You’ve got your song(s). They are ready…right?

Most times when a song feels ready to record (and hopefully you’ve had some production input), it is. But it may not be the last recording. Most artists will make a demo recording first. And this is the domain of small-scale/mobile recording engineers (such as myself).  The demo recording may be programmed drums, a quick take on guitars and vocals and export to MP3. Or it may be such a powerful and raw capture of a performance that artists as famous as Adele or Christina Aguilera release that demo as a single. It might be what gets you a record contract.

What does this say?

· the most important factor in recording is the performance.

·  the room, the mics, the board, the outboard gear, etc. – none of it will make a bad performance (or a weak song) amazing.

So what do I do?

Well there are two options – your place or mine. I have a 16 track mobile setup (meaning I can record 16 tracks simultaneously). I record using Cubase or Harrison (for that analogue vibe) but the files can be used in any recording program – from Garage Band to ProTools.  I don’t maintain a $100,000 studio.

Ultimately this translates into value for you. I’m not cheap – it’s just that I don’t have to pass on these expenses to you.

So how much does it cost to work with me?

Well if you’ve read the page on Production, you’ll see that I’m very serious about trust. So if this is our first project together, then this is a steal – the first song is free if you come to my home studio (Ventura, California) or $100 if I come to your location (anywhere in Ventura County or the Santa Barbara area).  However, the free session is limited to one day. At the end of the session I will give you a copy of the WAV files for each instrument and a (very) rough mix. You’ll be able to take the tracks to anyone (so even if you hate working with me, you won’t have wasted your time).  However, I hope that you’ll want to work with me on the next step and hire me to mix your song….

The only caveat is that I will have your permission to use all or a part of your song on my website for my sample reel.