We recently connected with Brian Sheil and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian , thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I don’t think there was an exact time or place where I decided I wanted to be in the music business professionally or otherwise. Or even wanting to be a ‘creative’. It kind of just happens. What I do recall though is at a really young age (somewhere around 6 or 7 years of age) that sound interested me, and technology interested me.

I still remembering getting two tape deck players, both of which has a record feature, and trying to figure out how to record one cassette album onto a blank tape, but also, how to do this with a mic (something I now realise is called an open field recording) vs recording the tape with a 3.5mm jack from one tape player to another and being able to hear a massive difference between both but not understanding why. I remember being so excited specifically recording ”promo” or ”radio only remixes” of certain tracks from the radio late at night.

My parents probably saw this interest early on and enrolled me in electronic keyboard lessons with a cousin of mine, a musical legend, Dale Hennessy. These lessons combined with listening to what was on the radio and to what my Mam and Dad were playing really set the wheels in motion for where I am today.

Some years later this led me on to setting up Ireland’s first ever online radio music streaming service around 2004, when I was 14 or 15 years of age. I called it Klubb FM and created my own music show which streamed on Friday and Saturday. This was around the time of Bebo and MySpace. A lot of my friends would tune in, but I also had fans and listeners from across the world. Our biggest thing we ran in conjunction with a local company was Bebo Big Brother – I remember getting like 20- 30 texts per minute which was massive for a 15-year-old kid at the time.

I also remember building my own radio processor at that time to get my station to sound like KIIS in Los Angeles or another amazing online radio service back then .977 – The Hitz Channel – that American super compressed, but super sheen oomphy sound. There was always that blend of technology with creativity within me. From here, I secured a position as the House Sound Engineer at VISUAL, Carlow (a 350-seater performing Arts theatre with Ireland’s largest gallery space located within the same building) when I was just 17 years old while also turning my Klubb FM radio studio into a recording, production and mixing facility.

Brian , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a music producer, engineer and mixer. Essentially my job can sometimes be split into three categories whether that be producing on a record, engineering the recording session or finalizing the track by mixing or mastering it. Sometimes this process can happen all at once, or sometimes I can be brought into a separate project as a Mixer or Mastering Engineer.

A little background first….

I guess my curiosity for sounds, be it music or audio in general, really all started for me around 6 or 7 years of age. I distinctively remember listening to a Mariah Carey record feat. Boyz II Men with my cousin John. I think he had bought the album that day and was listening while doing his homework. I was just goofing around until this song ‘One Sweet Day’ came on and I was intrigued by the sound of it. All the vocals together, the production, the actual melodies. I also remember wondering why what I now know as an electronic snare sound was only coming from one speaker and not two. That technique is called panning. So, I often think to myself that this was actually my first memory of thinking about music or audio in a different way than a normal kid might not have.

That curiosity progressed then to me learning how to record songs from the radio. I also remember seeing my cousin Mary Clare having these different mix tapes in her room and wondering how she had all these amazing songs. Jeez, it’s crazy remembering all this when being asked about it all. As I said earlier, my parents saw this ‘early curiosity’ and enrolled me for keyboard lessons, and it all stemmed from here really.

I can still remember listening non-stop to Celine Dion’s ‘Falling into You’ album going to different sports training sessions, be it soccer or basketball. I’m not sure you want this type of information, but I can recall during a few training sessions with Jim Connolly, an incredible basketball coach, still thinking about how all these sounds on that particular Celine album were created, while actually going through whatever drill Jim has us doing. That’s probably a sign there’s something else happening, lol.

Around 14 or 15 years of age, my love of technology and sounds really crossed over, and I started building my own little recording space in my ‘playroom’. I went from playing with Action Man as a kid in that same room to now learning the craft of recording, mixing and production. That same year, I created Ireland’s first internet radio streaming music station called Klubb FM, where I broadcasted my own radio show every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. I did it because I really felt that streaming was the future but also, I just loved (and still love) how records sound on radio – they sound different there, and in general, more exciting to me.

I began recording different local Artists from my area and jumped right into the steep learning curve of the music business at 15 years of age.

Later then, I enrolled in a Music Technology and Sound Engineering Diploma course with Pulse College, and after that, I completed a BA Hons. Degree in Music Production from the University of Central Lancashire in the UK where I graduated top of my entire year and with a First-Class Honours Degree.

I completed my thesis on 16-time Grammy Award Winning Songwriter and Producer David Foster and 16-time Grammy Award Winning Engineer and Producer Humberto Gatica where I essentially pretended to be them and produce/engineer a song with the limitations that presented themselves back in the year 1987. I interviewed both David and Humberto for the thesis and later actually got to meet them both in person in the same room in Santa Monica, California– crazy to think how you’d meet your two of your idols at the same time in the same room kinda randomly in a sense.

At 17 years of age, I also was lucky to have started as the House Engineer at VISUAL in Carlow, Ireland – Ireland’s largest gallery space and a 350-seater auditorium.

I’m now 33 years of age, and have my own professional recording, production and mixing studio. I’ve x8 Number 1 records on iTunes UK and Ireland, was awarded a gold-disc for my Mastering work on Irish country star, Derek Ryan’s, album ‘’The Simple Things’’ which went to Number 1 in the Official Irish Album Chart in 2014, and my records have been streamed over 25 million times on Spotify. I collaborate with different Artists all over the world.

More and more, and really since Covid, I’ve become known for the go-to guy to mix an Artist’s record and master it. I’ve had a lot of co-productions come my way too, which is generally where a song has been recorded, but either the artist, producer or even label feel the production is missing something, so I can be brought in there too to help. It really is a mixed bag to be honest (sorry for the pun, lol), and the lines can be blurred a lot very frequently. I always wanted to learn audio engineering as a first port of call, even as a kid, because I genuinely felt that’s where the secret magic was. I’m sure many will disagree with my reading this, but having a great Mixer can be the difference.

Serban Ghenea, Humberto Gatica, Jaycen Joshua and Josh Gudwin are my inspirations when it comes to mixing – they are just incredible.

Actually, before I go, I have a story about meeting my idols, David Foster and Humberto Gatica, that I’d like to share.

Earlier, I mentioned that I completed my thesis on these producers but meeting them had such an impact on me for a variety of reasons. I was in Santa Monica and was asked to play piano at an Artist’s showcase for David. At the time, David was Chairman of Verve Records at Universal Music Group. To cut a long story short, I remember while playing a certain song, I think it was Macy Gray ‘I Try’ or an Amy Winehouse tune, looking up at the sheet music stand on David’s piano and right there right in front of me was his e-mail address. I had a decision to make. Do I concentrate on the song, or do I remember his email address while playing, and potentially mess up the showcase? Remember I’m completing my thesis on him at this stage. I chose to remember his e-mail address, so as I’m playing this tune, the whole room is vibing with the artist in the hopes that she’ll be signed – I was busy doing something else, haha. So, as I’m reciting the email address (crazy to remember all this now, haha), my hands kept playing the song. I learned that day about muscle memory and how it helped me out! Nobody knew what REALLY had happened to me. Funnily enough too, I got a picture with David and Humberto that day which I nearly didn’t receive as the mobile phone it was taken on got lost in the hire Mercedes we had rented.

A few weeks later, I emailed David and asked him could I interview him. He accepted and we had an amazing 45-minute conversation and interview. It was amazing! I was like 21 years old. I don’t think I ever told him or anyone that story, lol. Even Gigi Hadid interrupted our conversation, haha. She was awesome – we had a 5 min chat about Ireland.

However, another strange thing happened as well in that same room in Santa Monica. I met an incredible producer and songwriter that same day without even realizing it. Enter Oliver Bassil. Olivier was working with David, and ever since my interview, we have stayed in touch, and today we produce records together. It’s possibly one of the greatest relationships I’ve made. Olivier is just a genius, and most of all, an incredible human being. I don’t believe in luck, but things happen for a reason I guess.

I’m really most proud of still being in this business, it’s such a difficult business to be in and to navigate sometimes. I’m also proud of the work I’ve produced and mixed, the Artists I’ve helped achieve what they were looking for – nothing beats getting great feedback or a record doing really well on the chart or streaming. I’m proud of the relationships, and healthy ones at that, I’ve established in this business whether that’s with other producers, artists or executives. Of course, having x8 Number 1 records on iTunes, a gold-disc for a Number 1 Album in Ireland, and being nominated as ‘International Producer of the Year’ at the Music Producers Guild Awards in London makes me proud. I feel like I’m only starting though. I want so much more

What sets me apart? I guess it’s my approach to making records. Having an Irish upbringing can be beneficial, haha. Producing an artist’s record can sometimes feel like a therapy session. I’m quite good at listening to an Artist and what they’re really trying to communicate or why something isn’t working. When it comes to mixing, I guess Artist’s come to me for the point of difference in how I make things sound essentially. A lot of the record-making process is taste based, there’s no real ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, but I always say the speakers don’t lie in how they make you FEEL a song. I’ve been known to pull in another producer on a project if I feel they can add something else to an Artist’s vision – that’s probably producing in a sense too because it’s all about the song and not anyone’s ego.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Not particularly. I mean when it comes to say mixing, it’s really a lifetime craft. Sometimes I wonder did they leave out a few zeros when they mention the 10,000-hour rule to become a master or expert at something. I think I’ll always be against myself in that sense. Personally though, I’m glad I didn’t have a million videos online to watch about mixing techniques back when I was starting about 15 years ago. I prefer the Art of it rather than use this plugin for this scenario, and genuinely prefer making mistakes. Some of those videos are great, don’t get me wrong, I just find a lot are overwhelming.

Did you know that Michael Jackson’s Thriller was mixed like 91 times or something, but they used Mix 2 for the final release. I’ll never forget someone telling me this story. It still informs my process today about not ‘over cooking’ a record. The reverse is also true though. Lady Gaga had Shallow mixed 17 times. Art, eh?

Certainly, Artificial Intelligence is a resource I’m really studying and leaning into. I’m still unsure if I should be very afraid of it, use it a collaboration tool or will it just decimate our business in the end? Are the great record makers of our time gone? We have had crossroads like this in our business before from the invention of the sampler, MIDI, Napster, streaming and yet we all survived that, but I think in truth, we still don’t truly understand it to really know what will happen.

I’m looking at AI in my business daily (reading and studying as much as I can) and how things like voice cloning or having AI interpret an old Irish ballad but sung by Drake on TikTok is having an effect. These effects are enormous from copyright/royalties’ complications, infringements to the criminal justice system having to grapple with fake audio for instance. You look at how streaming laws have recently changed too in the US and how that’s now effecting shareholders’ dividend who purchased legacy artists catalogues where they’re not quite as valuable as once thought.

Speaking of resources though, I wish I went to live gigs at an even younger age. That still cannot be beaten. That whole raw live experience (I just saw Coldplay live at The Rose Bowl last month. Holy wow). It’s an education. Why do live albums generally sound so much more alive, you know? Hold our beers say U2 (I wanna go see that Sphere in Vegas) but I guess what I’m saying is that I’m not sure how robots could change that whole experience fundamentally. But again, I don’t know. The older I’m getting the more I’m saying that phrase….

I’m still a student, and always will be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.briansheilmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briansheil/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briansheil/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briansheil
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianSheil/

Image Credits
Main and last picture: Photographs by Nolan Regan nolanregan.com Other featured photographs: James Wynne Photography https://www.facebook.com/jameswynnephotography