John Terrell on SoundBetter

Engineer/Producer/Multi-Instrumentalist with independent and major label credits.

I'm a mixing and mastering engineer with a background as a musician and producer. I love diving into different projects and add pushing them to the finished product. Being a musician first i know the struggles when working with recording professionals to get your vision across, collaboration is the key in getting the most of your project.

Would love to hear from you. Click the contact button above to get in touch.

Credits

10 Reviews

Endorse John Terrell

by Christen Stevens
2/2
I felt heard by him every step of the way. He respects & values the artist's opinion and he is receptive to feedback and suggestions. Johnny is the real deal. He lives, eats, and breathes music. If you decide to work with him, you will see that it is the true love of his life. I will continue to work with John Terrell for the rest of my days.
by Christen Stevens
1/2
I am CAS. My debut album "Junk Drawer." was recorded, mixed, & mastered by the one and only, Johnny Terrell. As a new artist, having never stepped foot into a studio before, I wasn't sure what to expect & had a few reservations. But as soon as I met Johnny, it was clear that we were a match made in heaven. He was able to take my vision and turn it into a reality. He took my ideas & concepts to the next level with his strategic creativity. He is always willing to change the flow or direction of a song. He welcomes a challenge. Nothing is too weird or out there for him.
by MAKUTA
3/3
Our art is everything us and we are highly protective, focused, and obsessed with communicating what is in our hearts and heads in the purest and truest sense. Johnny matches that every single time. He is just as protective, focused, and obsessed in communicating everything in the purest and truest sense, and we trust him so wholly and completely. He makes it all possible. Johnny is someone we will work with for the rest of our lives. We recommend and endorse John Terrell with all of our hearts.
by MAKUTA
2/3
John’s technical knowledge is extraordinary, but it is equally matched by a wild, unbridled creativity and curiosity to make every sound that is in your head, a reality. He is the hardest worker, and will not rest until it is right. We’ve seen him run days without sleep, chasing and catching the exact, perfect sound. His attention to detail, nuance, and color is unmatched, and his craftsmanship unparalleled. He is an artists’ dream engineer, collaborator, and confidant, who is a profoundly inspiring and encouraging presence. He cares deeply about making great music and great records
by MAKUTA
We are splitting this endorsement into 3 parts...
1/3
We are the band MAKUTA, and we have a longterm working relationship with John Terrell. Most recently, he mixed our latest album "Phosphenes" which thus far has seen great success, is in regular rotation on radio around the world, and has major commercial placements. As of writing this, we have spent several years working with him… and simply put, Johnny is the best mixing engineer, recording engineer, and brilliant creative force we have ever had (or will have!) the great pleasure of working with.
by Matthew Carpenter
John is an absolute delight to work with! My friend and I came to him last year for his help in producing our first worship album and we're more than satisfied with the final product. In addition to being easy-going and fun to work with, he's extremely talented and a professional in his craft. While you'll love anything he puts out for you, you'll get your best result if you work *with* him--take advantage of his musical knowledge and skills rather than simply barking orders at him. I highly recommend John!
by Mike Adams
Johnny T. made our daunting project effortless and such a breeze. He created an atmosphere of creativity and the work became the focus. We threw some pretty gnarly concepts at him and not only did he use his wizardry to see it all worked out but he went above and beyond. A song with time signature changes and tempo changes with multi-track instruments was a simple. He gave us space to experiment. Made the project so easy we immediately started writing again to get back ASAP.
by Melissa Reuben
Johnny provides a serene environment for artists to create. He has a unique ear for music which enables him to mix and master tracks with such precision. I’ve been going to Johnny for 5 plus years and I’ve never been disappointed.
by Ben Phelps
Johnny Terrell is capable of handling projects of all size, shape, genre, and form. He single handedly recorded, mixed, and produced our latest record. The album is vast, ranging from acoustic based melodic interludes to big full band outros. Johnny brought our entire project to life in the best possible form. I would highly recommend Johnny to anyone who seeks a professional engineer who can bring your music to life as he has done for us!
by Bobby BlackHat Walters
I give John Terrell my absolute highest recommendation. John is a consummate professional whose engineering expertise sets the standard for others to emulate. Watching him do his Pro Tools magic during mixing and mastering sessions is truly amazing. John has been a key element in the production of three of my CD’s as well as several singles. John is friendly, patient, and has the ability to offer suggestions and recommendations in a manner that puts clients at ease. Additionally, he is a outstanding guitar player.

Interview with John Terrell

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Really proud of the most recent Makuta album. I was the mix engineer and occasional tracking engineer. I was able to really experiment with different techniques and come up with some unique sounds.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: A country album from Abingdon Parish as a producer/engineer. Always a lot of different genres coming in and out of the studio.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Hybrid is the way to go. There is no denying the quality and convenience of where digital recording is at, but its still great to have nice outboard gear to saturate and process elements of a production.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Working on new music everyday is hands down the best thing about this career path.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: For mixing, a big misconception is that mixing will fix a bad production. For mastering, a lot of people still think its the same as mixing. Mixing is a proactive work process and Mastering is reactive.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What the expectations are for the project and how they prefer to work.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Communication is everything, before you hire someone know what you want and don't be reserved about asking questions.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I went from touring musician to engineer/producer. Ive been doing this full time for 10 years.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Open, music is a collaborative art. I try to be as openminded and collaborative with my clients as needed.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I would love to work with Sasha Sloan. Beyond great melody and lyric content, her production is out of this world amazing. Feel like creatively it would be a fun challenge.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: One production tip is to not overdo and overcomplicate the arrangement. Everything needs to serve the melody. Thats what people gravitate to first.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Bringing out the dramatic aspects of the song, so the listener can feel what the creator of the song intended.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: As musical engineer i can find creative solutions to most anything sent me way.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: First, ill listen to the song and any references sent. After that a conversation with the artist and/or producer to go over any thoughts i had just to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: LA-2a, Distressor, Neve 1073, Genelec 1032s, Telefunken U47.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I work with Pop, R&B, Gospel, and Country on a day to day basis. But I have experience in all genres.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My studio setup is a bit of a hybrid one. I have a handful of outboard gear that i use to saturate and process different elements of a project, that combined with all of the benefits and quality of a HDX protools rig to provide the highest quality project i can.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I am inspired by a lot of people for various reasons; Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Submotion Orchestra, TDE, Andrew Scheps.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: The most common work i do is providing additional production and mixing/mastering services.