John Bohn on SoundBetter

I love making your music sound it's best! I've done a ton over the years ranging from Rock, Country, Americana, Bluegrass, Hip-Hop, Metal.

Formerly based out of Nashville, I now work out of upstate New York. I've worked on Grammy nominated projects and I specialize in Rock, Indie, Pop, Hip-hop, Country, Folk, and Bluegrass. I love mixing and want to take your sound to the next level, not by imparting my "signature sound", but enhancing what makes you sound like you.

I started recording and mixing music almost 20 years ago, starting out like most of us do, recording our own bands and our friends. That started a life-time passion of making music sound great and working with artists to have their sound realized. After years of doing local indie stuff, I ended up moving down to Nashville and interned at Masterfonics (formerly Emerald Entertainment). I was there for about of year watching and learning from the best Nashville had to offer. From there I assisted all around town. I ended up spending a lot of time at Compass records doing tons of bluegrass. Besides that I also did a bunch of demo work in town helping songwriters make their demos sound their best.

I've since moved out of Nashville but have been recording and mixing ever since. It's absolutely my favorite thing in the world, and I'd love to work with you! Reach out by clicking the "Contact" button above and let's get started.

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for John Bohn

Mark McKinney
Alison Brown
Alison Brown
Drew Emmitt
Cathy Barker
The Infamous Stringdusters
The Waifs
Brooke Waggoner

5 Reviews

Endorse John Bohn

by Eli
Verified
John went above and beyond in mastering my album; now that he worked his magic, I can't imagine hearing these songs any other way.
Simply genius.
Top-quality work completed on-time. I would recommend John Bohn to anyone looking to take their audio project to the next level!
by Daniel M.
Verified
I had a great experience working with John! He took the time to learn what kind of sound I was going for, and after I sent him the tracks, quickly followed up with an honest assessment of what he could accomplish. The final product exceeded my expectations and was delivered promptly. Overall I was really impressed, and I would absolutely go to John again for future projects. Can't recommend him enough! Thanks!
by Hop H.
This is my second time working with John for my hip-hop project and I was on a time crunch! I needed five tracks mastered in about five days and he not only completed them, but make some edits and had them sent back to me in time to press the CDs to take on tour the next week! I highly recommend him for your mastering needs. Always professional and efficient. Thanks, John!
by Jaz
John was
1. Friendly
2. So fast!
3. Thorough

It's almost magic what he did to my hip hop tracks because I don't have terminology for the work he put into my music, but it sounds so full and professional and "real" (and I know you know what I mean!)

I'm so pleased with the results of his service and I will tell anyone who is willing to listen to me that John Bohn is the guy!
by Wren
Excellent communication and superior quality. John makes sure that you are completely satisfied with every last detail of your mix before finalizing. Incredibly skilled and professional. Wouldn't trust my mixes with anyone else.

Interview with John Bohn

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That it's a simple thing that can be learned quickly. It takes lots of experience, patience, and persistence to make a great mix.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Getting positive feedback from the bands I work with. Hearing their excitement when they have tracks that sound like hits on the radio brings me a lot of joy.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: One of the most important questions I ask is for a list of samples/references. I'm happy to do my thing on its own, but bands/artists typically have a sonic goal. Having some reference tunes makes it much easier to make what they want to here.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Listen to example work and go with who sounds good to you.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I love working with artists who are passionate about their music. People who really love their songs.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Bringing out the core of the song. I believe the sound of a song is as important as the instrumentation. Simple EQ choices on something as simple as a guitar part can make or break a song.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I typically work with bands and independent artists.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Getting positive feedback from the bands I work with. Hearing their excitement when they have tracks that sound like hits on the radio brings me a lot of joy.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That anyone can do it. It takes lots of experience, patience, and persistence to make a great mix.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: One of the most important questions I ask is for a list of samples/references. I'm happy to do my thing on its own, but bands/artists typically have a sonic goal. Having some reference tunes makes it much easier to make what they want to here.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Listen to example work and go with who sounds good to you.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I love working with artists who are passionate about their music. People who really love their songs.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Bringing out the core of the song. I believe the sound of a song is as important as the instrumentation. Simple EQ choices on something as simple as a guitar part can make or break a song.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I generally work pretty quick. Most mixes are pretty close within a few hours. My workflow is really honed in and speeds me up a lot. Once I've got the mix generally down, I'll send it over to the client to check out and get any notes before I finish it up.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I typically work with bands and independent artists.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both! I love tracking analog, and mixing digital. The instant recall of digital is such a huge draw, but analog really does add a certain something. So much of mixing (especially rock) is managing harmonics/distortion, analog (and analog simulations) are a must.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Adam monitos, Apollo interface, mac laptop, Distressor, Pultec EQA
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Modern sounds with vintage influence.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Go with your gut, make decisions, and commit.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Lots of rock, lots of country. When I was working down in Nashville, I also did a ton of bluegrass for Compass records, but I haven't done much since. That said, I'd totally be down to do more. I love all kinds of music.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Not putting my stamp on the song. I'm all about really enhancing what's there and making the group sound as good as possible.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Adam monitors, Pro Tools, Logic, Universal Audio Apollo converters, UAD plugins, Waves plugins, Soundtoys, Summing mixer, Softube Console 1
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Queens of the Stone Age has been a big influence on me. They essentially invented a sound that has become hugely popular. They did their thing their way and made it work to the extreme.