We recently connected with Chris Stevens and have shared our conversation below.
Chris, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Early on I had very few hands-on resources to help me learn my craft. Much of my growth as a producer occurred when there was no internet, so things such as youtube and online “master class” courses didn’t exist. I grew up in a smaller city in Oregon that had a lot of creative talent but little opportunity to learn how to create or have a career in commercial music. I really had to trust my ears, listen to and analyze a lot of other people’s music that I liked, and experiment with my process to develop a marketable craft. In some ways this was a slower and more limiting journey at first, but the isolation also allowed me to hone in on something unique in terms of how I go about producing music and even approaching things sonically. If I could go back and do it all over I don’t know that I would change much because I still consider myself a student for life. Every day is an opportunity to learn something new, or refine a process and improve upon it. I guess the only thing I would do differently is believe in myself more from the start. I had a lot of confidence issues in the early years of my career, partly because I was always afraid of being too cocky. But also because I just didn’t think I had what it took to do what I love and still make a good living at it. My entire philosophy about that has changed completely of course. I believe we are all destined to do something special with our talent, and a path always exists for it if we are open to the adventure. I also think it’s possible to believe in yourself and still have a healthy amount of humility which is necessary to judge your own work and raise your own bar, receiving but not resting on accolades too much. My most essential skills have always been my gut and my ear. My biggest obstacles were self confidence and a shy nature that kept me from asking more questions of the folks I really aspired to emulate. I never wanted to be a bother to anyone, but now that I am in a position to be able to answer someone else’s questions, I see that it is not a bother, but a privilege. Dare I say, if any creative professional thinks otherwise, they might have forgotten their humble beginnings.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have always been a musical person at heart. In my teens I played many instruments but fell quickly in love with synthesizers and electronic music. Yet had it not been for a pivotal opportunity that came in my early 20’s to intern for a software company, I probably wouldn’t have pursued music production as a career. But this opportunity turned out to be a strange yet perfect entry point into a wonderful career in music. From there I went on to start my own audio production company, creating soundtracks for video games. By the early 2000’s I migrated into record production and songwriting, working with artists and bands, which was always my passion growing up. Today I split my time between writing and production, working mostly in pop, country, and inspirational genres, but also some indie things along the way. One of my favorite parts of the production process is working with vocalists. I really shine in this area and have always loved arranging and vocal parts. It’s really amazing to capture a great vocal from a phenomenal singer. Sometimes the window to do so is fairly narrow as they may be coming off the road and only in town for a few hours. They may be tired or have vocal fatigue, so I have to do a little counseling sometimes and get them in the right headspace to record. It’s a challenge but I love it. I’ve also had fun learning to wear many hats in this business. I’m not afraid to take a stab at just about anything in the recording process, from playing instruments, tuning and editing parts, engineering, mixing and mastering. Don’t get me wrong, I love hiring real professionals in all of those roles, but it’s also fun to get out the playdough and just have fun, see what I can come up with on my own. It can’t hurt to try something myself at first….especially if there is something specific I am hearing in my head.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My mission has always been to have some sort of positive impact on the world, with music. It’s a simple goal, but I just don’t think we can have too much positivity out there. And music is such a powerful tool for it. I feel those of us who are “creatives” carry an important responsibility to bring this gift to the world. Not to get too spiritual, but it’s hard to deny, with the incredible forms of artistic expression we have as humans, that we are all connected by something deeper, something soul-stirring. If I can even be a small part of that connection, through music, I feel like it gives me a profound sense of purpose.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Consistency, passion, uniqueness, kindness, and a strong work ethic. I truly care about my clients. While I need to be paid, I lead with the mindset that I am serving an artist or client first and foremost. I think a lot of entrepreneurs get caught up in having contracts to protect themselves, coming up with their “rate”, elaborate online marketing strategies, etc. I think those are all reasonable things to address, but none of them are as important in the creative services realm as delivering a head-turning product consistently on budget and on time. Attention to detail is also very important in my line of work. So I guess to answer the question in a less roundabout way, my marketing strategy has always been “word of mouth.” I just don’t think there’s a better substitute.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fabmusic.com
- Instagram: @regisfunk
