Professional Mixing from Stephen Sherrard

Professional Music Producer, Recording Engineer, and Award Winning Mixing Engineer, with over 25 years experience in the music industry.

Stephen is probably the only producer/engineer on the planet qualified to run a nuclear reactor! After graduating from the University of Illinois with a degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Stephen spent five years in the Navy as a Nuclear Engineering Officer. From the money the Navy paid him (from your taxes) during college and the five years after, Stephen put together his ever expanding home studio and taught himself the art of recording.

However, this was not his first adventure into the world of recording. Stephen has always been involved in music and electronics since he was in grade school. He would often gather up all the stereo equipment from members of the family and wire it together to make "mix" tapes for him and his friends. He was also heavily involved in creating music -- playing trumpet, piano, keyboards, and eventually guitars in bands from early grade school up to the present day. On the electronics side, Stephen was heavily into arcade and computer games. He saved up money from his summer jobs in grade school to buy himself a computer, and then taught himself how to program arcade games and also to modify the computer's hardware.

His interest in computers and electronics is what lead him to study Electrical & Computer Engineering in college. Half-way through college, when money was tight, Stephen was heavily recruited to join the Navy's Nuclear Power Program (a highly selective program that draws strictly from the top college engineering students after they have completed their second year of college). He wasn't sure about the Navy, but he wasn't sure that he was really into what he was studying at college either. The Navy's offer turned out to be too good to turn down, and Stephen decided to go for it. He was accepted into the program after passing rigorous technical interviews in Washington D.C. with the top Navy Nuclear Officials. With the advance bonus and the monthly pay checks, Stephen bought some keyboard equipment and joined a college alternative rock band. As the Navy continued to pay him well, he started putting together a home recording studio and doing demos for his band, as well as composing and recording his own original music. It then finally all made sense! This is what he wanted to do for a living!! Unfortunately, he still owed the Navy five years of his life after college, but it worked out for the best. Stephen got to travel around the country (never having to go out to sea) and brought his ever expanding studio with him wherever he went. No matter where he landed, he was always able to find singer/songwriters or bands to work with and hone his producing and engineering skills out of his home studio. Some of his work even made it to the radio! Finally, Stephen landed in the shipyards in Bremerton, WA, and was exposed to the Seattle music scene which was just starting to make a name for itself. This is where he decided to make a go at the music business.

A short while after getting out of the Navy, Stephen landed a Staff Engineering position at one of the largest professional studio facilities in Seattle, Triad Studios, without having to go through the usual internship process. He worked on staff at Triad from 1994 through 1997. At the same time, he expanded his home studio into a full-blown business of its own, MusicTECH. Owning a home studio and working at one of the area's largest studios had its advantages. The two businesses complimented each other well. Stephen used MusicTECH for pre- and post-production work for bands, digital editing/mastering, multimedia, and singer/songwriter or small band demos.

In 2005, Stephen and his family moved into a much larger home in the greater Seattle area, with a large lower level ideal for setting up a more traditional two room studio (separate control room and tracking room). Stephen hired an acoustic consultant and remodeled and acoustically treated the spaces to spec for the best sound possible.

Stephen Sherrard is one of those rare, genuinely nice guys, who is able to get along with all types of people, and who loves to work with a wide variety of artists and musical styles. His laid back, mellow attitude immediately puts the artist at ease. His easy going personality, along with his combination of a strong musical background and outstanding technical abilities, allows his clients to relax and focus on delivering their best performance possible!

Mixing is Stephen's passion! He loves mixing great music and helping the artist bring their vision to life!