I started my career at Electric Lady Studios in NYC and have worked with legendary mixer Tim Palmer for almost a decade. Credits from - Walk the Moon, Blue October, David Cooke, Tarja, Jesse Woods, Dalton Rappatoni, The Deer and many more. I've been top 5 for producer of the year in Austin, TX several years. Let's work together!
After receiving 2 degrees in Audio Engineering and production I began my professional career at Electric Lady Studios in NYC where I worked along side Grammy award winning producers engineers and artists (Eddie Kramer- Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Russ Elevado-D'Angelo, Alecia Keys, The Roots, Jamie Candiloro - REM, Ryan Adams, David Beneath-Breaking Benjamin, Paramore . After my stay at Electric Lady, I moved to Austin, TX where I became a personal mix assistant to the legendary mixer/producer Tim Palmer (Pearl Jam Ten, U2, David Bowie, Robert Plant, Jason Mraz). I have worked with major labels as well as independent local Austin artists and am currently mixing out of my personal mixing suite. When I take on a project to produce and record, I'll choose a variety of studios around Austin to get the best fit for the artists vision and budget.
Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Credits
AllMusic verified credits for Travis Kennedy19 Reviews
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Travis is an incredible engineer with a wonderful ear for detail and great intuition when it’s come to picking up on what a band is going for with any given project. Travis recorded our first album and gave us the best possible product given our inexperience at the recording process. I would recommend him to anyone looking to taken that next step in their musical endeavors.
Travis knows great sound. I've gotten to work with him in his capacity as a recording engineer and as a mixing engineer. He's cool under pressure and knows how to set a good vibe for artists throughout all stages of a project. I look forward to working with him again and recommend him highly.
It was an absolute pleasure working with Travis! He is a creative mixer and added so much vive to our track. He knows just about everything from the technical aspect, so anything is possible with him.
I've had the pleasure of working with Travis in the field and then listening to the results. Always great from start to finish!!
I have worked with Travis on several projects and every time he brings top notch creativity and professionalism.
I’ve been working with Travis for years in many capacities. Whether he’s recording, mixing, or mastering he’s always been a pleasure to work with and a consummate professional; not to mention all of my masters came to me quickly and sound AMAZING! He’s one of the best and it’s an honor and privilege to be a part of this man’s catalogue of artists!
Travis embodies the perfect combination of deep industry knowledge, innovative creativity, commitment to satisfaction, personal character and dedicated passion! He takes his work to the next level no matter the project, and invests in relationship beyond project completion.
I have had the pleasure of working with Travis at the Austin Film Festival . Hundreds of presenters were successfully recorded , for use on PBS 's On Story television series , the AFF pod cast , and for national public radio distrubution . Travis's work was spot on . it was a pleasure to collaborate with him , and we are happy to have him on our team .
TK is a rockstar engineer. He has a great, balanced ear and works with artists that share a similar care for their sound. Highly endorse!!
He's the best engineer in Texas!
Travis and I have worked together many times and every time we do, I have an inspiring experience. He brings out the best in my music and truly knows how to achieve the sounds I’m going for. I’m always excited to get mixes back and am consistently blown away by what I hear.
An utmost professional, with exquisite taste, precise ear, and an easy demeanor.
He took songs I tracked in a garage and an old workshop to a level I could never obtain. Travis is the real deal.
Travis goes above and beyond expectations with great attention to detail and production choices!
Travis’s ears and attention to detail are unparalleled. He knows his stuff and he genuinely cares about anything he puts his hands on. He would undoubtedly only improve the quality of any project he became a part of. I’d recommend him a hundred times over.
I've known and worked with Travis for years. He's alway willing to spend a little extra time to make sure your mix sounds exactly the way you want it to. He's got a great set of ears and a head full of audio knowledge that only comes with years of experience. He's the dude!
Travis is a great man I met him through Tim Palmer, thanks for the great mix of my music we will repeat it again Travis :) Darek
Travis assisted me for many years and is now out there mixing projects on his own in his own studio. His work is consistently first class and I feel confident recommending him for any recording or mixing projects! .. Tim Palmer
Travis did an amazing job mixing our song. It was a specific project that put almost all mixing decisions at his discretion and he came up with a tremendous mix. -Blynd Birds
Interview with Travis Kennedy
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Two albums that I'm extremely proud of is the Roy Lee Jones album "Devil's in the Whiskey" that I produced, recorded, and mixed. The upcoming release of The Deer album "Do Not Harm" I'm also very proud of. I was the mix engineer for that record. Others would include Jess Woods that had articles in Rolling Stone and Spin Mag, as well as Dalton Rappatoni that climbed to #5 on the billboard charts.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm alway busy, but taking on new projects
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Mark Needham
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both - Stupid Question
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise a professional mix that's radio ready every time and will do whatever it takes to take make the song come to life
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love the success that the artists receive when my Hands/Ears on on their music. Their success is my success
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Do you offer revisions? Of course I offer 2 revisions for every song. That been said, You should not expect unlimited revisions or 8 hours of revisions on a song just so we can get back to the original mix. Artists should respect the time it takes to do the job properly
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: We can't take a piece of dog shit and turn it into the statue of David. We can't take a bag of cat piss and use it to paint the Sistine Chapel. Please record and edit tracks properly before sending to a mix engineer
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What DAW are you using ? Are the tracks organized and properly labeled ? How many tracks are in the session? Have you done all the editing and tuning that you want? Can you provide reference tracks that you would like the song to sound similar too in vibe?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Please prepare your tracks well and be organized. The more time the mixer has to be creative, the better the result will be. Don't expect all mixers to fix things, edit poorly played parts, tune vocals etc. Not that we don't do those things, but it takes time away from what you're paying them for
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Gear doesn't make the song performance or the tone. It always starts with the performance and the tones generated by the artists. I'm not fussy about gear as long as you achieve what your sonic goals
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been mixing professionally for over a decade. I received 2 degrees in Audio Engineering and then worked at Electric Lady Studios in NYC. I moved to Austin, TX and have studied under legendary mixer Tim Palmer for several years. I now own my private mixing suite and work out of several recording studios in Austin, TX
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I try to serve the song first and foremost. That could mean very different mixing techniques from 1 track to another. Listen to my examples to get an idea of what that sounds like.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Ryan Adams again. Sufjan Stevens, Iron and Wine, Arctic Monkeys, Jason Isbell ---- This is a loaded question. Too many to write!
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Get it right at the source. Have a clear vision and go for it. Don't expect for miracles, only beautiful enhancements.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I typically work on Americana/Roots,Alternative/Indie Rock, or Rock music .
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: The ability to take artist or label direction with a track and really bring the song to life and achieve exactly what the client wants.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I'm usually taking a recording that's to me considered around 60-75% done from a final product. Most clients notice a huge difference when they hear my mix vs. the rough from the recording studio. I put drums and bass parts in time, tune vocals, replay parts/add parts if I feel the tracks really needs it. Anything to make the song come alive.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I typically can finish a mix in 2 days or less. I don't stop mixing until I'm completely satisfied with my work before giving it to the client for review. I love to receive notes prior to the start of the mix as well as getting reference tracks with a similar sonic vibe that the client wishes for the song/EP/Album. Once finished with the mix, the client will receive 2 mix revisions for the mix that are included in the original price.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have a private mixing studio, where I use a combination of analogue gear and pro tools. I use all the main players in the plug-ins game such as UAD, Waves, Fabfilter, Soundtoys, MCDSP, OEK, Sound Radix, etc.....
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Working at Electric Lady Studios I was fortunate to work with some of my favorite artists and engineers such as Ryan Adams, The Roots, Regina Spektor, Eddie Kramer, Russ Elevado, and Jamie Cadiloro. After moving to Austin TX, I have been inspired by my mentor and mixing legend Tim Palmer.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: My work for the last 10 years has been primarily mixing work. I do still love recording and producing when the budget is allowed to work at a nice facility where I know we can capture amazing sounds. Because of shrinking budgets it's been a trend where more people are recording at home and sending me tracks to make larger than life.
I was the Mixer or Producer -or Both in this production
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $300 per song
I always give 2 free revisions of any song that I mix. After the first 2 revisions, any further revision is billed hourly at $50 per hour. Mixes rarely ever go beyond 2 revisions.
- Ryan Adams
- Blue October
- D'Angelo
- All UAD
- Waves
- MCDSP
- Fabfilter
- Soundtoys
- Sound Radix
- OEK
- Massey
SoundBetter users receive one additional mix revision
