I’ve worked with Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, James Bay, Ava Max, Keith Urban, The Jonas Brothers, Jamie Miller, and countless others, and have played keys on 2 billboard #1 hits. I’d love to hear your song or beat, and help you take it to the next level, whether it’s adding keys, full production, or anything in between.
I am a keyboard player, producer, and sound designer based in NYC.
Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Credits
AllMusic verified credits for Kurt ThumDiscogs verified credits for Kurt Thum38 Reviews - 6 Repeat Clients
Endorse Kurt Thum
check_circleVerifiedA very professional craftsman and awesome dude! Top notch keyboard arrangements and composing !! Can’t recommend Kurt enough :D
check_circleVerifiedKurt was really fast ! He recorded amazing synths lines to our track.
Good communication , great results!!
Thanks
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World class keyboardist and sound designer!
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Outstanding at all things keyboards !! Playing, sound design, building awesome synth soundscapes, you name it! :D
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An all things keys MASTER !!!
check_circleVerifiedAnother fantastic collaboration with Kurt! He is an incredibly talented musician! Awesome chord voicings, beautiful sound! I will definitely come back for more! 10/10
check_circleVerifiedKurt is an expert musician, producer. Highly recommend. He is collaborative and always willing to add as much creativity as wanted.
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Amazing musician, keyboardist. Very creative and delivers high quality work every time.
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An amazing keyboardist/musician. Very open to collaboration. Highly recommend.
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An amazing, creative musician. Highly recommend.
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Excellent professional, smooth process with great communication! I highly recommend Kurt! Book him now while you can!
check_circleVerifiedThank you Kurt!
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Excellent musician / keyboardist. Always delivers the best project results.
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Expert and amazing musician, producer. Very collaborative and creative. Highly highly recommend.
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All star. Great communication and creativity. Flexible to my ideas while implementing his own as well. Will work together soon.
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An expert at all he does... production, keyboardist, mixing. Highly recommend.
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Absolute professional creative producer and keyboardist!!
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An amazing, professional musician/keyboardist/producer. Very open to collaboration.
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Kurt is an excellent musician. Very creative and on point all the time.
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An amazing keyboardist. He contributes ideas and is very flexible to any changes. Definitely will work with him again and again.
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KURT adds such magic to every project... he is an amazing keyboardist/musician/composer. Will work with him again and again!
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Kurt is an amazing musician. Professional, creative, responsive. Highly recommend.
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Amazing musician. Can tell he is devoted to making the best possible project!
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Awesome job by a very talented musician!!
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WOW, Kurt really is the billboard #1 guy! :D Excellent customer service, playing and arranging. Highly recommended!
check_circleVerifiedKurt is very talented, creative, professional, and kind. I highly recommend him and would not hesitate to work with him again!
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Fantastic work! Kurt is very talented, professional, very attentive musician. He is the best you could work with. Awesome! 10/10
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Kurt is so talented ... very polite and professional and CREATIVE. He is open to feedback and also easily translates a vision into reality. Will definitely work with him again and again.
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Kurt is a brilliant musician. Was very open to suggestions and also offered creative input. His work is impeccable! I will definitely work with him again!
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Kurt really brought some life to my song and understood exactly what I was seeking. He works very quickly and is very responsive. He is also a great musician.
check_circleVerifiedKurt added great feel and groove to my song by adding great keyboard work. He is versatile and exceptionally good at finding the best vibe, groove and feel for every piece. Awesome work every time!
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I gave Kurt some pretty bad vocals and no music backing them and asked him to create a piano part to back it. He did that super accurately and with apparent ease. Brilliant work as always!
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Kurt did a great job of turning a raw/bad vocal snippet (mine) into a nice little piano riff. Perfect translation. Great work!
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Kurt delivered another great keyboard performance on my track. We've done a few songs together now and he is batting 1000.
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Kurt was nothing but a musical soul generator on my blues/rock track. He infused the song with some seriously delicious grove. Another great job! Perfection.
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Kurt did an excellent job of layering multiple keyboards on my track. He played perfectly with great instinct and feel for the song's needs. Look forward to working with Kurt in the future. Excellent!
check_circleVerifiedKurt is a very talented professional. I can give him only the highest recommendation possible! I am pretty sure, anyone considering to hire him will be completely satisfied with the collaboration.
Kurt is an extremely talented keyboardist, very musical, and really easy to work with. Highly recommended!
Interview with Kurt Thum
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: That depends on the context, but whatever I’m playing, emotion is the top priority.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Steinway piano, B3, Juno, Protools, Nord.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Co-writes, Keyboard session work, coproductions. I always try to keep it fresh.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Dylan Wissing is king of drum sounds!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Depends on the application.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: Whether you’re an indie artist or a major label, you will get my best.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I like getting to hear great music and ideas that I otherwise would not hear.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: I guess one would be that pop music is easy to make.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Anything that might help me better understand the client’s vision. References can be a great way to communicate ideas.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Listen to samples and go with the musician who’s playing you connect with the most.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I’ve been playing since I was about 4. I’ve always done production as a hobby, but have made it my focus in the last 5 years. As a player, I was classically trained until college, then I switched to jazz. Training aside, I’ve always gravitated towards pop music, and cut my teeth on the NYC club scene playing with all kinds of bands, across all popular genres.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Maroon 5. They are some of the most talented people in the game.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: If a part isn’t making the song better, take it out.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I play like a keyboard player but think like a producer. My approach is to ask myself what the song needs rather then what I can add to the song.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: My goal is to enhance the emotional experience for the listener through careful part writing, arrangement, and Sonics.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Listen to the song, discuss ideas with clients, maybe check out some references. After that, every song is unique and so I don’t have a set process. I try to figure out what the song needs, and keep trying until I find it.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I run Protools, UAD interface, Prophet 600, Nord, Kronos, Minilogue, Farfisa, Behringer Model D, and lots of soft synths and sample based instruments.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Gian Stone, Jason Evigan, The Monsters, Stevie Wonder, Gene Harris, Ahmad Jamal, too many to list.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Anywhere from adding that last synth or organ part that helps the vibe come together, to co-writing and producing out an entire song.
I was the Organ/ Keys player in this production
- Keyboards - SynthAverage price - $350 per song
- PianoAverage price - $350 per song
- ProducerAverage price - $3000 per song
Generally I will do up to 3 sounds, and up to 3 revisions if needed.
- Nord Electro 5D
- Juno 106
- Korg Kronos
- Prophet 600
- Korg Minilogue
- All Spectrosonics products
- Roland cloud
- and countless other top tier soft synths.
