James Joyner on SoundBetter

Professional multi instrumentalist and producer who is ready to help bring your music to life! Whether it's recording piano/organ/keys, drums, or full production, I look forward to working with you and make your song as great as it can possibly be.

Hey y'all! I am a session musician and producer with years of experience. I've been playing the piano, Hammond organ, and drums for over 20 years. My main genres are Gospel, R&B, Hip Hop, and Pop. But I am very versatile in my playing as well. I've worked with many artists and groups around the New York area, as well as shared the stage with gospel greats such as Donnie McClurkin, Israel Houghton, Bebe Winans, and more. Music is my passion and I will help bring the vision of your song to life with great quality piano, drums, organ, or synth sounds as needed!

What I Offer:
- Keys (Piano/Rhodes/Synth Leads/ Pads)
- Tasteful Hammond B3 organ for genres such as Gospel, Jazz, Rock, etc
- Live Drums
- Programmed Drums/Loops
- Beats (R&B, Trap, Afrobeats, Hip Hop, etc)

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

Credits

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Interview with James Joyner

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: There are many but I would say this one project that came out last year called “Greatest Yahweh” by VUU Gospel Choir. It was a pleasure working on the album which was produced by Hezekiah Walker and Stanley Brown. I played aux keys (synths, bells, strings, pads)
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Right now I’m playing main keys for Hezekiah Walker. And I’m also beginning to work on my first album.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Not yet but I look forward to meeting and working with different people on here.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Analog because of the warm sound
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise to do my part in helping to make your song or project the best it can possibly be.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love being able to help clients bring their song ideas to life.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: How long is turnaround time? It depends on the project. One song I can finish in 24 hours.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That you’ll only get great sound quality using Pro Tools
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I’ll ask them if they have a reference track. I’ll also ask for the bpm of the song, if they have specific lines or melodies they want me to play or if they want me to be creative and come up with my own. And if I’m recording synths I’ll ask if they know what particular sounds they might want to have in the song.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: I would say make sure you have a clear direction of how you want to your song to be done, from the approach, melodies, specific chord progression, lines, etc.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: I’d take my MacBook, audio interface, midi controller, Roland Fantom, and Yamaha Modx
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I’ve been playing the piano, organ, and drums for over 20 years. I started playing around 4 years old and then started taking piano and drum lessons at 8 years old. At the age of 10 is when I started playing the Hammond organ in church. It was during my high school years that I started to really take music serious. A year after high school is when I started recording in the studio. And few years after that is when I produced a single for the first time for an artist named Jeff Roberson. From there I’ve worked on more projects with different gospel artists around the New York area.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My style is a mix of gospel, jazz, fusion, r&b, and Neo Soul
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I would love to work with Tye Tribbett because I love his drive and hit creativity. He’s one artist that influenced my sound heavily.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Sound selection matters! Just because a particular sound might sound great, that doesn’t mean it will fit a particular song.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I mainly do Gospel, R&B, or Neo Soul
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I would say it’s definitely creativity
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: My goal is always to give the song what it needs whether it’s a heart felt piano progression and melody, expressive synth line, or some warm soulful gospel organ
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I first listen to the music to get the feel of it. And I’ll make sure to ask the client about anything specific they want me to do to make the song feel really good. I’ll make sure that we are on the same page with all of their needs concerning a specific line or chord progressions before I record. Also whether I’m recording piano, synths or organ, I make sure to pick the best sounds that would fit the song. Then I record the song.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My DAW is Logic Pro X and for piano and keys I mainly use plugins like Keyscape. For synths I use Omnisphere and some stock plugins in Logic Pro. For drums I have a Yamaha Stage Custom kit and I use Audix mics on the whole kit. And for organ I use Universal Audio’s Waterfall B3 plugin and I also have access to a Hammond C2 with a 147 Leslie
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I’m inspired by musicians like the late Parris Bowens, Cory Henry, Kevin Bond, George “Spanky” McCurdy, and Thaddaeus Tribbett to name a few
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I record piano, keys, synths, Hammond organ, and drums. I also produce songs or full projects.