FADED - Found Sound (album, 2024)

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I’m pleased to announce the release of Faded’s album “Found Sound” through Hottwerk UK

  • Produce
  • Mix
  • Master

Enjoy!

FADED - Like A Lover (single, 2024)

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Omnisphere synths and Battery kits making their presence felt here, as is edm-style ducking-to-half-beat compression.

Vocal ambience is a mixture of Eventide Recirculate being fed into LiquidSonics “Seventh Heaven” Bricasti M7 emulation, with much of the signal processing anchored by Sonnox “Voca”.

The mix approach is quite uniform -

  • bring all sources up to a strong level of capture quality
  • apply musical edits (adding any additional production)
  • then mix

Not all sources arrive from a professional studio, so a pre-mix phase might begin with iZotope RX to reduce noise, spill, squeaks, reverb - and de-essing is typically drawn-in as gain automation, which generally produces the best results, to iron-out proximity and other close-mic effects.

So, something like (Sonnox Supressr is often used all across the spectrum (e.g. to tame ringing snares), before an analogue compressor comes into play - fix in digital, enhance in analogue. Each one can do things the other cannot, so you use both.

Editing time and groove is another aspect!

  • Piano, horns, strings, arrangement, rhythm programming, flew in new middle section
  • Editing
  • Mixing
  • Mastering
  • Production

From the forthcoming album, “Found Sound”

FADED - His Mother's Son (single, 2024)

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I spent a few days studying Grimethorpe Colliery Brass Band for this one - “more Hovis” was the call!

Brass band music tugs at the heart strings of every Northern lad and lass, so diving into that music to see how it ticks taught me that no set of articulations available (in any software, anywhere) can truly get anywhere close to an ensemble of that level of skill, and nuance.

But, we tried, and in the middle of the song, you might catch a sense of the music that echoed through the streets of the English North in the previous century. Two world wars leaves its mark, and then… Thatcher. So, this is a minor tribute to their resilience.

  • Piano, string arrangement
  • Editing
  • Mixing
  • Mastering
  • Production

From the forthcoming album, “Found Sound”

Yamaha CP80 Yamaha CP80, with the lid up!

FADED - Live It (ep, 2024)

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  • Editing
  • Mixing
  • Mastering
  • Production

From the forthcoming album, “Found Sound” - check out the remixes

FADED - Every Broken Morning (single, 2024)

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“Beatley strings” was the call, so I spent Christmas Eve studying Eleanor Rigby… can I get anywhere close to George Martin? (No! But, a constant pulse, with huge melodic diagonals is something we can do….)

The solo cello echoing and evolving beneath the vocal melody is Native Instruments' Stradivari Cello, and the guitar-arpeggio locking “ostinatum” strings are c/o the Spitfire Solo Strings library.

The sparse, distant piano is the Spitfire BBC Symphony Orchestra piano, and drums are SD3 driven by v-drum midi (c/o session drummer Fergus Henderson).

  • Programming and arrangement - strings, piano
  • Editing
  • Mixing
  • Mastering
  • Production

From the forthcoming album, “Found Sound”

FADED - Meet Yourself on the Way Out (album, 2023)

  • Mastering

We Take Polaroids - Save Me (album, 2021)

Also known as Mark Zowie, WTP have a rich tapestry of dance music production as far back as 1995. Mark amassed critical acclaim as the vocal / songwriter of electronic indie upstarts ‘Burn The Negative’, whilst playing Ibiza Rocks with Soulwax, Glastonbury, Isle of Wight, V Festival and Rockness, even opening Creamfields mainstage. Mark’s versatility as a writer and producer, often crossing genre, has gained him strong momentum and worldwide support.

  • Mastering

We Take Polaroids - What U Do (single, 2021)

  • Mastering

FADED - All My Days (EP, 2021)

  • Mastering
  • Mix for A Gift (guitar re-amp, edits, analogue sum)
  • All My Days will make you melt… such a joy to get to hear this first!

Urban-de.k - Treat Me The Way (early mix, 2000)

  • Adam Davidson: Voice
  • Laurence Blackadder: Bass, acoustic guitar
  • Ken McCormack: Acoustic and electric guitars, string and synth programming
  • Chris Harty: Keys
  • Ian Sargison: Drums

Orange Olive - Old Volkswagen (2000)

Session guitar for LA based indie rockers Orange Olive. An mp3.com top 40 track - it’s quite a zipper, still have the tele that chimes in on the first bar!

Produced by Curt Piar and Orange Olive. © 2000 Stuart Matthews and Burnt Sun Records