Production and Recording
If you’re an artist interested in making a record, please do get in touch. I listen to everything people send me, and will happily sit down anytime I’m free to talk about your project. I’ll always give you the best advice I can, whether that works in my favour or not.
If you need an engineer for some tracking days, I am sometimes available and again, always happy to have a chat about what you need, and how I might be able to help. Maybe you’re making your own record, but you’re finding that you can’t get the sounds you want on certain sources. Perhaps you need someone to help you track the drums. Please get in touch.
Mixing
I am available for hire as a freelance mix engineer. If you need a track, an EP or a record mixed, lets talk about it. Most of my work is mixing rock music, but I also mix tracks in a variety of other genres and for TV/Film music producers as well as bands. A lot of this sort of work can be done purely online, so distance is no barrier. Email me, and we can talk about your requirements and costs etc.
Jack Ruston 
Jack! Been searching for compressor for my home studio. Love the work you did on Steel Panther and Anthrax and wanted to see if I could pay tour for a couple hours of your time for advice. Possibly some mixing help too as we have 60 songs as a hobby rocker but want to take out game to the next level. You are that next level. All the best at email me at managerpugh@yahoo.com or call at 314-707-2313!
Hi Mike! Confusingly enough that was JAY Ruston, no relation.
In terms of compressors for a home studio, it really depends on your budget, and what you hope to achieve. If we’re talking about vocal tracking, I think the money would be better spent on absolutely the right mic for the voice. After that, there are two roles really for compression – to pin the level in place (which is actually largely to do with the vocal delivery too) – for which you might look at something like an 1176, or in a more modern context, a Distressor – and to impart a smooth, silky sort of control – almost more a sound than a dynamic process. For THAT sort of thing you’d be looking at more the sort of LA2A type of thing. My favourite compressor of all for that stuff is the EAR 660, but it’s insanely expensive and hard to find used. We had two (!) at State Of The Ark when I worked there, and they were better than either of the Fairchilds IMO. A Tubetech CL1B is another classic valve compressor. Often you might use both types at once, but equally there’s nothing to stop you tracking vocals without a compressor. In a 24 bit system there’s certainly enough headroom to do that. Anyway, it’s a budget thing. If I had limited funds, and wanted a single, general purpose compressor, I’d buy a used Distressor, and I’ll stick my neck out and say that if you asked every professional rock/pop engineer that question, you’d get that answer more than any other.
So is this Jack the producer? Jay? Confused but regardless your advice is amazing. I have a cheaper Neumann and several other apps. My recording can be heard at Reverb nation inter Coldstart productions. https://www.reverbnation.com/coldstartproductions
I want to take my recording home studio and get pro sounds! Listen to “Make War” and let me know your thoughts and how much would you charge me for lessons per hour. Financially all off but want to but responsible! Distress or is first purchase. Thx. MIke 3147072323