Free horn arrangements for SoundBetter Visitors.