TESTIMONIALS
Blake Ratliffe, Youngster
Matt has a great knowledge of engineering, which gets you all the tones and vibes you want, and the production skills and tact that take each song to a higher level than where it began.
The best part about recording at Coast Records is the relaxed, laid-back atmosphere. That is the vibe I always strive for - starting from the writing process all the way to the recording studio. It is a key element in keeping everyone in good spirits and open to new ideas, all while having a good time during the process.
I would recommend Coast Records to anyone looking to record their own music, from beginners to pros.
Jeff Gregory, The Runout
Matt at Coast Records is experienced, creative, positive, disciplined, and earnest in his craft. He brings out the best in his clients and creates a comfortable environment for recording. I can’t wait to go back.
WARM AND FUZZY MOMENTS FOR ME WERE:
1) Walking in and seeing the studio for the first time
2) Walking in with The Runout and hearing their reactions echo mine
3) Windows and a great live room. Seeing each other is key
4) We recorded someone’s layer and after a live take (may have been vocals?) and you swiveled around in your chair and had a big shit-eatin’ grin on your face while saying “you hear those harmonies?!”….for a part that wasn’t yet recorded. You cared about the music and got creatively invested. Your investment helped carry the stoke through the recording. Really appreciated.
5) You have your methods. They work for you. We get good sound. Done. I appreciate your confidence in working with what you know (which is volumes), but you work fast, make creative decisions, and move forward for the holistic sake of our sound.
6) You communicate clearly
THOMPSON FAULK
I really enjoyed working with Matt at Coast Records for several reasons.
When I first met Matt to record my first album, I was very fresh and naive to not only the recording process but the Charleston music scene as a whole. The only thing I brought to the table was a group of songs I had written, my voice, and a very elementary acoustic guitar skill set. Matt was able to walk me through the entire process from pre-production ideas, to scratch tracks, to having the music mixed and mastered. Matt was able to bring in studio musicians for guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, backup vocals and more as I didn't have any connections to other musicians. With Matt's deep connection into the local music scene, I was able to take the recorded music a step further and do some live shows after meeting some fellow musicians and venue employees through Matt. A year or so later, we hooked up and got started on another group of songs. Once again, Matt was very helpful in working around my work schedule as we booked 1-3 hour sessions at a time and recorded the album over about 6 months. It was a lot of fun recording this album in the new studio and we made use of some new mics that Matt had added to the collection. Looking forward to recording my 3rd album at Coast Records in the near future!
Blake Shorter, Veja Du
I can't speak for Zac (but I will)... we felt comfortable working with Matt from the moment we showed him the first demo, he was encouraging and excited and it made us feel validated and stoked to begin. The way he was able to translate our vision and offer suggestions and notes without taking anything away from the heart of the music was worth more than what we were able to pay him, for sure. From my perspective, one of his biggest strengths as a producer is the ability to relate to the attitude and concept of the artist and help them tell the story they're trying to tell, and not just a story that he wanted to tell himself. Also, he’s very capable on the engineering side, which makes trying out new ideas relatively painless and quick (even if the new ideas are dumb and don't work).
I don't think we could've made this album without him.
Zac Crocker, Veja Du
For me, I think the best part about working with Matt was how he was able to understand what we liked about the demos we brought to him. And I totally trusted his input and technical decisions. He HAS a wide knowledge of all kinds of different styles and genres which made it easy to reference a song or vibe — because he would quickly understand what I was trying to explain.
That ease of communication is priceless and saves so much time and heartache.
Chris Wilcox
For me, Coast Records has been a more personal experience than perhaps a lot of other artists coming through. At the point in my life when I had decided I wanted to begin recording music again, I was unsure of where I was writing-wise, playing-wise, singing-wise, but I was so sure that it was all I wanted to do. The approachable nature of Coast Records is comforting for any artist at any level coming in to work on something personal, and get it to a point they are happy. That comfort gave me room to get better without the self conscience interfering, like it was pure unadulterated growth. I don't think it would have been the same in other situations, and I'm grateful for that.
Whether it's been in an apartment, storage unit, or the new studio, Coast Records has had a consistent mentality that has grown into one of the most sought after recording experiences in Charleston, and is just getting started.
I'm thankful to have been around it from early on.
Brian Compton, Executive Producer
- Pulled together amazing teams for both projects
- Contributed to the song creation as well as capture
- A+ Engineering, big ears
- Fun to mix with....the way you get it to a good place (absorb the tedium),
and then work with artists to refine (fun tweaks)
- Responsive, on time, on budget, good attitude