The recording process is all about capturing an artist's authentic expression of emotion and meaning in a way that will translate to listeners. The most important parts of this process are intention, good vibes, and patience.
Gear is important but only a means to an end. I've collected a variety of classic instruments, amps, mics, preamps, and compressors so that we can find the perfect tone. (See my gear list below.) While I love to take the time to explore different tones, my experience enables me to select great-sounding signal chains from the start so that sessions can run efficiently and the emphasis can be on the music. I aim for the engineering to be invisible and run seamlessly in the background.
My recording space is in the Redwoods across the road from the Russian River. It's a one-room studio that has living-room vibes. It's cute, welcoming, cozy, and earthy. The goal is to have artists feeling relaxed.
Recording sessions are by invitation and referral only. Feel free to reach out for mixing and/or mastering.
Mixing involves combining the individual elements of a song into a compelling whole. It's all about presentation and conveying the intended feeling.
Mixing is my favorite part of the process. I absolutely obsess about it. I live for the moment when the artist hears their rough mix transformed into something better than they could have imagined. I love the opportunity to curate tones and textures and squeeze the juice out of the recorded tracks. I'm equally excited about getting the most transparent, true-to-live feel as I am about exploring, filtering, effecting, tweaking, and getting huge, larger-than-life sounds.
I mix in the box primarily but will often re-amp through outboard gear for extra color. I use a variety of plugins and software instruments from Circles, iZotope, Native Instruments, oeksound, Plugin Alliance, Softube, Soniccouture, Soundtoys, Thephonoloop, Universal Audio, ValhallaDSP, Waves, and Wavesfactory,.
I have experience mixing in a variety of genres from pop, to folk, indie, rock, EDM, R&B, Hip-Hop, blues, and funk.
Mastering is the last step in the production process. It involves getting the artist's mixes to industry-standard levels so that they can sound great everywhere and in the context of the world of music that already exists. Mastering also brings balance between songs within an album to give the album a coherent sonic character. The goal is for the listener to experience seamless transitions between songs, not be distracted by disparities in tone, volume, and dynamics.
One component of mastering is loudness. My goal is to strike the balance between loudness and dynamics that the client desires. I am mindful of the loudness war and the loudness normalization processes implemented by the various streaming services and can guide the client in crafting the most compelling and musical balance. If the client wants it loud, I have the tools and experience to deliver loud masters in the most dynamic and transparent way possible.
For recording and mixing, my hourly rate is $80/hr., with a 2-hour minimum. My day rate for an 8-hour day in the studio with me is $600 (8 hours excluding meal breaks).
For mastering, I charge $50 per song for albums with 5 or more songs, $75 per song for albums with less than 5 songs, and $100 for singles.
I’m David Lipps. I love music. I can't help myself.
I started playing percussion in the 6th-grade school band. I was classically trained and have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of music theory. I’ve played drum set for a number of bands in a variety of genres including indie, folk, rock, blues, and funk. I appreciate all genres of music with a leaning toward indie folk.
I’ve been recording, mixing, and mastering music since 2002. I have an unending passion for music and building community in the music scene.
A previous client described me in his album credits as the “doula” of his album. I think this is a powerful metaphor because birthing one’s creative ideas into the world can be a daunting and difficult but rewarding process. I love to support artists through that process and feel honored and grateful when I'm asked to do so.
I am fully engaged with each project and am kind, caring, empathetic, a clear communicator, direct but diplomatic, patient, and laid back. I have meticulous attention to detail (some might say OCD), a finely tuned ear, and the dedication and focus to bring a project to completion.
On an emotional level, my goal is to provide a welcoming, safe, positive container for my clients to fully express themselves through music. On a technical level, I want my clients to feel inspired by the sound that’s coming through their headphones so they can deliver the most genuine performance of their art. And then, after the song is mixed and mastered, I want my clients to feel like the final product is exactly what they had in mind, if not infinitely better.
Mics
Preamps
Dynamics
EQ
Conversion / Recorders
Monitors
Instruments
Guitar & Bass Amps
Guitar Pedals
