Chris Mara

Hi, my name is Chris Mara- I record and/or produce independent artists for a living, (I have for 12 years) and am based out of Nashville,TN. I work in many studios in and around Nashville such as Omni Sound, Darkhorse Recording, Seventeen Grand, Warner Chapel, Tombstone, and House of David- as well as my own niche all analog studio Welcome To 1979. I also do a lot of work in Minneapolis, Mobile, and Cleveland and have access to several private studios around the country. I have worked with many up and coming indie rock bands as well as established major label artists. You can listen to the mp3s I have uploaded for many examples of the types of artists I work with on my artists page. Be sure to take a look at my testimonials to see what these bands say about their experiences working with me.



Like what you have heard? Wondering what I can do for you? The answer is anything. Just e-mail me and let me know what you're up to, and maybe I can do some work on your project. About half of the projects I do are from start to finish, the other half I just do one or two parts. I may just record it, do some overdubs, or mix a project that somebody else recorded. Just let me know what you're doing or thinking about doing, I'm a free lance engineer/producer, (even though I own my own all-analog studio), which means that I'm not going to try to sell you studio time at "my studio"- I find the studio that fits your budget, vibe and other needs. Many times I bring my gear to the artists home studio and work there to escape the studio setting altogether.so I'm sure I can offer some creative ideas that will improve your project while PROTECTING YOUR WALLET!



Here's a list of my personal gear that I take with me from studio to studio, and state to state:



Mic Pres/Compressors:

2) Trident TSM mic pre/eq modules (vintage)

4) API 312c mic pres (vintage)

2) Vintech X73 pre/eq's

1) Sontec DRC 202 Stereo Compressor (vintage)*just added*

1) Avalon 737 tube mic pre/di/comp/eq

1) Drawmer 1960 stereo tube mic pre/di/compressor

1) TL Audio dual tube pre/compressor/di

1) Altec 1591 mic pre/compressor

4) DBX 160 (vu) compressors (vintage)*2 just added*

1) DBX 163x compressor

2) Valley People Dyan-Mite Compressors/Expanders (vintage)

2) Pandora Stereo Limiter (vintage)

1) BBE Sonic Maximizer

Mics:

1) AKG C-12a mic (vintage tube)

2) Neumann U-87 mics (vintage)*just added*

1) Sanken CU-32*just added*

2) Audio Technica 4033*just added*

3) SM 57

2) Shure SM-91 PZM boundary mics

1) Police issue bull horn (this thing is LOUD!!)

1) CB Radio microphone (made by Sears.)

-several old, odd and cool mics

Analog Recorders:

1) MCI JH24 2" 24 track*just added*

1) Ampex ATR800 1/4" 2 track w/remote

2) MCI Jh110 1/4" 2 tracks*just added*

Digital Recorders: (my portable recording rig)

1) Macbook Pro 2GHz w/2 gig RAM

1) Pro Tools 002R w/7.3 version software

1) Lacie 320 gig 7200 RPM firewire drive

Guitar Amps/Pedals:

1) Yamaha 5 watt combo guitar amp

1) Danelectro 10 watt combo guitar amp

1) "Marshman" custom 5 watt tube guitar head

1) Mutron Phaser II Pedal (vintage)

Monitors/Power Amps:

1) pair Yamaha NS-10 monitors

1) Hafler Pro 505 power amp

1) pair Focal SM-8 powered monitors

1) pair Truth Audio powered monitors

1) pair Auratone cube monitors

Misc:

1) Mackie 1202 mixer

1) Pair acoustic phase checkers

Vibe Kit:

1)Lava Lamp

50)10 taper candles

50)votive candles

10-20) various sized candles

Incense

Cigars

Supa-funky candle holders of all shapes and sizes



I also write recording-based articles for several industry magazines and music websites. I re-post some of these articles on my blog, and they offer a lot of information and insight for independent artists of all genres. Please subscribe to my blog if you like what you've read.