Audio Samples
John Seidel, Catspaw Audio Arts' s owner and chief engineer, has worked in practically every facet of music production over the last twenty-five years. Below are examples from his varied portfolio, including tracking (live and in-studio), mixing and mastering for Second Acts, a Louisville jazz quartet, Center’s Edge, another jazz trio from Boulder, audio sweetening for Boulder singer-songwriter Chris Bosch, tracking and mixing for the Wheat Ridge HS Singers Choir, and several of John's original compositions, which range from string quartets to jazz cuts.
Engineering & Production
Second Acts (Live to two-track)
These tracks were recorded direct to stereo at two different live, outdoor gigs. Both tunes were mastered “in-the-box,” meaning, completely on computer.
Second Acts (Studio)
Here are some pics of the recording session in progress:
Center’s Edge
John recorded and mixed these pieces in the mid-1990s while he was the keyboardist for Center’s Edge, a Boulder Jazz Trio. All were recorded live to 8-track and then mixed to stereo, just as they were at gigs. Consisting of piano, electric guitar / guitar synth and percussion (but no kit), the group routinely stretched jazz standards from their easily-recognized form to far out and free characatures of that form, sometimes returning to the original form, and sometimes sliding into a whole new piece. Although these cuts are longer than others on this site, they highlight the group’s imagination and John’s ability as an engineer and producer.
Compositions
We put these links in to show you what else Catspaw can do besides audio engineering. The first four are John’s compositions, ranging from jazz to a string quartet. Of these, “Writer’s Block” won a Utah Composer’s Guild “Best Jazz Composition” award and was the title track for a CU student film of the same name. These cuts reflect rich harmonies, lyrical melodies, and intriguing grooves.
Audio Sweetening
Check out “Any Other Thing,” a track by local singer/songwriter Chris Bosch, to which Catspaw added drums, percussion, piano and cello. Compare the original version with the Catspaw version. Together they demonstrate our ability to add “that certain something” to your compositions.