SINGER/SONGWRITER PRODUCTION SERVICES


Are you a singer/songwriter or solo artist looking for a cost-effective way to put together a major label quality album project or demo?  Then you’ve come to the right place!  DBAR Productions & Stephen Sherrard offer complete production services for any type of project.

I got my start working with singer/songwriters during college in the mid 1980s.  I had put together a small home studio based around a 4-track cassette recorder, a keyboard with a built-in 8-track MIDI sequencer, a drum machine, a couple other synths, and some effects units.  I started working on co-writing songs with the guitar player in my college rock band, and we would record them in my little apartment bedroom studio.  As I moved around the country after college, I would find various singer/songwriters to work with.  They would sing their songs to me, and I would compose the music for their songs and play it all myself with my keyboards and drum machine.  I would then record their vocals and mix the songs.  Even though the gear was very primitive by today’s standards, we still did well enough to get a few songs played on local radio stations.

I still have a love of working with very talented singer/songwriters, or solo artists, and helping them compose, arrange, and produce music for their songs.  Along with mixing, these are my two favorite parts of my “job”.  There simply is nothing better or more rewarding to me than producing a really great song with great musicians!

Here are just some of the ways I work with singer/songwriters and solo artists:

  • Music Composition & Arranging – If you have a great song, but don’t have a band or the musical skills to create the music yourself, I can help you compose and arrange the music for your song.  It’s really one of my favorite things to do!  I come from a pretty straight ahead pop & rock background, so that’s probably what I do best, but I’ve worked with a variety of musical styles including: alternative, pop/rock, hard rock/metal, rap/hip-hop, RnB, dance/electronic, modern/smooth jazz, acoustic/folk, and even some country.  In addition, I work with a wide variety of top professional studio musicians whom I often bring in to take my work to the next level, when the budget allows.  More details on my Music Composition & Arranging page.
  • Production – Perhaps you do play guitar or piano, and already have your musical composition worked out on some level, but need help to put it all together with a full band, or other instrumentation.  I’m quite good at, and very much enjoy, taking your ideas to the next level and working out rhythm tracks and other parts to fill out your arrangement.  If budget allows, and if the song needs it, I’ll bring in studio musicians to record real guitars, bass, drums, strings, or anything else the song may need.  As a producer, I may also suggest changes to your arrangement that I feel may make the song even better.  Check out the Production Page for more.
  • Recording/Engineering  – Of course, you’ll need a place to record & mix the songs we produce together!  As a former staff producer/engineer at one of the largest studios in the area, and with more than 20 years professional recording experience (and many more before that as a serious hobby), I am more than qualified to handle any of your recording and mixing needs.  I have a great studio with a lot of great sounding, high-end recording equipment, and the skills to put it all to good use! Check out the recording or mixing page for more info on those services, or the studio page for more info on the gear I use.
  • Digital Editing & Mastering – The final step to any project is to prepare a master for the manufacturing facility so that they can make your CDs (or prepare a digital master for digital distributors).  This is a two step process.  The first part is the editing/sequencing stage, and the second part is the mastering.  For a detailed description, check out the Digital Editing/Mastering page.