Steven R Lord on SoundBetter

I am music. Music is me. I'm a multi-instrumentalist, producer engineer with a full recording studio, mic'd and really to record.

I've written for major ad campaigns, film scores and worked on some incredible indie records. I thrive in fast paced environments and love all things fuzz.

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

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Interview with Steven R Lord

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I worked on the latest Sheila Divine record. I got to work with Tanya Donelly from Belly and Paul Kolderie who has worked on some of my favorite records of all time.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: A full length record for a prog-rock band.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I have a few clients that use sound better to hire musicians. I've mixed countless folks here.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Analog. Expect the unexpected and own the cool things that come from it.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: Great sounding mixes/stems with fast turn arounds!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Everything. I love the smell of the studio. I love walking in here everyday. It's been such a long road to get to where I am now. I like to stop and soak in the gratitude whenever possible.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: What gear do you have? My answer is a long one about gear.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That you can kind of make a living from it.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What inspires you? How weird do you want it to sound? Where is it going to live? Is this a single or part of a full length?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: I'm very flexible. Make pristine sounding recordings or record something on your iPhone. We will make it pop! I've worked with so many different genres of music from different sources all around the world.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Space Echo. 1963 Jazzmaster. DA87i. Yamaha PSS560. Chroma Console.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been working in, around and on music since 13. I've been a studio owner since 2021.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My music style? Indie, dream, rock, shoe-gaze? Personally I try to be as cool, calm and collected as possible.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Jack Antonoff. I'd love to invite him into the studio and just chat. See if it inspired further creativity. I feel like he had a similar come up in the indie scene and broke through.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Don't dwell on one thing for too long. Keep fucking going!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Indie, folk and heavy rock.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Mixing in post autonomously.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: The weird and non cookie cutter perspective. I like to play by the rules then break them.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: It depends on the day. I usually have everything set and ready to roll. Mics are always live and Im in the studio everyday either working on a mix, working with a band/artist. On off days, I'm buying and selling gear then wiring it into the studio.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: DAW: Logic Pro / LUNA Monitoring: Adam Audio A77x / P-16 (five satellites for customized headphone mixes) Console: 20 channel Tascam M-320 Interface/s: Universal Audio x4 + x16 (x2) Outboard Preamps: SSL SiX(x2), Great River, WA73EQ, WA73 (x2), WA412(x8), Tascam m320 (x20), Shure M688/M687 Outboard EFX and compression: Neve Portico 542 (x2), WA76, WA2A, Distressor, Ashly Stereo Compressor, Stam G Comp, WA 1B Tube Tech, RaneEQ, WA EQP (stereo), DBX 266 (x2), Lexicon MPX100, Roland SDE1000, Alesis MidiVerb II
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Jack Antonoff, Rick Rubin. Type O Negative...etc The first two might seem obvious in this industry but I truly admire their work ethic and general feel for music. Type O Negative is just wild and weird.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I do everything from full band tracking to vocal sessions. I also do TONS of mixing where folks send me stems and I mix through my outboard gear/extensive plug in selection.