Nicholas A Ager on SoundBetter

A producer and sound engineer based in Southend, Essex, England. My work has help artists gain radio play as well as sales on worldwide platforms including iTunes. Having worked under Sefi Carmel (Michael Buble) and Steven Williams (Sting, Britney Spears) I am now opening my own recording, mixing and mastering studio.

I have worked in a number of studios around the UK learning from a number of producers and engineers including those that have had chart topping success. Using the latest digital equipment as well as vintage analog gear I am now capable of recreating what I have learnt on your tracks!
I can offer small scale recordings mainly for acoustic artists as well as high end mixing and mastering services.
Having worked in a number of different areas of the music industry I have an in depth knowledge of how different creative processes work. In 2014 alone I worked on a number of music videos including artists 'I AM KLOOT', the feature film 'Skin Traffik' (2015, Mickey Rourke Michael Madsen) as well as mixing tracks for up and coming artists Tallowah, Primo Nelson and Annemarie Quinn.

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Interview with Nicholas A Ager

Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: At no cost Analog for sure. With my current needs and style I'm 90% digital
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Sefi Carmel is the genius of SoundBetter
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Muse are a band that are extremely close to my heart. Over the course of the last 3 albums I unfortunately feel as though they have lost their way. Other than that I think it'd be inspiring to be in the studio with someone such as Kanye West, Pharrell or Eminem
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Taking the extra time to get the right microphone in the right place to capture the best performance leads to tracks that mix themselves!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Due to the local music scene that I have become a part of I have done a lot of work with funk and reggae bands of the past few years. I've done a lot of work with folk/country artists as well which I have found really inspiring.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I like working with different artists as much as possible. Personal skills are so important and lead to positive relationships and people coming back to work with me again.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: An outside ear is sometimes the most important thing. Artists sit with songs in their head for months sometimes years before they're recorded. I like to provide a different point of view or method of capturing what the client needs to best suit the song. Sometimes suggesting something different can work for the song or confirm the artists origianal idea is the way to go.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Most of the work goes into the pre-production of a song. Lots of demoing so that when we enter the studio we can concentrate on capturing the performance rather than still writing, which can add great expense to the recording phase. When offline mixing I like to find out exactly what the client wants. If they tell me influences on their music as well as examples of tracks they like it really helps with achieving the desired results.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Having dotted around a number of studios in the UK I've had a privilege to use some state of the art equipment. I've collected a few bits of gear including two preamps that really add to the sound that I produce. The extremely relaxed atmosphere is sure to bring out the best performances and ultimately the best recordings. The studio is designed to be as flexible as possible to meet the needs of each client.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I grew up on bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath so they will always have a special place in my heart. Origin of Symmetry by Muse was the first record that I played until the CD wouldn't work any longer. From a production point of view I have massive respect for Butch Vig, Paul Epworth and Rich Costey. My favourite mixers at the moment are 'Spike' Stent and Chris Lord Alge.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I always work to service the song. Whether thats reworking a song to add a bridge or helping develop the harmonies to add to the vocals.