Simon Eugene on SoundBetter

Indie, acoustic, folk, alt-pop, lo-fi. Full productions, backing tracks & top lines, co-writes, complete songs. I record & write with great artists, helping with their songs & expressing their ideas. I'm 1000% committed to helping you realise your vision. Please see reviews below for happy clients!

I'm a London based writer/producer with years of experience working with artists, performers & labels. I specialise in listening carefully to my clients needs, understanding where they are trying to reach & helping create musical worlds from their visions.

I believe music is art & every experience of collaboration should be inspiring & unforgettable. I can write for you, with you, create full arrangements, top lines & complete productions, including mixing & mastering ready for release.

My songs & productions have been on major radio globally, I've created award nominated soundtracks for TV (BBC) and Film. I work with all major production/library houses on TV placements worldwide & have a network of the greatest musicians to help handle projects large and small.

As an artist I've toured globally, headlining & supporting Radiohead, David Bowie, many greats, played all the major festivals inc Glastonbury, SXSW. I've even had a Japanese Manga Comic Strip named after me! My interest in production/arranging always ran in tandem. I’ve been lucky to work with some of the worlds great producers, learning & exchanging ideas along the way- Bob Clearmountain, Jim Abbis, Chris Potter. Some of the masters!

I love making music & LOVE to help others realise their vision.

Happy to discuss your project- please hit the contact button & get in touch!

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

Credits

141 Reviews - 27 Repeat Clients

Endorse Simon Eugene

by Nash
Verified
Another excellent project with Simon. Think we took it to the next level and Simon’s creativity and arrangement is amazing. Always a pleaseure to work with.
by mastermindsband
Verified
Simon is my go-to for mixing tracks. He is endlessly creative and easy to work with. He will assist you realizing your vision.
by Mayada
Verified
Simon is really creative and kind! He values my feedback and skillfully crafted the project to the next level. I really enjoy the final track.
by James S.
Verified
Another EXCELLENT experience with Simon. He is the best.
by James S.
Verified
Simon is the best!!
by James S.
Verified
What a professional! Not just in music skills which are awesome but in communication and responsiveness. Great approach to getting inside someone's idea. Cant wait to work on the next song with Simon.
by mastermindsband
Verified
It’s always a pleasure to work with Simon. He is a skilled mixer and audio engineer who will go out of his way to take your song to the next level.
by Yury E.
Verified
Simon is a great musician and songwriter. This is not the first time I am working with him. He always has his own vision and inspires with his ideas. I would strongly recommend him. 5 stars.
by Nash
Verified
After a few years, I had another chance to work with Simon. It was a different track and a different sound, but he's been great as always. We made a great song, and I am delighted with it.
by Lisa S.
Verified
Wow! Ten stars for professionalism, service and integrity, as well as thirty for quality of work! There has never been a musician like Simon Eugene; he is the kindest, most talented and most patient person who ever stepped out of heaven! He truly needs to be playing a golden harp—that is how talented and dedicated he is! An angel! He
by Polina K.
Verified
Working with Simon was a great experience! He really understood the vibe of the song and created an arrangement that enhanced the atmosphere while maintaining the original emotional core of the track. He quickly made all the changes I requested and was always open to my ideas. His attention to detail and professional mixing skills made the final track sound amazing
by mastermindsband
Verified
Simon is my go-to mixer for our multi-track studio recordings. He brings his creativity and professionalism to every project he works on.
Highest recommendation!
by Cameron D.
Verified
Simon really took time to understand our vision for our project, and worked thoughtfully and carefully to find a production and instrumentation sound/style that fit our song well. He found a really cool instrumental style to support the vocal, and had a good balance between the artistic/creative and the pragmatic - he applied some real thought and creativity where it was necessary, but did not overdo it. The final result kept the intimate, stripped down feel we wanted - just enhancing it.
by mastermindsband
Verified
To date Simon has mixed four songs for me and he’s done outstanding work each time. In addition to being a skilled mixer, he is extremely creative and a pleasure to work with. Highly recommend!
by Felix B.
Verified
Had a great experience working with Simon! incredible songwriter with a very unique and beautiful voice! very professional job! Thanks!
by Jay S.
Verified
Out of the 3 projects I initially reached out to SoundBetter for, the project I embarked on with Simon was by far the most involved. I have never worked with another songwritter prior to him. Simon was AMAZING. He paid so close attention to details, provided invaluable feedback and immediately understood the vision I was after and delivered it flawlessly. If you want someone that cares just as much as you do with your song, Simon is the way to go no questions asked. I highly recommend him!
by mastermindsband
Verified
I’ve used Simon to mix down multi tracks on three different projects. I couldn’t be happier with the results. He is very professional as well as extremely creative. He will get your project to the next level!
by Jeunese Adrienne Payne
Verified
Simon provided invaluable assistance with the mix, bringing out elements of the track that needed it whilst maintaining the integrity of the original sound. He was approachable and open throughout the process, and gave me constructive feedback.
by Phillip S.
Verified
I needed a bit of coaching to get over the finishing line on a few of my songs, so I reached out to Simon for help. He immediately "got it," gave me great advice, and I feel like he really got me through the block I was experiencing. Communication was fast, and everything he said was valuable. You're the best man!
by Martin J.
Verified
Had a fantastic experience working with Simon. He mixed and mastered a track for us, going out of his way to understand what we wanted, and happy to rework things as we went along. Great communication all the way through and a really professional sounding mix at the end. Brilliant experience all round

Interview with Simon Eugene

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Helping a great artist with a similar kind of to Lana Del Rey, getting into those kind of productions and making them modern and cutting edge and just totally happening, immediate national radio play from the work. My role was co-writing, bringing the initial lyrics in to a song format, melody, backing track, full arrangement and production .
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Acoustic rock or folk, alt-pop, dream pop, alt-indie, melodic indie, chill, psychedelia, bedroom folk, lo-fi..
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I ask my clients what is they can say about their song, the sound, what they feel, the emotions, the songs that inspire them....just say it all in a stream of consciousness way, don't think. It lets me understand who they are. Then I take the essence of that they have given- words, music, lyrics, feelings..andI just create with as little of my mind interfering as possible. Once the basic idea is there I knock it back and forth with the client and just fill in the colours, paint the sonic picture.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Currently my studio set up is UAD plugins and mics, a beautiful new Arturia PolyBrute synth working alongside my old fav Ensoniq ESQ1. I'm using UAD Apollo interface, a whole host of innumerable plugins, UAD, Soundtoys, Waves and on and on and on....Martin and Takamine Acoustic guitars, Fender Bass and Guitars, Roland R8 Drum machine for the old skool approach.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Recently I've been enjoying Jack Antanoff's work, the stuff he's done with Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Florence and the Machine. He has a real wide body of work and still manages to be very organic in his sounds. I always love Kevin Parker from Tame Impala for his sounds, a UK producer called Dan Carey is doing some really interesting stuff. Inflo, and the work he does with Saul and Little Simz. Great people everywhere.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm helping an artist develop the toplines on his tracks. He has the backing tracks and is humming the vague skeleton of a tune into his phone and sending it to me and I'm helping bring the whole thing to life.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I don't personally know anyone else on the platform but I have been recommmending that friends and colleagues sign up.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital now. I love analogue and if I have the room, the space, the money and the patience I would also use hardware BUT software has got so good now and with it you can record, arrange and mix on the go.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: That I will listen to them, understand what they need and then, if I can feel I can deliver it, will absolutely promise they will get the very best out of me.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I just love making music. I love getting a vague idea and making it sound as inspiring, or as beautiful or as energised as possible. Whatever the project, it allows me to get lost in the world of music and that is my favorite place to be.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Usually the main areas of focus are either to help with the top line melody or to create an arrangement for the track. I think there is always a grey area when it comes to song splits and publishing, like if you write a melody for someone then technically you should definitely take a stake in the publishing. So common questions would be about that.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: I don't know that there is a misconception or any ambiguity to the service I provide. Its basically to help people make their song sound as amazing as possible! I very rarely run into misunderstandings.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I'll ask what you have so far, whether you have any sound reference examples I can hear of what you are aiming for, what you need from me to help you finish the song. Is there anything there that you haven't expressed sonically that you would love to include. What is it you are trying to convey, how much or how little do you want changed, added to, built upon.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Trust. Feel absolutely free to communicate what you need, enjoy the process, know that what you will get from working with me is a realisation of what you are looking for, I wont take on a job if I don't feel I can do that.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: I would take my EAR 660 limiting amp, my UAD Apollo interface, my Ensoniq ESQ1 keyboard, my Tokai strat guitar and my Fender Precision Bass
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've doing this a long time now, 25 years. I was signed originally to RCA Records with my band Out of my Hair and i released a couple of albums with them and toured around the world supporting bands like Radiohead, David Bowie headlining my own tours, playing festivals. I worked with a lot of great producers and I learned from them but I also have followed my own sonic path so to speak, Whilst that was going on I moved also into production music because i loved the challenge of working in different styles and genres and continue this to this day. I worked with a lot of artists, writing and mentoring them. Then I helped my good friend Jerry Meehan set up the very successful London recording studio Wendyhouse. I moved into writing film soundtracks, traveled around the world, spent time in India playing music there, continuing to release my own material to this day. Music addict.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Its a slightly hard question to answer because I move around a fair bit stylistically. At heart I make very melodic music that is gently psychedelic, often very acoustic without quite being 'folk'. Thats my own stuff but I go all over the place, I love programming beats, I take inspiration from hip hop and R&B productions in the sheer quality of the sound creations, I love indie music, I love loads of music. Because I play a lot of instruments and write so much music I'm able to really move across a broad spectrum of styles. I just know that I will leave dance music in general to people who love it more than I do.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Kevin Parker from Tame Impala, because I love where he is at sonically and feel very much in the same ball park.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Go for simplicity. Let the song and the vocal shine through and build the track around it. don't clutter with two many idea. Think of the tracks you love-they might have one distinctive sound in there you always remember. Not 5, just one. With so much technology at our fingertips we have to sometimes consciously remind ourselves to just go back to the simple.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Understanding people, listening to what they want even if they are not sure themselves, seeing beyond what you are immediately presented with. Allowing people to express themselves fully, because that's where the real joy of making music is. Feeling that you have really expressed who you are or what you wanted to get done. There is no better feeling.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Music, structure, form. I love to hear where the beautiful bits of the song are and bring them out, develop them, maybe edit things down a bit and concentrate on the strengths. Listen to the lyrics or help with them, again try and accentuate the strengths, help with a discerning editing process, bring out the imagery, the importance of evoking pictures in the listener's mind. Allow the production to compliment and not interfere with the track. Songwriting to me is quite a holy process in a way, such a beautiful process, allowing things to happen, making the space for them.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Creating backing tracks for my clients, arrangements and soundscapes that bring their songs to life. This is my favourite work, understanding someones vision and bringing it to life. This extends out into soundtracks for TV, production music for labels like Universal and EMI/KPM. But I just love creating sonic worlds.