Founded by Brisbane music producer and composer Daniel Newstead, this studio delivers leading edge music production, composition, mixing and artist development services. Daniel is able to work with any specific style or combination of styles, taking your work to the forefront of current industry standards. Offering an attentive and highly personalised service, he specialises in breaking through conventional boundaries to assist you in expanding upon the genuine and unshakable core of your creativity and message.

Daniel Newstead

ABOUT ME

I am a producer, composer, engineer, pianist, drummer, vocalist, part-time guitarist, independent artist, creative collaborator and educator with over 15 years experience as a professional in the music industry. I enjoy filling my week with all of the things I am passionate about. Primarily I am an independent artist and producer. I studied classical piano and music theory for years and I love to teach and pass on my knowledge to people of all ages. I've been using music programs and programming since I owned a computer so I know how to quickly pull sounds and take influence from any style. I've played drums and keys in many bands and toured nationally so I can give you some advice on releasing your first professional song, marketing yourself, and developing a plan to take your career to the next level.

I studied a Bachelor of Music at The Queensland Conservatorium of Music many years ago which gave me the environment to hone my skills and discover new ideas. From here I moved into teaching full-time while building the business I have today. I took a trip to India with my good friend Danny Mcshane who filmed a documentary called 'Waiting for Postcards' about my musical journey. The trip changed my perspective and made me quit the 9-5 life to pursue my passions. Now I'm doing just that. I have a solo electro/acoustic project which is always evolving and aims to push boundaries internally and externally. I teach because it gives me great satisfaction that I can encourage others to follow a creative life. I make music for others and and I help artists to get their message across.

ABOUT YOU

You may be....

- An app or game developer looking for custom music of any style.

- A film maker or content creator looking for specific music to compliment your visuals.

- A singer/songwriter looking for someone to transform your demo into a fully produced commercial quality song.

- An artist looking for an honest opinion about their music and a plan to get things off the ground.

- An artist looking for someone to mix your home recording and make it sound professional.

- A musician or producer looking for some knowledge in a particular program (Protools, Logic, Garageband, Ableton or Resolume).

- An electronic music producer looking for knowledge in music theory and keyboard skills.

Here's what some clients have to say...

“Dan has been an amazing collaborative artist and studio mentor. He has given me frank and empowering feedback about my musical, studio and vocal evolution. This has supported me to grow into an artist who has been Spotify playlisted, added to H&Ms global store playlist and written up about by top Australian music journalists with critical acclaim. Daniel was a producer on all of this music. I love sharing ideas and collaborating on creating new tracks with Dan, his bravery with sounds is important in today’s popular landscape and as a result of this I can’t wait to get my new songs out there and continue future collaborations”

— Maikee

“I’ve been working with Dan for a few years now and have come to trust his intuition, knowledge and opinion as much as my own. Our work together has been truly collaborative and it’s important to him that he delivers exactly what it is you are after, while never being afraid to help steer things in the right direction so that the end product is as good as it can be. He can take a raw idea and build it into a polished, professional, cohesive track that has all the production elements you could ask for, right through to the mix. I have even had other industry professionals comment on the quality of his mixing skills. His experience and expertise at this craft is what sets him apart from the rest. ”

— Colin Barrass

“This is amazing! Daniel consistantly, no matter what genre he brings me, makes my job easy. The mixes are some of the best I have ever worked on. He has mastered a plethora of styles and can make any track (pop, rock, hip hop... you name it) come to life. Be safe in the knowledge that putting your music in these hands will make you shout the same expletives I always do when I hear it for the first time.”

— Dominic McGlinn - DOMC Mastering

“Dan Newstead is a beast on the boards. Patient and engaging, Dan isn’t happy until each mix is not only right to his ears but also the clients. Undeniably gifted at his craft whilst bringing a unique and creative sound, he gives each project he works on its own character. Humble and humorous, Dan is always a pleasure to be in the studio with. From Rock to Hip hop, there is nothing that this guy can’t breathe his magic into taking a great idea to new levels of sonic enjoyment. A truly gifted engineer.”

— MulesMecca (Producer & Music Director, 5 Arrow Productions)

“Daniel is one of the best and most professional studio engineers I have ever worked with. Not only can his sick gear and acute ear deliver the sound you are looking for, but his skill set as a producer can add creative content to your mixes enhancing the overall final product. His personalized service and relentless dedication to bring each project to it’s fullest potential makes him standout from the rest. I look forward to working with him again soon.”

— Rupert Faust (Manager- Beanstalk Records)

SERVICES

NOTE FOR FULL PRODUCTION PACKAGE: It is generally a good idea to book a few months ahead. Please contact me here and send your demos to get the ball rolling.

COMPREHENSIVE MUSIC PRODUCTION and artist development PACKAGE.

Starting at $1800 per song

I can work with you to produce and record your song ready for distribution to the world. Whatever style you work in I can achieve the sound. Sometimes an artist will come to me with a specific sound they want to achieve. Other times they may want me to help them find a style that suits the song. I can work to specific references or experiment with you to create something unique. In most cases the songs should be at least written in skeleton form (lyrics, vocal melody and chord progressions), but there are times when you may want to improve certain elements as the production takes shape.

This complete package involves the following things:

1. PRE-PRODUCTION

Making sure the structure, chords, melodies, hooks and lyrics are the best they can be. Some of this can be done before you come into the studio as I like to give honest and lengthy feedback after hearing demos. When you come into the studio I will map your demo to a session and we can chop things up and re-arrange as a guide for the structure if needed. Usually I like to record a quick demo (vocal and piano/guitar) so we can play with the sections and chords if necessary.

2. DECIDING ON SOUNDS

Although it's good to be spontaneous sometimes, I do like to get a general feel for what you want it to sound like. We will discuss some reference tracks, styles, or particular artists that you feel the song could take influence from and then make decisions on what could work for your song.

3.RECORDING AND PRODUCTION

After the plan of attack is set we will build the song up from the demo. The demo vocal will be there so we can hear how it’s working with everything. I usually like to start with drums and supporting instrumentation (bass, keys/synths, guitars). Once the bulk of the production is complete I’ll then record your vocal parts. From here we will add as many parts/sounds/bells and whistles as it needs until we are both happy.

4. MIXING

As the song is being recorded it will take shape and eventually just need minor tweaking for the final mix. If the parts and sounds are all working together in the recording and production phase then it will not take long to have a polished mix. I will give you a final mix and then you can go away and listen to this for a while on different systems. You can then send me as many notes as you want and I'll tweak it until you're getting goosebumps.

5. MASTERING

Mastering is the final ‘polish’ stage where I make sure your song is going to sound its best across all sound systems (phone speakers, laptops, UE booms, Hifi systems and everything in between). I generally approach the mixing and mastering stage together so you’ll have multiple opportunities to provide feedback on the final product until you’re happy.

6. THE RELEASE

Once everything is complete I will give you some realistic advice on where to go from here. It really depends on your style, your goals and your $$$. If you're low on marketing money I can help you with some DIY strategies for getting the best possible response.

MUSIC FOR MEDIA/ADVERTISING

$$$ Contact for quote

I am a specialist in composing music to brief. If you are looking for a particular type of music or a 'soundalike' composition I can produce music to suit your style and message.

MIXING

Contact for Quote

If you've recorded your music at home or another studio I can take those stems and work magic on them. You will be amazed at the difference that can be achieved in the mix stage. You will need to provide .wav files at the highest recorded sample rate (usually 44.1k or 48k) and 24bit. If you need help exporting stems I am happy to guide you through the process. The price will depend on style, number of tracks and generally how complex the mix is. An acoustic guitar and vocal will not be as complicated as an 80 track EDM banger where the mix can sometimes be the 'production'.

I HAVE worked with the following clients

COMPANIES

DY-MARK (Paint) - Voice over for instructional videos.

DOMINOES PIZZA - Composition for visual.

SOUL SOUND DESIGN - Collaboration.

SOUNDS LIKE BUTTER - Collaboration and composition.

SUZUKI - Composition for advertisement.

SPLASH MUSIC - Music Production for AI applications. SPLASH game on ROBLOX

ZOVA (iPHONE APP - APPLE DESIGN AWARD WINNER 2016) - Writing and production.

(Available on the App Store and Google Play.)

FILM MAKERS

DANNY MCSHANE (FILM MAKER) - Collaboration / Music for film

DISCOVER YOURSELF HERE (VIDEO) - Composition for video

NORTH STATE CINEMA (Film Company) - Music for Teaser.

MANNY JAMES COLE - Composition and production for films.

MUSICIANS

ADAM NIGRO - (ACOUSTIC) - Recording and mixing

ALEXA CURTIS - (POP/ELECTRONIC) - Recording, production, mixing and mastering

ALPHA PI - (POP/ELECTRONIC) - Recording, production and mixing

ANDY WARD (SONY MUSIC) - (POP/ELECTRONIC) - Live drums / keys

CHELSEA JANE (HIPHOP) - Mixing

COLIN BARRASS (POP) - Recording and production.

DALE HUBBARD (COMPOSER/Music for meditation) - Recording and mixing.

DEADSET (HIPHOP)- co-writing, recording, production and mixing.

DAVE LUKE (POP, SINGER/SONGWRITER) - Recording, production, mixing and mastering.

DEATHSTARS (HIPHOP)- Mixing

GLVES (POP/ELECTRONIC) - Recording, production and mixing.

GRIMMER (ALTERNATIVE/ELECTRONIC) - Recording, mixing and session drummer.

HEMINGWAY (DUB/REGGAE) - Mix and master

J-RADIATE (POP/ELECTRONIC) - Co-production and mixing

LORD BRISBANE IMPERIAL ORCHESTRA - Mixing

MARK J (POP/ELECTRONIC) - Recording, production and mixing.

MARINA JOZINOVIC (POP/ELECTRONIC) - Co-writing, recording production and mixing.

MAGNETS (ALTERNATIVE/ROCK) - Co-writing, production, recording and mixing

MIDNIGHT SHOW (ROCK) - Recording and mixing.

MAIKEE - (POP/ELECTRONIC) - Co-writing, production, recording and mixing.

MAY LYN - (POP/ELECTRONIC) - Vocal recording.

MORGAN McMANUS - Collaboration, recording, production and mixing.

MULES MECCA (Producer) - Mixing.

O' LITTLE SISTER (FOLK/ELECTRONIC) - Co-writing, recording, production and mixing.

PHI (ELECTRONIC/POP/EDM) - Co-writing, recording, production and mixing.

POST DUSK (ELECTRONIC/INDIE) - Mix and Master

RACHEL KOSTER (POP/MEDITATION) - Recording and mixing.

RAXFEN (ELECTRONIC) - Mix and master.

SAMUEL JAMES - (ALT, ELEC, RAP, HEAVY) - Co-write, produce, record, mix and master.

SCRIPTED DIALECTS (HIPHOP) - Mixing.

SERAYA YOUNG (POP/ELECTRONIC/EASY LISTENING/CLASSICAL) - Co-writing, production, recording and mixing

SLAUGHTERHOUSE (HIPHOP) - Assistant engineer for 3rd party promotion.

STONES CORNER CLUB (ALTERNATIVE/ROCK) - Mixing

SWITCHKICKER (After People Records) - (Electronic/Rock/Industrial) - Session drummer.

THONY REMY (HIPHOP/TRAP) - Vocal Recording

VAPORIZE (ROCK/INDIE)- Recording and mixing.

ZILCH (ALTERNATIVE/ROCK/RAP) - Recording, production and mixing.