I recently had the honor of working with legendary jazz violinist, Berklee professor and remote recording entrepreneur Christian Howes. His site, Christian Howes String Productions, offers string recordings from solo violin to 60-piece string orchestra. Recording real strings is a process that usually requires a lot of time, money and patience. Without access to top players, it can often be frustrating when the final result doesn't match the quality you hear in Hollywood films. In many respects, the service Christian offers goes beyond remote recording - Christian's expertise means that your project isn't just being recorded, it is being produced!

I sent over the sheet music to a song written by my friend Tyler Vahldick, recent graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London (and my classmate from Branson).  Christian went above and beyond, calling me multiple times and doing a complete 2nd revision at no additional cost. What resulted is 21 layers of beautifully recorded string parts!

Spacecake - written by Tyler Vahldick, produced by John Presley, recording by Christian Howes String Productions

I highly recommend using Christian on your next string project. This really shows the possibilities for creating music around the world, using technology not just to make music faster and cheaper - but to make music that comes to life with the spirit of collaboration.  Being able to write a piece and put it in the hands of professionals makes the creation process a lot more fun!

Also, check out some of Christian's videos here...