Paul Moak
Encyclopedia
Paul Moak is an American producer
, engineer
, mixer
, songwriter
, and multi-instrumentalist
currently residing in Nashville, TN
.
on July 8, 1979. He learned music at a young age and began touring and recording with artists
soon after, primarily as a session guitarist but performing on other instruments as well.
Over the years, Paul began to transition to the roles of producer
, engineer
, and mixer
. He moved to Nashville, TN in 1998, where he had his first private studio.
In early 2004, Paul opened "The Smoakstack" in Nashville with Will Sayles, a 1,760 square-foot recording facility consisting of three tracking rooms and a control room, as well as a lounge, kitchen, and bathroom. The studio used Protools HD 7, with twenty-four inputs/outputs and API/Neve sidecars. Outboard gear consisted of Telefunken, Altec, Neve, dbx, and Ampex
equipment.
In 2009, Paul moved his studio to the former Platinum Labs facility in Nashville, re-opening it under the name, "The Smoakstack".
Paul has produced, engineered, performed on, and written songs that have been featured on TV shows such as One Tree Hill
, Private Practice, and Pretty Little Liars
.
Some of Paul's credits
include Mat Kearney
, Third Day
, The Blind Boys of Alabama
, Martha Wainwright
, Monroe/Dabbs
, Lovedrug
, Jennifer Knapp
, Matthew Mayfield
, Griffin House
, Madi Diaz, and many others.
On October 19, 2010, multi-platinum
recording artists Third Day
released their tenth studio album, Move
, which Paul produced. This album debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200
and #3 on Billboard's Rock Albums chart
, marking Paul’s highest-charting album to date. As of August 31, 2011, Move had sold more than 250,000 physical copies.
area of Nashville in 2009, Paul re-opened The Smoakstack at the former Platinum Labs facility, a 3,000 square-foot recording facility designed by recording engineer and studio designer Chris Huston
(The Who
, Led Zeppelin
, Todd Rundgren
, Patti LaBelle
). The control room monitoring was designed and tuned by Carl Tatz using his Phantom Focus System.
The Smoakstack comprises a Live Room
(25' x 30' with 20' ceilings), Control Room
(22' x 20'), four (4) isolation booths, and a piano room.
The console used is an SSL 4056G+ with Ultimation and Total Recall
, with recording capabilities via Protools 8 HD3 40 Input/56 Output
, UAD-2 Quad card with all UAD Plug-ins
, MCI JH24 16-track machine
, Alesis Masterlink
, and Tascam CDR
.
A complete list of gear available at The Smoakstack can be found here.
for Paul Moak. A complete discography is available for download here.
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, mixer
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
currently residing in Nashville, TN
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Biography
Paul Greer Moak, III was born in Jackson, MSJackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
on July 8, 1979. He learned music at a young age and began touring and recording with artists
Music artist (occupation)
A music artist is an individual that creates and releases music through a record label or independently. Working as a music artist requires an immense amount mental and physical conditioning as music artist live very erratic, nomadic, taxing lifestyles...
soon after, primarily as a session guitarist but performing on other instruments as well.
Over the years, Paul began to transition to the roles of producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, and mixer
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
. He moved to Nashville, TN in 1998, where he had his first private studio.
In early 2004, Paul opened "The Smoakstack" in Nashville with Will Sayles, a 1,760 square-foot recording facility consisting of three tracking rooms and a control room, as well as a lounge, kitchen, and bathroom. The studio used Protools HD 7, with twenty-four inputs/outputs and API/Neve sidecars. Outboard gear consisted of Telefunken, Altec, Neve, dbx, and Ampex
Ampex
Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff. The name AMPEX is an acronym, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence...
equipment.
In 2009, Paul moved his studio to the former Platinum Labs facility in Nashville, re-opening it under the name, "The Smoakstack".
Paul has produced, engineered, performed on, and written songs that have been featured on TV shows such as One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
, Private Practice, and Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars is a series of more than 10 young adult novels by Sara Shepard, from 1981–present, which have been made into a television show . The series follows the lives of four girls — Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily — whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their leader,...
.
Some of Paul's credits
Credit (creative arts)
In general, the term credit in the artistic or intellectual sense refers to an acknowledgement of those who contributed to a work, whether through ideas or in a more direct sense.-Credit in the arts:...
include Mat Kearney
Mat Kearney
Mathew William "Mat" Kearney is an American musician born in Eugene, Oregon, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Kearney has received critical acclaim and widespread recognition for his Columbia Records debut, Nothing Left to Lose. So far, he has a total of four top 20 hits on the Adult Top 40...
, Third Day
Third Day
Third Day is a Grammy award-winning Christian rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia during the 1990s. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee and former member Billy Wilkins. The other band members are bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr...
, The Blind Boys of Alabama
The Blind Boys of Alabama
The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel group from Alabama that first formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind at Talladega, Alabama in 1939. The three main vocalists of the group and their drummer/percussionist are all blind....
, Martha Wainwright
Martha Wainwright
Martha Wainwright is a Canadian-American folk-rock singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of American folk singer and actor Loudon Wainwright III and Canadian folk singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle...
, Monroe/Dabbs
Ashley Monroe
Ashley Monroe is an American country music singer-songwriter. She has released two solo singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The singles "Satisfied" and "I Don't Want To" reached #43 and #37, respectively...
, Lovedrug
Lovedrug
Lovedrug is an indie rock band from Canton, Ohio that formed in 2001. The band’s name is something of a word play; singer Michael Shepard initially left music to attend film school but his first ‘love’ of the music medium ‘dragged’ him back .- History :Lovedrug released their first EP, the...
, Jennifer Knapp
Jennifer Knapp
Jennifer Lynn Knapp is an American-Australian folk rock, and formerly contemporary Christian musician. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her debut album Kansas , and the song "A Little More" from her Grammy Award-nominated album Lay It Down . The Way I Am , was also nominated...
, Matthew Mayfield
Matthew Mayfield
Matthew Mayfield is an American singer-songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama. Originally the lead singer in the group Moses Mayfield, which disbanded in 2008, Matthew has moved on to a solo career...
, Griffin House
Griffin House
Griffin House was born and raised in Springfield, Ohio. His father worked in a tire shop and his mother helped place children with foster families. In high school, the athletically-gifted House landed a role in a musical and was surprised to learn that he had a natural talent for singing...
, Madi Diaz, and many others.
On October 19, 2010, multi-platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
recording artists Third Day
Third Day
Third Day is a Grammy award-winning Christian rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia during the 1990s. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee and former member Billy Wilkins. The other band members are bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr...
released their tenth studio album, Move
Move (Third Day album)
Move is the tenth studio album by the Christian rock band Third Day, released on October 19, 2010. The lead single to the album, "Lift Up Your Face", was released to radio in July; it has currently peaked at No...
, which Paul produced. This album debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and #3 on Billboard's Rock Albums chart
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
, marking Paul’s highest-charting album to date. As of August 31, 2011, Move had sold more than 250,000 physical copies.
The Smoakstack
Relocating his studio to the Berry HillBerry Hill, Tennessee
Berry Hill is a city in Davidson County, Tennessee, United States. According to the 2000 census, the city had a population of 674.-History:Much of the area of Berry Hill was originally owned by William Tyler Berry and his descendants. Berry died in 1889....
area of Nashville in 2009, Paul re-opened The Smoakstack at the former Platinum Labs facility, a 3,000 square-foot recording facility designed by recording engineer and studio designer Chris Huston
Chris Huston
Christopher J 'Chris' Huston is a British born record engineer and guitarist.Huston arrived in Wallasey, near Liverpool, toward the end of World War II from an orphanage in North Wales...
(The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
, Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
). The control room monitoring was designed and tuned by Carl Tatz using his Phantom Focus System.
The Smoakstack comprises a Live Room
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
(25' x 30' with 20' ceilings), Control Room
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
(22' x 20'), four (4) isolation booths, and a piano room.
The console used is an SSL 4056G+ with Ultimation and Total Recall
Solid State Logic
Solid State Logic is a manufacturer of high-end mixing consoles and recording studio hardware headquartered in Begbroke, Oxfordshire, UK.- Company information :...
, with recording capabilities via Protools 8 HD3 40 Input/56 Output
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
, UAD-2 Quad card with all UAD Plug-ins
Universal Audio (company)
Universal Audio is a designer and manufacturer of audio signal processing hardware and software founded in 1958. The current incarnation of the company was re-established in 1999 by brothers Jim Putnam and Bill Putnam, Jr., sons of the original founder Bill Putnam...
, MCI JH24 16-track machine
Music Center Incorporated
Music Center Incorporated is the former name of a United States manufacturer of professional audio equipment that operated from 1955 till 1982 when it was acquired by the Sony Corporation...
, Alesis Masterlink
Alesis
Alesis is a company based in Cumberland, Rhode Island, that designs and markets electronic musical instruments, digital audio processors, audio mixers, digital audio interfaces, recording equipment, drum machines, professional audio and electronic percussion products...
, and Tascam CDR
TASCAM
TASCAM is the professional audio division of TEAC Corporation, headquartered in Montebello, California. Tascam is credited as the inventor of the Portastudio, the first cassette-based multi-track home studio recorders. Tascam also introduced the first low-cost mass produced multitrack recorders...
.
A complete list of gear available at The Smoakstack can be found here.
Discography (selected)
Below is a selected discographyDiscography
Discography is the study and listing of the details concerning sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified musical genres...
for Paul Moak. A complete discography is available for download here.
- Jennifer KnappJennifer KnappJennifer Lynn Knapp is an American-Australian folk rock, and formerly contemporary Christian musician. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her debut album Kansas , and the song "A Little More" from her Grammy Award-nominated album Lay It Down . The Way I Am , was also nominated...
- Letting Go (Greylin Records) - LovedrugLovedrugLovedrug is an indie rock band from Canton, Ohio that formed in 2001. The band’s name is something of a word play; singer Michael Shepard initially left music to attend film school but his first ‘love’ of the music medium ‘dragged’ him back .- History :Lovedrug released their first EP, the...
- title TBA (Independent) - Matt Kearney - Nothing Left To Lose (Sony)
- SeabirdSeabirdSeabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
- Rocks Into Rivers (BMI CMG); The Silent Night (EP (BMI CMG) - Third DayThird DayThird Day is a Grammy award-winning Christian rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia during the 1990s. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee and former member Billy Wilkins. The other band members are bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr...
- Move (Provident/Sony)
Current
- The Smoakstack (Nashville, TN): 2009-Present (Owner)
Past
- Ocean Way Studios (Nashville, TN)
- Abbey Road (London, UK)
- Blackbird Studios (Nashville, TN)
- The Hit FactoryThe Hit FactoryThe Hit Factory was a recording studio in New York City famous for its clientele. It was officially closed for business April 1, 2005 whereas other Hit Factory studio locations remained open, such as in Miami, Florida.-History:...
(New York, NY)