Bio
Thank you for your interest. My name is J Stalcup and I currently live in Lubbock, TX. I was a performing musician for several years; however, my musical focus has switched to audio mixing. I'm particularly interested in helping local/regional artists in presenting their music to their fans.
So, full disclosure, I'm a card carrying "boomer". Which means I had the fantastic experience of growing up when country was king, and rock & roll was born. Started playing guitar at 11 and switched to bass at 18 and joined a band. Only problem was, Lubbock was not the place for a budding band to easily thrive (no bars/clubs at that time). After moving to New York, I played in a rock band and then one that specialized in country swing and country rock. Upstate New York, loves country music (who knew).
I eventually left the band because half of us wanted to move to NYC and the other wanted to stay in upstate NY. My life switched to being a fulltime dad shortly thereafter and in January, 2019, I became interested in audio mixing.
It's so great to take an artist's tracks and do what I can to make the performance shine a bit more. Check out some of my mixes in my Portfolio. More details are available in Services and don't hesitate to contact me.
Services
STARTING A PROJECT
Use the contact form to let me know of your interest
I will respond with an email so we can discuss your goals, vision, requirements and deadline.
You will need to provide WAV files of your recordings in either 24-bit/44.1 kHz or 24-bit/48 kHz. We'll discuss during the initial phone call how to do this. Regrettably, I do not have recording facilities since most musicians are recording in home or project studios.
Ongoing communication is vital. Phone, email, and text discussions are typical during the mixing phase.
I will ask for reference music. Hopefully, you will be able to provide me with some example songs that are similar (in whole or in part) to what you want your song to sound like. Not a requirement, but it helps me grasp what you envision for the final product.
I will provide a mix for you to review, to note desired changes and to approve. It shouldn't take more than 3 review/change cycles to finish the project.
Once the mix is approved, you will be provided with audio files suitable for the types of delivery methods described below.
MIXING FOR STREAMING SERVICES
The majority of music is consumed via streaming services, BUT not all streaming services use the same audio levels and file types. We'll coordinate on which services you are interested in, so I can provide you with the appropriately mastered audio file.
MIXING FOR SUBSEQUENT MASTERING
If you can afford it, hire a mastering engineer to master your song after you approve the mix. The mix file provided to a mastering engineer is a bit different, and I will be happy to collaborate with your mastering engineer on the project.
DELIVER A HIGH-QUALITY AUDIO FILE
If all you need is a high-quality audio file, I'm happy to provide a 24-bit/48kHz WAV file that will play on any device. This is a superlative format for demos (book gigs, A&R submittals, etc)
LARGER PROJECTS
EP and LP projects are welcome. Essentially, they are an expanded version of the above.
WHAT ABOUT CDs
I can't provide music CD duplication services. However, I can provide a DDP file that CD/DVD duplicators use. If you have a read/write CD in your computer, the 'high quality audio file' option will give you what you need to burn your own CD.
PODCASTS, FILM
Sometimes podcasts, digital recordings and film audio need work to remove problematic sounds, such as air conditioning hum, excessive reverb, background noise, dogs barking, vinyl pops and scratches, etc. Contact me if you have audio that needs work to sound more professional.
PRICING
Unless you like and approve a mix, you aren't charged. So, there's no risk.
Typical charge for mixing a song is $100 USD. EPs and LPs are custom priced.
Podcasts are $50 USD. A series of podcasts is custom priced