Stephen Hogan
When I was in 8th grade, I saved up my allowance to buy a used cassette 8-track recorder and two cheap microphones, and that’s how it all began for me. I started recording demos in my parents’ garage and experimenting with every piece of gear I could get my hands on. Over time, I collected equipment and instruments and developed severely unconventional (and sometimes downright wrong) methods of recording based on the random assortment of gear I had access to.
Eventually, I decided recording was something I wanted to seriously pursue, so I moved here to Seattle to go to school for audio production. In school I learned the “proper” way to record, and developed my ProTools skills to the point of wizardry. A month after graduating, I found myself at London Bridge.
Since starting at the studio, I’ve learned that there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Though we don’t skin cats here at London Bridge, the same is true of recording music. Every engineer has their own style, and every approach yields different results. As a house guy at London Bridge, I have assisted more engineers and producers than I can count, and each one likes doing things in a different way. I’ve helped Chris Walla run the Neve inside out and backwards, set up every piece of gear in the studio with Kelly Gray, and witnessed the “so bloody old school” methods of Ken Scott.
My own production and engineering style draws from all three settings in which I have learned. It centers around borrowing techniques from producers I have worked with, while keeping in mind the recording theory I learned in school. I still have a soft spot in my heart for the sound of ultra-DIY recordings, and when appropriate, I like layering clean, polished sounds with “lo-fi” elements to create a unique feel. I’m never afraid to experiment or try something new to get the “perfect sound.”
Even when I’m not at the studio, I just can’t get away from music. I have two main projects I work on in my time off: an indie rock project with a focus on experimental recording, and a computer-free electronic music project. I love dabbling in electronics and making weird little toys to use in recordings, and every once in a blue moon I also DJ, spinning primarily drum and bass, dance rock, and electro-pop.
Whether you need someone to produce your album, an engineer to push buttons and twist knobs, or just an assistant engineer to help your session run smoothly, I’m your guy!
