William D Lucey

Songwriter/Producer/Mixer

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173 Reviews (93 Verified)
William D Lucey on SoundBetter

Award winning songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist who has worked with major artists including George Harrison,REM,Alica Keys,and Mick Flannery Billboard Top Twenty compositions, including an upcoming Alicia keys song. Professor in the songwriting dept at Berklee College My work is creative, detailed, exciting, next level.

I offer:
*Songwriting: including music, melodies and lyrics .
*I also help with A&R and artist development.
I have been writing and teaching songwriting for 25 years and would consider myself an expert in song craft. Whether you are writing a dance pop song, an alt country ballad or an AABA show tune, I can help you take your songs to the next level.
* Production - if you have a song - even if it's a simple recording - but need it to sound like a great band or rich-sounding production, send it over and let’s chat about how we bring it to life. I am a very hands on producer , I play lots of instruments , program drums and synths, and do most of my own engineering and mixing. If you decide to record a song with me , we will work together to realise your vision while producing a kick ass record that will stand up to anything you hear on the "radio" . I also have a stable of world class session musicians that I use and my studio has the very best of gear.
For mixing/mastering I bring polish, life and depth to the songs.
My five star verified reviews are from completed SoundBetter projects. I always deliver and go the extra mile.
Look forward to hearing from you!!
Check out my soundcloud below playlist which has lots of samples of my work


Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Rubyhorse
  • TVST
  • TVST
  • Rubyhorse
  • Rubyhorse
  • Rubyhorse
  • Rubyhorse
  • Rubyhorse
  • Rubyhorse
  • Rubyhorse
  • Rubyhorse
  • Rubyhorse
  • Rubyhorse
  • Rubyhorse

173 Reviews - 16 Repeat Clients

Endorse William D Lucey
  1. Review by Joe M.
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    by Joe M.
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    William continues to be an amazing musical partner! Inventive, takes initiative to experiment within defined boundaries, takes feedback well, and is patient with the process! I would absolutely recommend William again!

  2. Review by Bernadette C.
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    William was wonderful to work with! He was extremely flexible and responsive throughout the songwriting process, and made every effort to create a wonderful product. We love the final song and hope to work with him again in the future.

  3. Review by Ezequiel Ferraro
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    It's my second time working with Will. It's always a pleasure: His music is amazing, and he's a very nice guy. Thanks for your trust!

  4. Review by Stephen C.
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    It was a great experience work with William. He help me settled all the problems of my new song !! Whatever the arrangement & the harmony work .... all is professional & excellent work !! Hope to work with you again in the future ^^

  5. Review by Ezequiel Ferraro
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    Will is an amazing person to work with! I had a good time recording drums for his production; he was such a nice guy. I had a flu episode while recording and he was very kind and patient when I couldn't meet the original delivery time. Thanks!

  6. Review by Jimmy Nash
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    This was my 2nd time working with Will. Both times have been excellent. We worked out the keys for the songs and other details quickly, and he gave me concise and clear feedback on my vocals.

  7. Review by Jimmy Nash
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    Will was a great producer to work with. He gave me very clear directions on what he needed from me vocally, and we were able to work together quickly and effectively for a great end product. Would definitely work with again!

  8. Review by Mason Douglas
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    Smooth product with a solid track and super easy to work with, as always. Thanks, Will!

  9. Review by David W.
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    Another excellent project with Will. He knows how to get the best out of me, how to encourage me, and how to add exactly what's needed to complete the songs that I start. He is a fine producer and collaborates with other players to make strong demos. I'm glad that I chose Will for my recent projects, and I hope to work with him again.

  10. Review by Tania Hancheroff
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    Loved working with William. Totally professional, great communication, and I loved the song. Hope to work with him again!

  11. Review by Mason Douglas
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    All good once again - Thanks, Will!

  12. Review by Lydia Salnikova
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    This was the 2nd time I've had the pleasure of working with Will – and another great experience! This ain't his first rodeo, he is a pro's pro, knows exactly what he wants and gives clear direction. If he ever contacts you about a project, say YES and you won't regret it. Hope we can do this again soon!

  13. Review by Luca Giachi
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    Awesome music as always!
    Can't wait for the next project

  14. Review by Andrew Capra
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    Always great to work with William. Highly recommended.

  15. Review by Mason Douglas
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    Good project with Will and a groovy tune!

  16. Review by Joe M.
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    by Joe M.
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    William has produced two (very different) songs for me now, and I've been absolutely delighted with both! Whether it's refining a fleshed out arrangement and putting the polish, adding live instrumentation, or providing a new layer of imagination on what seemed a fairly complete idea at first, I can't recommend William enough. Their work is also prompt and professional, with clear expectations.

  17. Review by Elliott M.
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    I have really enjoyed working with William and I am excited to keep working with him in the future. Very good and open communication and he went above and beyond just producing and mixing to help and even taught me a few things. He’s got really good ideas that always matched what I was wanting out of the project! Thank you so much William!

  18. Review by Simon T.
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    William was so patient, understanding and very pro active! I honestly couldn't think of another person to write a song with. I would hire again!

  19. Review by Luca Giachi
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    Clear Instructions and bass line suggestion.
    A pleasure to work with!

  20. Review by Andrew DeLong
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    Can’t get any better than Will. Top class producer and songwriter. 5 stars!

Interview with William D Lucey

  1. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  2. A: Nate Barnes is a drummer I use a lot and he's fantastic. Great intuition , feel and sound.

  3. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  4. A: I would say try and have a vision of what you want and have some references ready. I find asking artists who they sound like is a great exercise because it forces them to think about who their audience might be.

  5. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  6. A: U47. all time classic mic 1073 all time classic preamp. Gibson L1 because it's the greatest acoustic guitar ever made and I adore the sound of it. Laptop with protools I suppose since the mics and pre-amps would be useless without. Pultec because it makes everything sound awesome!

  7. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  8. A: I use both. And they both have their pluses and minuses. Cutting tape is a pain in the butt for example but the warmth from tape is so lovely. Digital is so convenient in so many ways but I like to marry the two together. For example keyboards can often sound small and two dimensional in the computer but running them out of the computer , through a guitar amp and some pedals and back in , suddenly they sound so much more 3D.

  9. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  10. A: Budget, turnaround , is my material any good? I generally tell the artist that I will do the best I can budget wise with in reason and I am always totally honest about the quality of the material. Having said that any ok song can be turned into a good song with the right know how

  11. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  12. A: I wrote a song called Punchdrunk which George Harrison from the Beatles heard and offered to play on. I sent him the tapes to London and he put his parts down and sent it back. We spoke on the phone and he was the greatest. I wrote and produced that one also.

  13. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  14. A: I am currently writing a song called Haunt me again for Alicia Keys.

  15. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  16. A: My promise is that if they work with me, they will get great songs written and a record that can stand up against anything you might hear on the radio.

  17. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  18. A: I like working in the arts every day and I really like working with so many super talented musicians and songwriters. It never gets old

  19. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  20. A: I think from a production stand point , it's that a producer is a silver bullet. He or she is not. Ultimately a producers job is to realise the vision of the artist.

  21. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  22. A: I ask a lot of questions about the songs and arrangements. The vision. What the end game is in terms of once the record is finished. Are they open to opinions or are they very definite about what they want

  23. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  24. A: I started in a band in Ireland , moved to America , got signed to Interscope, and then Island, made some records, had a few hits. Started producing and teaching at Berklee and have been doing that ever since.

  25. Q: How would you describe your style?

  26. A: My production style is very hands on from the songwriting all the way through the mixing stage. My own musical style is rootsy and rough around the edges but I also do quite a lot of electronic material which is a lot more polished.

  27. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  28. A: Tom Waits. Because he is a genius songwriter and is alway original and pushing the boundaries .

  29. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  30. A: Simplicity is key. I would prefer one killer part rather than 5 ok parts. The ear can only process 3 sounds at once and the more stuff you pile on to a song the smaller it starts to sound.

  31. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  32. A: I work in many genres. Lately I have been working with quite a few female singer songwriters but I also work in Americana style , rock , pop and so forth.

  33. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  34. A: I am a good collaborator and I know what makes a good song.

  35. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  36. A: A deep understanding of what works in a song, lyrically, melodically and structurally. I have been a songwriter and have taught songwriting for many years and have taken apart and analysed thousands of songs. I feel like I can guarantee you will be happy with the results of the song writing process .

  37. Q: What's your typical work process?

  38. A: I normally begin with the song , getting the structure correct, and fine tuning the melody , harmony and arrangements etc. At that point I begin working on the recording really trying to capture great performances without a crazy amount of takes. 3 is generally my limit. I try and go after the vision that the artist has and realise that as best as I can.

  39. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  40. A: I have protools hd and abelton through apogee rosettas with symphony cards. I have tonnes of mics and outboard gear, 1073's and Api pre-amps, and some great old guitars and basses. I also have some cool keyboards including a moog taurus 2 and a Prophet.

  41. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  42. A: Tom Waits and Boy Dylan are on a pedestal. Massive attack are amazing. But I listen to all kinds of music. I really like Jon Hopkins and Underworld . I love Danny Lanois' vibe and Eno is up there too. As regards mixing , I have worked with TLA and like his work but also Mark Spike Stent and Andy Wallace.

  43. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  44. A: I tend to be a collaborator type of producer in that i get involved early in the song writing process. I have taught songwriting at Berklee for a number of years so am deep in the songwriting world. Beyond songwriting, I do a lot of programming and session work and obviously a lot of actual recording and mixing.

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Compilation

I was the Writer and producer in this production

Terms Of Service

As many revisions as are reasonable.
Turn around time depends but days rather than weeks.
I like to chat to the artist and get a feel for the project..

GenresSounds Like
  • Tom Waits
  • Daniel Lanois
  • Lykke Li
Gear Highlights
  • Neumann U87 KM184
  • AKG 414
  • LA2A
  • 1176
  • Distressor
  • Neve 1073 api 5012
  • 1959 Fender Precision
  • 1962 Fender Telecaster
More Photos
More Samples
  • All I want for Christmas is a Christmas No. 1Nov 15, 2022

    The new single from the Derelict Debits in the UK out today. Co-written and produced by yours truly. 

    https://open.spotify.com/album/2bMTiw2MRWMse7JFLQbm76?si=Xy6_jztoSIO63FbRQsUQ5Q

  • Mortal Prophets new record out todayOct 17, 2022

    Great new record by Mortal Prophets released today. This was a very enjoyable project to produce. A modern reimagining of old delta blues.. 

    Check it out here

    https://open.spotify.com/track/6w6lR4rzZASv52sPv10H1v?si=887e63d1077b466a

  • New song released today from Andreas GrannesAug 12, 2022

    A great song from Norwegian artist Andreas Grannes. 

    The song is called "Home" . I produced it and played 

    most of the instruments. Check out the guitar solo:)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTKWQdf95fA


  • New song from Flora AlgeraJun 21, 2022

    Produced and mixed this one and played most of the instruments. Great tune from a really interesting artist. 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF_1hu2SiVU