Sound Choice Studios

Sound Choice Studios Associates

	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.
	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.
	John Nipe - Writer/Arranger/Producer 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.
	Wade Starnes - Engineer Bringing over 25 years of audio production experience, Wade Starnes has been involved in the production of many aspects of the music/recording industry. Wade began as engineer for Sound Source Studios in 1990 and held a long-tenured position there for over 18 years. During this time Wade produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered projects of all styles and maintained a high-quality standard that Sound Source studios was known for. Among these achievements were many recordings featured in national TV and Film spots, as well as audio production for the video gaming industry. Along with the chief engineer position at Sound Source Studios, Wade has maintained a steady output of freelance engineering work as well. In 1996-1997 Wade worked alongside heralded mix engineer Mike Shipley and producer David Rhyne on a River North Records release by Crystal Bernard. Wade also contributed guitar work as well during the project. During the last 7 years, Wade has increasingly become valuable as a DAW software beta tester for the 3 companies that produce the recording industry's top-rated DAW and plugin software. His knowledge and advanced technique with computer DAW editing have led to new jobs and accolades. Among these were post production editing credits on the two-time 2008 Grammy nominated release "Jumpin' Time" by the group "The Time-Jumpers" In 2005 Wade engineered and co-mixed the album "Boston Tea Party" on Magna Carta records featuring fusion legends Dennis Chambers, Jef Berlin, T Lavitz and Dave Fiuczynski. In 2007 Wade followed this impressive work with full engineering, production work, and mixing of the Magnatude Records release "School Of The Arts" featuring Steve Morse, Frank Gambale, Jerry Goodman, John Patitucci, T Lavitz, and Dave Weckl. This release went to #2 on the XM Radio chart for Beyond Jazz, and received high critical acclaim. Wade has also done creative sound FX production and engineering post production for the twenty-seven million dollar "Creation Museum located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Recently Wade has continued to hone his craft with various engineering projects including mixing and mastering for instructional video releases by the Hal Leonard company as well as an upcoming jazz instructional release of "The Australian Project" instructional DVD, for the video company Microstream Pty, Tld. in Australia, This DVD features renowned keyboardist T Lavitz, and drummer Rod Morgenstein. Wade currently can be scheduled for freelance work covering all aspects of production work including producing, tracking, editing, mixing, and mastering for Sound Choice Studios.
	Michael Hough - Engineer / Producer Industry professionals have often referred to MICHAEL HOUGH as a man of many talents. And that he is! A talented guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and engineer, his smooth, flawless guitar playing is reminiscent of the styles of Eric Clapton & Dann Huff and his vocal abilities, well to quote one of his peers “the guy can sing his ass off”. His songwriting has garnered him not only critical acclaim but also and most importantly the fans love his music. Michael Hough, born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina began playing guitar at the age of thirteen. After becoming totally consumed with the guitar he began writing songs at the age of fifteen. During this time Michael took the plunge into live performance by entering a talent competition at his school in which the bug bit him. From that moment on, music would be a major part of his life. Read More...