Jeff Carter on SoundBetter

35 Years experience as a producer, performer and composer have given me a vast set of tools to draw from, both technically and personally. Top-drawer equipment is essential to producing top-quality results, but gear is only the beginning of the story. Music is about emotional responses, not just technical perfection...achieving both is the goal.

My skills and experience are directed at lifting an artist's work to the pinnacle of what they want to achieve, and sometimes, even taking it beyond what was imagined. I've worked with both well-known and successful artists, as well as some highly talented up-and-coming talent, but regardless of who I'm working with, their level of success, or style, my approach is the same: start with communication, find out what the vibe, style, and intention is, and work together to find the best way to achieve it.
Having decades of experience allows me to be extremely flexible in my approach: I'm equally comfortable working with a full band that wants to start with live-off-the-floor recordings, singer-songwriters that are looking to lay down tracks one part at a time, electronic and dance artists trying to break new ground, to orchestral and film writers that want to take their compositions to the next level.
Capturing the best performances is only one aspect of the recording process; help with arrangments, effects and tones, synth programming, sequencing and drum programming, mixes, and mastering are all completely within my wheelhouse, and I'm comfortable working with a wide range of styles, though I'm most well-known for my work with pop and new wave bands, including two full albums and three EPs for Canadian pop icons, Spoons.

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Interview with Jeff Carter

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop and rock bands, from modern to 80’s new wave. I’ve recorded metal and grunge bands, new wave acts, synth based pop and dance artists, and Native American drummers and singers.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Communication skills and experience; I have a knack for finding out what an artist is really trying to achieve, and help them to get to those results quickly, at a very high quality.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: 35 years of pro audio and production experience, working with professional artists and studios, for both well-established and up-and-coming artists.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: For solo artists,I usually start by helping the artist find the best tempo, key and feel for their tracks, and their preferred work process. Many solo artists prefer to track their basic vocal / piano / guitar to a drum groove, which I can provide. From there, we track multiple takes of the main/lead parts, go through them the find the best material, and then focus on harmonies, other instruments or loops that can fill things in, and then talk about whether session musicians (guitar, bass, live drums, violin etc) being called in could benefit the track. Once all the songs are tracked, we move on to the mixing and mastering stages.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I work from two different studios, both centered around a Presonus Studio One pro based setup, with Universal Audio preamps and a solid selection of mics. The smaller studio is designed for singer-song writers, individual artists or duos, who don’t need a large space to record in, but still want high quality results at a lower price. The larger space is a commercial studio that I work for, with room for a full band to track live, including drums. The cost for working in the larger space is higher.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Flood, Daniel Lanois, Quincy Jones, Nile Rodgers.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Music Studio production, including full recording, engineering, editing and production. If requested, I also offer assistance with arrangements, adding piano /synth /loops /drums, arranging session musicians, and comprehensive mastering. I also create professional graphic designs and artwork for merch/album covers/posters, etc.