Nick Allen on SoundBetter

Nick is a music producer and composer in the Philly suburbs who specializes in pop, indie, film, game, and singer-songwriter genres.

I'm happy to help you finish a project, produce a developing idea, polish a vocal, or add exciting new musical ideas to a song that needs a little bit extra. I'm also happy to provide compositions for film, game, radio, or podcast.

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

2 Reviews

Endorse Nick Allen

by Nathan D.
Verified
Nick is a great collaborator and an even better producer. I approached him with a very rough demo and playlist and he worked with me closely, making sure that the finished product of my song would sound exactly how I wanted. He was great with taking notes and working as a team, teaching what he knows as we processed through the record. Nick also has a great at-home vocal setup if you live in the Philly area! I would highly recommend him and work with him again in the future!!
by Emily
Nick's music offers a great variety of styles. I really enjoy his indie-pop and his scores. I'm always left with something stuck in my head for a while every time I listen. He knows how to take a song/idea and bring it to life.

Interview with Nick Allen

Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: If it sounds good, it sounds good. I tend to be pretty by the book with my DAW organization and workflow. Some of the most musically rewarding moments for me have been when I stepped outside of those boundaries and accepted that the idea sounds good. I think we can all get a little too in our head sometimes.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: One strong Advantage I bring to the table is an extremely solid foundation of music theory. I have a degree in music which is definitely not required in this industry by any means. However, the ability to easily understand, communicate, and work with different musical ideas has been absolutely invaluable to my process.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I work with Yamaha HS8 monitors and use studio headphones as well. I definitely have all of my frequency bases covered this way. I use a panorama nektar keyboard for all of my MIDI inputs. I like running my vocals through a universal audio preamp, the sound improvement was one of the biggest game changers for me in recent years. Other than that, I'm always acquiring different virtual instruments. I really can't get enough.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Even after classical music training background, I am still endlessly impressed with the sounds modern pop producers come up with. Nothing inspires me more than hearing a new release with a new sound/vibe I've never heard before.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Most often I will have someone come to me with a song that is written but needs help crossing the finish line. This might just be simple vocal tuning and compression to make the vocal sound polished or it might be a full-fledged production process where additional exciting musical ideas are added with different instruments and effects.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I think my strongest skill is an ability to communicate. One of the hardest parts of working with other people on musical projects is creating an understanding of the sound you are after. I think drummers know this the best when a guitarist is trying to tell them what kind of beat to play. If you don't have that common language, it's really hard to be on the same page. My background music really helps me communicate musical ideas effectively which is extremely helpful when working with other people.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Aren't we all working on our own little project all the time? Can't wait to release something a little bit new.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Flexible. My work does not always fit one genre. Life would be so boring if you only did one thing everyday.