Today we’d like to introduce you to Lewis S.
Lewis, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been tracking, mixing & mastering I’d say for a good nine years now, most of those years were as a freelance engineer going to people’s houses. I started around 16 years old, I heard the a t-pain song on the radio that really caught my ear “chopped & screwed” you know the song, and was interested in how to make your voice sound all robotic like that. I then started showing people my demos that I would do if I and people became interested, and that pretty much launched my whole recording career.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s been a very slow road, it has recently picked up when I started working at studios though. The first studio to hire me was Mogul Media Studios, they showed me just enough to be able to be comfortable around UAD interfaces and the Avalon 737. Less then a week after leaving Mogul Media, Da Shoppe picked me up and we’ve been rocking ever since. I’ve learned tremendously about customer relations from this studio. Before working at the studios, I would do everything with headphones so my perception of mixing was totally different than how it is now. It totally meant my earlier mixes sounded like crap compared to the mixes I do now lol.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I mix, master and track, I also would like to think of myself as a producer as well since I do make beats as well. I usually help artists craft their song as well, so maybe I’m some sort of executive producer? I’m not sure about it? Titles don’t mean what they used to anymore.
I like to believe I specialize in vocals, not just one genre either, I like vocals to stick out and be clear, or drowned in reverb, whatever fits the song. I would like to think that I’m most proud of being self-taught, I get complimented all the time about my work, even from artists who have worked in really big studios, whenever I’m in doubt of my work I just think back to moments like that.
What sets me apart from others is that I like to keep contact, you can talk to me we can craft whatever idea is in your head at the moment and make it hit!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Everyone and I mean EVERYONE has their own set up at their house these days, in the next five to ten years I do see studio use in the decline, but a true ear for what makes a catchy song will always stand out. I don’t see anything wrong with people recording their vocals themselves and then sending them over to get mixed. As far as being an engineer in a studio as a job in the next five years,I feel that plaques and chart-topping singles will dictate what the freelance engineer ends up doing.
Pricing:
- Mixing and mastering $60 on a 2 track
- Mixing and mastering $45 (lesser quality)
- Tracking at Da Shoppe $50/h
- Tracking on my personal equipment $25/h
Contact Info:
- Website: www.phenominallewis.com
- Email: phenominallewismusic@hotmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/phenominallewis
- Twitter: Twitter.com/phenominallewis
- Other: Soundcloud.com/phenominallewis
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