We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jordan Stoffel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jordan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?

I don’t have a team of people, it’s just me. But yes, I’m able to work remotely, and to be honest, it’s what has kept me afloat. Using various freelance sites to get clients from all around the world has really been amazing.

One of the downsides is that since I’m getting these clients online, I’m not there for the actual recording of the music. Not being there to record and physically capture the sounds removes me from of the most important and one of my favorite stages of making music.

On the other hand, I’m able to have a much smaller setup, and I can work from my apartment when I don’t have a studio space available.

Jordan, 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’ve been into music my entire life. Since I was a little kid I’ve wanted to learn so many instruments. I’ve played (not necessarily well) Piano, Drums, Trumpet, Guitar, Bass, Cello, and Accordion. I’m not much of a performer, so my interests always leaned towards capturing sound.

At 22 years old (2012), when I was in the US Navy, I bought my first audio interface and began my recording journey by recording punk songs that I wrote on my guitar. Once my military contract ended, I was afforded the opportunity to study at The University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, IN to increase my knowledge and hone my recording skills. In addition to that, I had worked at Sweetwater, ran live sound at a local venue and was recording with local bands. Upon graduating, I moved to Nashville, TN to intern at Kingsound Studio, and the prestigious Blackbird Studio. Eventually, I started getting mixing and mastering clients online and recording out of a friend’s studio.

I’m definitely a unique case, because I move around a lot. In addition to working in various countries while traveling around Europe, I’ve worked out of Nashville, Fort Wayne, and I’ve recently relocated to Leipzig, Germany to get involved in the lively music scene here.

I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve ceaselessly continued to do what I love despite the relatively low monetary benefit, while maintaining my freedom to travel and live my life the way I want. It’s a labor of love for sure, but my clients can be assured that I’m giving my all to their project because that’s simply what drives me: Helping others make music they can be proud of.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Creating and helping others create. Music is an expression of self; the capturing and sharing of thoughts, emotions, and moments in time that will (hopefully) outlive ourselves. When I’m able to help an artist present their music to the world in a sonically pleasing way, the best reward is when it makes a listener feel something, and when it can bring people together.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Hands down, online freelance sites like Fiverr, AirGigs, and SoundBetter. It’s obviously better to get clients from word of mouth because these sites often take a substantial commission (up to 20%), but the amount of business they can bring in makes them worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stoffelrecordingco.squarespace.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanstoffelaudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stoffelrecordingco