Tabor Sound on SoundBetter

I'm not really into sales pitches. I'd rather let my work speak for itself; feel free to read further about me and where I'm coming from, listen to a few samples...if you like what you hear, let's get to work.

-Working in audio professionally, full-time the last ~30 years, recording/mixing records, mastering, post-production, location recording, sound design, etc. Graduated from a well known music business/recording school and have been playing music since the 6th grade, continue to do so semi/non-professionally. Sr. Sound Designer credit on high profile games, like Star Trek Online and recently Metroid Prime 4.

-My general philosophy - the recording process is secondary to the song. Clichéd, but valid - good songs can be made into great songs by an engineer with the tools + ability to elevate them, to make them sound the best they can. My seasoned set of ears are always listening/troubleshooting with a critical, unbiased view...I *love* creative collaboration. Along with the technical side, I can also offer additional recorded parts - electric/acoustic bass, rudimentary drums/guitar, synthesis/programming, SFX/noise experiments, etc. My home is full of great sounding gear, instruments, amps, mics, synths, etc...a mix of new and (mostly) vintage. Results are achieved quickly; I'm flexible regarding any specific technical requirements there may be. Fast reponse to emails/etc. SoundBetter allows only 7 specific genres to specialize in, but I am open to working on all music/projects. Clients: Mandarin, 9Fingers (Abstractions), gilded charlatan, LUGGY TON, Purnamasari, OBSOLETE MEATS.

Send me an email through 'Contact' button above and I'll get back to you asap.

Credits

Endorse Tabor Sound3 Reviews

by tate.eskew@gmail.com
I've worked with Drew for over fifteen years on various projects. He has been immersed in sound for decades and it shows. He takes direction well, has great artistic suggestions, is a great musician that serves the song, and has a great ear for subtlety and context. We've recorded a lot of work together and he's been nothing short of amazing every time. He's dependable, empathetic to the vision, and a very dear person. All of those things are vital to any art project and Drew is exemplary in every way.
by David Rhodes Douglas
I've never worked with a recording engineer whose ears I trust more than Drew Rydberg. He has a simple, no-nonsense approach to recording. He's extremely skilled in all facets of audio engineering, but what truly sets him apart is his ability to open his ears, listen & TRULY hear the piece of music, as the artist intends. He eliminates unnecessary variables and works to capture the best possible sound, at the source. He knows exactly how to evaluate a room for its acoustical properties, and then places instruments & microphones in the PERFECT places to achieve the best tones imaginable. A++!!!
by Wm Hines
Drew is awesome - we’ve been working together for a year or so now. He has helped substantially with keeping the project on track and lending his talents both on bass and as a drummer to help bring the songs to life. His guidance through the mixing process has also been very helpful. Always on-time, professional, quick turnaround when working remotely on tracks, I would recommend Drew to anyone that might be stalled on their project like I was, or for people that are looking for someone talented and dependable.

Interview with Tabor Sound

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Too many proud moments to list here.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Finding work.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both have their merits! It should not be an 'either/or' question. Shame on the SoundBetter clowns for even considering this idea.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: If you don't like what I've delivered (even after revisions), I won't charge you
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: The creative side of creating and problem-solving
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: What's my availability and will you work with us; my answer is mostly yes!
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That it's easy and that anyone can do it (i.e. somebody's nephew with a laptop and some loopty looping software)
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What are your end goals for your material, and how can we best reach them efficiently?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Get to know me! I'm great to work with and I'm pretty affordable.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: A boat, lots of food, guns, money and lawyers
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: Three decades - did session and post work in Nashville, then moved to audio for games (sound design, music, voice, you name it) - continued to work on the side, in general recording and performing in bands, etc.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: 'The Straight Talk Express'
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Bill Frisell, because he's a phenomenal musician
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: This is probably already well known: try to cut 300hz by a few dB and you'd be suprised what happens
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: There's no usual genre, I've done work on rock, metal, indie, jazz, world, etc.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Mixing/recording, arranging, producing, bass guitar, drums, synthesis/noise scultpting. Parenting too!
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Critical listening skills and very painstaking, surgical methods to correct any small or large issues
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Throw me the whip, I throw you the idol
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: It's modest yet high quality and mobile. My front end is 10 channels of a Studer 169 location mixer - clean, quiet and thouroughly musical mic preamps. Mics by RODE, Microtech Gefell, Oktava, AKG, EV, AT and some other weird/rare brands. Monitors are PSI Audio and Adam Audio. Supplemental music instruments are too numerous to list here. I use Reaper and have lots and lots of VST's
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Whoever makes interesting and compelling music and/or great records, so literally everyone in the world...? This loaded question is attempting to pigeon hole me, what do YOU think folks?
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Recording (on site) or mixing pre-recorded stems, mastering, overdubs, advising/consultation