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 a note through the contact button above.

Credits

145 Reviews - 31 Repeat Clients

Endorse Mike Snow

by Marcello
Verified
Mike is a total pro! Spotless job and and very easy to talk to! Don't hesitate a second to hire him and thank me later! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
by Eric T.
Verified
Mike is so great. He has always delivered what I asked him to And then he also delivers what he knows I intuitively want, but I don’t know any better being that I’m not a horn player Thank you again, Mike
by Imua Garza
Verified
So good! Highly recommend. Professional and exactly what I need.
by Imua Garza
Verified
Awesome communication, performance! Taking my ideas and taking it to the next level for sure.
by Michael E.
Verified
From horns to harmonica, Mike never fails to add his distinctive flair to our songs.
by ehagen08
Verified
Mike did a great job. Asked the right questions, hit the sound I was looking for and was pretty quick with turnaround. Very reasonably priced as well. Would recommend.
by Trey P.
Verified
Mike did a very good job with what was asked of him and delivered for me. I would definitely recommend him for brass!
by Chance K.
Verified
Best on the platform! Walked with me through the process and delivered an excellent track.
by Ryan M.
Verified
I consider Mike on every project I touch, he's very much like a member of my band now, only remotely! If only everyone I worked with was as reliable!
by Michael Mironen
Verified
First time with Mike! He is very responsive, kind and truly honest which is something I personally respect. He values your ideas but can also add up his own. The recording quality is great and Mike clearly knows how to arrange horns. I had to some editing to improve the timing of the performance, but for the gig price I'm more than happy with the end result!
by Ryan M.
Verified
I make weird songs and I shudder with horror to think of what might have happened had I optioned someone besides Mike.

Don't take the chance, hire Mike! If he can get me, he can get you!
This isn't some dreamy synth part you need, you need horns and you need them done right.
If I could afford it, I'd hire Mike 24/7 so no one else could. That's how small and jealous of a person I am, but thankfully for you, I'm very poor, so you too can hire Mike. FOR NOW, I'm saving up.
by Olivier B.
Verified
Mike is a real pro; great player & arranger. As good as it gets! Pleasure working with him.
by Max C.
Verified
Really amazing and impressive what Mike does with horn layering and recording! You really get a big horn section sound here and interpretation of phrases is really dead on. Timely delivery as well - thanks so much!
by Ryan M.
Verified
I haven't been this happy since they made weed legal in NY. Which I realize wasn't a long time ago, but it did make me super duper happy!
If happiness is a warm gun, this pistol is toasty!
by Ryan M.
Verified
Getting horns from Mike is like opening presents on xmas when you're a kid, only every present is a winner, unlike that xmas of 88 when I should've gotten a Nintendo but got some weird golf clubs. Mike has only ever given me Nintendos.
by Ryan M.
Verified
and another tune! Suffice to say Mike is as much a part of my musical sound now, as I am!
by Ryan M.
Verified
and another tune! Suffice to say Mike is as much a part of my musical sound now, as I am!
by Ryan M.
Verified
Validating the existence of soundbetter, one song at a time!
by Ryan M.
Verified
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!
by Simon W.
Verified
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!

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.