Music Production CV
Gareth James
Sound Engineer/Music Producer
A Bit About Me
Experienced freelance sound engineer, mix engineer, and music producer looking for opportunities within the music industry to make awesome music with new and established artists alike. Well-versed in Cubase, Nuendo, and ProTools. Multi-instrumentalist with a solid music theory grounding. Quite partial to a nice strong cup of coffee.
Print This PageListen To My WorkSound Engineer/Music Producer
SoundARC Recording Studios January 2002 - Present
- Worked with over 1000 different acts, and spent more than 10,000 hours working on projects, covering pretty much every conceivable musical genre.
- Built a solid reputation for the studio (from scratch), and established the company as one of the leading competitors in the Home Counties.
- Forged a unique ‘sound’ for the studio, which attracted customers from way beyond the expected catchment area, and who then brought in more work through their recommendations to other local acts.
- Established a core group of return customers, who generally spent an equal amount or more with every return visit. This included clients who recorded two or more consecutive albums at the studio.
- Time-managed literally hundreds of sessions - often critically - due to the quick-fire nature of the sessions undertaken.
- Spearheaded the careers of many musical acts, including Look See Proof, My Passion, and The October Game.
- Designed the company’s online and offline promotional assets, including flyers, posters, and the company’s website.
- Developed the studio’s workflow, including rewiring the entire setup in order to help maximise productivity.
BTEC Music Tutor
Academy of Music & Sound September 2011 - July 2014
- Delivered lessons to classes of between 1 and 25 students at North Herts College.
- Taught piano/keyboard to select groups of students.
- Taught Music Business and Music & Society units to entire year groups.
- Enthused students in subject matter they weren’t particularly interested in.
Live Music Consulatant/Live Sound Engineer
Solid Silver Productions June 2009
- Worked tirelessly with the crew to deliver the first of many shows with the Upbeat Beatles.
- Advised on the best equipment to purchase for the budget available in the weeks leading up to the gig.
- Advised on the best signal chains to use with the equipment available in the weeks leading up to the gig.
- Set up equipment and sound checked on the night of the gig, all within the very stringent timeframe allocated by the hosts.
Sound Engineer/Editor
Sublime Productions Novemeber 2007
- Engineered recording sessions for artists signed to the company.
- Recorded and edited vocalists primarily, but also tracked full bands.
- Although always recording in non-pristine (non-studio) environments, I got consistently praised by the producer for the quality of sound produced.
Musical Director/Producer
Dangerously Brian Productions January 2006 - August 2007
- Created fully-orchestrated productions from hummed Dictaphone recordings.
- Produced tracks of varying styles, all to a very high level of quality.
- Coordinated the entire musical vision for the company.
Live Sound Engineer
FUNKification August 2005
- Engineered a string of live music events with the company.
Guitar Tutor
Protocol Professional April 2005 – July 2005
- Delivered structured lessons from the Rock School syllabus to students at Bedford College.
- Incorporated extra music theory tuition, with lessons devised by myself, in order to better the students’ overall musical knowledge.
Film Scorer
Bein’ Bri-ish Movies December 2003 – February 2004
- Wrote, recorded and produced the soundtrack to a short film, including the title sequence, two video montages, fifteen stings, and a credit sequence.
- Regularly liaised with the film producer to realise her creative vision for the production.
- Delivered my work on time and on budget, despite the strict time schedule.
- Commission came as a recommendation from MovieDo Productions (see below).
Film Scorer
MovieDo Productions November 2003
- Wrote, recorded and produced the soundtrack to a short film, including the title music, several stings, and a four minute piece of incidental music.
- Delivered my work on time and on budget, despite the strict time schedule.
What I Like To Do
- Web Development - When I’m not doing music-related stuff, I enjoy nothing more than building websites. I love every aspect of the design and development process, and relish integrating cutting-edge technology into my creations. My own website is a playground for testing out new code, so is frequently updated to reflect the latest developments.
- Blogging - I also use my website as a platform for my infrequent blog posts. The subject matter flitters between music production and web development, and reflects the various lessons I’ve learned from working in each industry. I’ve gained so much knowledge from the kind people of the internet over the years, by reading countless articles and blog posts, so feel that in some small way I’m just returning my dues by doing the same.
- The Great Outdoors - Short walks or great hikes - anything goes! I never fail to get inspired when out in the open, and love getting my boots proper dirty. Camping is always a welcome departure from all the modern conveniences too; as long as there’s good friends and good music, I’m there!
- Photography - A bit of a new hobby, but one I enjoy all the same - I do love getting artsy with my camera! I'm really getting into working with different light at the moment, and as for subject matter, portraits, still life, and landscapes are all good with me!