Today we’d like to introduce you to Tristan Roberts.
Hi Tristan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always had something in me that has wanted to make and be around music. I would pick up instruments and always make an attempt to play them even at the youngest ages. I spent most of my time messing around with instruments and learning about other artists and how they made their music. Then I found a couple of websites where I could build loops and make songs out of them. However, I hated that I couldn’t create my own loops and create my own music from scratch. My parents let me know that not only could I record music and create my own, but there was a whole career path dedicated to that I could choose. I started producing and recording myself, my friends, and anyone who would come and record. I took lessons in my DAW of choice Pro Tools and I was off.
I produced my first artist at 14 and had been working since then. I wasn’t quite ready to go into the world after high school to be thrown to the wolves and to figure out what to do and it was always a plan to go to college no matter what it was for. I went to MTSU for Audio Production, which ultimately led to me getting the current salaried position I have now for the artist Jelly Roll. I had a crazy opportunity pop up that I felt I wasn’t even qualified for. I applied and they called 9 people before me and no one answered the one. So I hopped up and interviewed with them an hour later and the rest is history. I not only do work for Jelly Roll from time to time but I also work with many artists outside of that position in my own home studio and rent out other studios when necessary and the artist’s budget allows.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. College was hard and I found that I set down a lot of what I was doing on the audio engineering and production side of things to focus on my double minor. Computer Science and Electronics. I ultimately dropped the two realizing that I was spending way too much time doing that and not enough time doing what I loved to do. I got special permission during my final year in college to put myself in multiple studio courses that were supposed to only be taken one at a time in order to graduate with my scholarships. This led to me being in the studio for over 50 hours a week for my own sessions and then I would also spend time in the studio with my peers and friends just to watch and see if anyone was doing anything cool. During that period I also worked 20-25hours a week at a part-time job to feed myself. During college I found myself battling a few different things and having a couple of different mental breakdowns due to overloaded courses and not being able to afford to feed myself without help from family. On top of all of this, I was also dealing with the lingering thought of my mother, who had been diagnosed with colon cancer when I was 16. She was getting frailer and frailer every time I got to see her. This leads me to the largest struggle I have ever had to deal with.
On May 18th, 2020 my mother passed away. I had never experienced anything like it. I spiraled down a path that was counterproductive to my goals and to my relationships with friends, family, and my fiancé. I spent two years just fighting that I was even depressed or that it was the loss of my mother. I thought something was wrong with me.
Everything in my life felt wrong and negative, I lost all motivation and will to do anything at all. Music can be a hard thing to be a part of and to create when your head isn’t right. I ended up delaying a project I was working on because of this for over a year working on an album. I started therapy, which helped, but I couldn’t afford it long-term. Over the last year, I have begun to cope more and have been focusing on enjoying the smaller things and trying to live in the moment. I have gotten my motivation back and my business has started to grow again. There is a lot of pain that has occurred in the last 3 years, but it has really allowed me to see the other side of things. I have found empathy, and I have become more self-aware. I have become stronger and have experienced much. I always say to appreciate the highs; we have to succumb to the lows.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a producer and engineer first in foremost. I do everything AFTER the song has been written. The first demo recording all the way through to mastering the project. I don’t prefer to do this with one song from beginning to end just because it is so much better to have multiple ears and people involved in projects, but the skills are there to do so. I had specialized in recording, for the most part, for the last 8-10 years but for the last 4 of that, I have been asking for more Mixing and Mastering work than anything. I enjoy it the most out of all of them because so many artists have poor mixing as their downfall or the reason that their songs aren’t at the level they want them to be.
Good mixing can make or break a song.
It is really hard to say what I am most proud of… I am proud of just about every artist I work with and just about every song equally, but I will say that I never even considered getting a gold and platinum record delivered to me. I celebrate every RIAA-certified Gold and Platinum record I receive, which are a few now. It is such an incredible feeling to have not only the credit but the acknowledgment which is so incredibly hard for engineers to get in this industry.
I think what has always set me apart from other engineers and producers is that I am utterly genuine and authentic and I pride myself on that. This means I won’t lie to you. If I can’t find the words for my opinion then I either won’t say it or ill think about it or get back to you. I don’t want to BS anyone. I think we would all get farther in the world if we were a little more real with each other.
What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future are all growth. I want to work with more artists. I want to work in different genres. I want to build several studio locations that I can work out of as well as rent out as my own businesses.
The biggest change I am looking forward to is getting married on May 7th. It has been a long time coming. As far as my music business goes I am just looking forward to each and every day. No huge changes are on the way just yet, but I have what I want to do in mind and I am inching toward these goals each and every day.
Pricing:
- Recording – $75 an hour
- Mixing – $350 a song
- Mastering – $100 a song
- Production Varies
Contact Info:
- Website: tristanrobertsaudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tristantroberts/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tristantrobertsofficial
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tristantroberts
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tristantroberts
