Paul
J. Jensen
- Independent Producer
Free Lance Recording, Mixing And Mastering Engineer
Paul has 20+ years of multi-track recording and mixing experience.
He is a seasoned producer, engineer, mixer and musician. Starting
in 1985 he spent several years on the road with various bands
including Don Dixon as Front Of House engineer. In 1987 a free
lance career of studio work began. He started working for Sound
Source Studios in 1994. Over the years his knowledge of recording
technologies and techniques as evolved, from the days of 24
track open reel tape machines, to the current hard disk, Digital
Audio Workstation and plug-in formats. He has a vast knowledge
of analog and digital consoles, outboard processing gear, microphones
and mic placement, Auto Tune, Waves plug-ins and 5.1 surround
mixing.
Outside
of his work at Sound Choice, which includes an 18,000 song catalogue,
he recently completed mixing local band "The Heavy Sandwich"
first CD. Formerly a member of Charlotte band The Interstellars,
he also recorded, produced and mixed their 2 cd's and a re-mix
project. His own musical entity known as "Diving Reflex"
has licensed music through Rumblefish, which supplies music
to websites, podcasts, commercials and advertisements. Currently
"Diving Reflex" holds Number 2 and 23 all-time productions
of Indie Rock on Garageband.com.
Paul
is also very proficient as a mastering engineer. Outside of
doing productions for Sound Choice, he has done projects for
local bands Baleen, The Experiment, Dirty Drummer, Orange, Velocet
and many others. He was F.O.H. mix engineer for local clubs
13-13, The Double Door, The Milestone and The Pterodactyl for
over 10 years, mixing for legends like Bo Diddley and Jimmy
Cliff, to modern bands like The Afgan Whigs and Phish.
Robert
T. English (Boo) - Independent
Producer
Recording, Mixing and Mastering Audio Engineer
Music has been a part of Boo’s
life since the age of 10 when he picked up his first guitar.
Since then Boo has seen many different parts of the music industry.
He played in his first band in junior high school. His first
attempt at recording was in junior high school as well. He later
started producing and recording his own material that helped
land him the position of staff engineer for Sound Choice in
1996. In addition, he also became responsible for the maintenance
of all the studio rooms and equipment, and eventually of the
conversion of the facility from analog to digital. He brings
more than
13 years experience to the table in multi-tracking, mixing,
and mastering. Over that time Boo has mixed literally thousands
of songs for Sound Choice as well as his own personal projects.
In addition to his work at Sound Choice, Boo is completing his
home studio. Even
with the studio ‘under construction’, he
has completed numerous projects for clients such as John Hunter
Phillips, Lindy Dobbins, Southern Yankees, Jolee Blonde, and
other local talent. His knowledge of recording includes; Nuendo/Cubase
4 software, Wave Lab mastering software, plug-ins from Wavs,
Auto-tune, outboard mic preamps, compressors as well as other
outboard gear to complete your project on a professional level.
On a personal note, Boo was
born and raised in Charlotte (yes, a native!) He has played
in his church’s contemporary service group, SpritSong,
for the past 16 years.
He continues to play in bands and is working with a
group now. He enjoys many genres of music such as rock, blues,
and country.
John
picked up his first guitar at age 10 after hearing “Let’s
Go Crazy” by Prince, and a lifelong musical obsession was
born. After living and breathing guitar for years, John had a
musical awakening at age 19 when he heard “The White Album”
by The Beatles. He quickly learned that a guitar is just one of
the many ingredients that can make up a great song. All of the
energy and passion previously put into mastering the guitar was
now reserved for the study of song craft.
Studying classical composition (as well as jazz guitar) at Winthrop
University helped John evolve into a more complete musician, and
he gained an extensive knowledge of arranging and orchestration.
In addition to the classical studies, he became a devotee of pop
arrangers such as George Martin, Jon Brion and Brian Wilson. An
accomplished songwriter, John is equally comfortable writing a
string arrangement or a 2-minute pop song. His varied taste –
as evidenced by a music collection featuring Stravinsky, Coltrane,
Soundgarden and Tom Waits – allows him to conceive of ideas
in virtually any musical style. John has an indie rock band, The
Heavy Sandwich, with a new album, and he is concurrently composing
a commissioned piece for four-mallet marimba. So it’s safe
to say that he isn’t afraid to mix it up musically…
In addition to the music-only side of things, John has a great
interest in scoring for pictures. Even if you just need the right
song for that climactic scene, he can use his expansive musical
knowledge and years of research and study to find it for you.
If you’re looking for production, songs, jingles, orchestrations,
arrangements, film/TV music, or even just a guitar player for
your session, don’t hesitate to email
or call John.
Craig Mace
– Independent Producer
Recording, Mixing & Mastering – Audio Engineer
Voice-Over, Character Voices & Studio Vocalist – Studio
Musician
Video Recording, Non-Linear Editing & Authoring -
Video Production
Another Charlotte native,
Craig Mace began discovering the local music scene in his teens
hanging out at the local music store, Reliable Music. Craig
spent hours in the keyboard room looking over the salesman’s
shoulder as he showed off the newest synths. “Thanks David
Floyd”. Wanting to become the next Howard Jones, (reference
“I Love The 80’s) Craig purchased his first synthesizer
and began learning the new language of MIDI. Before too long
Craig had a rack full of gear and a small project studio out
of his home where he wrote and recorded demos with local artists.
One of Craig’s demos opened a door to travel with the
late Wally Fowler – the creator of the original Oakridge
Boys. Craig’s ability to cover various styles of music
through his diverse vocal range led to many opportunities.
Craig began working with
Sound Choice in the late 80’s where his talents with synthesizers
and MIDI played an integral role in recreating the songs from
that era for Sound Choice’s song catalog. His skills with
computers and sequencing software brought Sound Choice from
tape based reel to reel machines into the hard disc recording
world of today. Craig served Sound Choice as an overdub engineer,
mix engineer, mastering engineer, and studio vocalist.
As a vocalist Craig has
been heard on thousands of accompaniment background tracks,
regional album projects, local and national jingle spots and
numerous corporate presentations. Craig has worked with some
of the regions most well known producers including Fred Story
at Concentrix Music, Rob Pottorf at the Film Foundry, Glen Tabor
of GAT3 Studios and Jake Hunter with the Hunter Production Group.
Craig’s wide range of vocals can deliver nearly any style
from Country, Jazz, Rock, Contemporary and Folk. If you need
a sound-a-like then Craig can instantly deliver a broad range
of characters from Randy Travis, James Taylor, Sting, Bing Crosby
and Kermit D. Frog to mention a few. Craig’s experience
in the studio brings a creative edge to any project that he
is a part of as well as solid direction and attention to detail.
Craig is also a videographer
and editor and runs his own video production business called
AIM Productions. He has produced commercial spots for “The
Karaoke Channel” as part of Dish Network’s Interactive
TV campaign. He has also worked with TVN, YMCA, Muzak and numerous
independent projects supplying creative video solutions.
Craig will be offering
his audio, vocal and video services as an associate of the Sound
Choice table of artists and producers. In joining with Sound
Choice Craig hopes to offer competitive prices, professional
service and artistic expertise to assist you in your next project.
LeVar
“Mista LG” Gladden
Hip-Hop Producer, Arranger and Songwriter
LeVar has been an avid lover of music since he was a young child.
He first learned how to rhyme in rhythm at the age of 9 by listening
and mimicking what he heard in his favorite songs. Since then
he has developed his songwriting capabilities and has written
for various local artists as well as for himself. Not only is
he lyrical with the pen, but he is a craftsman when it comes
to constructing and producing songs. Being a former trumpet
player for 7 years helped develop LeVar’s ear for creatively
putting sounds together, whether it be from scratch, working
with other musicians or chopping up a soul sample.
LeVar
joined the Sound Choice team in 2006 where he interned in the
digital department and later received a position for his hard
work. In 2007 he produced and recorded his first full length
independent album “Definition of an MC” which is
available in major online retail outlets. Currently perfecting
his craft daily, he lends his skill to Sound Choice Studios
as an independent producer that helps bring out the best, both
lyrically and creatively, in aspiring artists in the Hip-Hop
and R&B genre. LG is currently in the studio working on
his second project as well as a few collaborations with The
Heavy Sandwich out of Rock Hill, SC.