Steve Perrino

is a Cleveland based Producer & Audio Engineer who is now a part of the Bad Racket team. He wrote up this article explaining his experience, philosophy, and style as a producer:

My Experience:

First and foremost I am a musician. I play in the Cleveland bands Envoi and Bygone Days, and I have been playing in bands for almost a decade now. Being an active musician has helped me understand the perspective of my clients. I know exactly what it’s like to be on the other side of the recording console, and I know what you need to make you feel comfortable, relaxed, and inspired.
I initially began recording in order to record demos of my own bands. After I had the chance to record some friends, I interned at a few studios in the area and really started to expand my skills. I am a self-taught audio Engineer, but I am confident that I have gained a great deal of knowledge and skill simply through experience and constant personal research. As of late, I have developed a specialty in mainstream genres such as Pop-Punk, Rock and Metal, and I’ve had the pleasure of recording many great bands in the Cleveland area.

My Philosophy:

Recording tools such as high-end microphones and mixing consoles are highly glorified, and for good reason; there is value in their frequency response, character, gain, etc. They are all important parameters for getting a well balanced and big-sounding mix. With that being said, even with thousands of dollars worth of microphones, they are only going to document the given performance. Therefore my philosophy is that the top priority in a recording session is getting the perfect take.
Obviously, I am not trying to say that high-end recording tools are irrelevant. They are very important for capturing an accurate representation of your performance. But I want to work with artists and make sure every part of every song has the best, strongest, and most confident takes possible. Over the years this has been my primary approach and it has definitely proven itself to be very effective. Confident takes are the foundation of a high quality recording.

My Style:

I have a very modern approach as an Audio Engineer. I love to record instrument-by-instrument, part-by-part. This ensures every section of the song has undivided attention and will be recorded as perfectly as possible. I’ve also found this sparks creativity and enhances the arrangement of the song at times. After the core of the music has been recorded, I like to sit back with the band and listen through each song to listen to what I call “void spaces”, or places that could use something more. This makes sure every song captures the listener’s attention from beginning to end! My goal is to use our time together to create, not just record.

I am very excited to be a part of the Bad Racket team as an Audio Engineer. Check out my portfolio by clicking the link below!