TESTIMONIALS
“My wife and I have been a two person company for several years. Trying to do everything – and not having the knowledge on how to do it – made our lives very difficult. There’s just too much to know. Too much to do. When we found Tony we breathed a huge sigh of relief. No longer will we be putting in days, weeks and years doing things we weren’t quite sure were right. Now everything is falling into place, one step following another.
And we’re having fun!
We had seen many marketing experts in the past few years and things didn’t really work out and in working with Tony we realized that the big difference is that he is an artist with decades of experience in our own business, so we speak the same language and all his advice is directly relevant to exactly what we need.
But all of his expertise wouldn’t have been enough for us if he was someone who was difficult to get along with. Tony is the perfect match. His patience (and with us he really needs it), his sense of humor, and his general “good guy-ness” makes working with him a pleasure. I’m not exaggerating when I say that we’ve gone from banging our heads against a wall to really having fun playing the game!
Tony, we can’t thank you enough.“
Neal Fox
“Tony Rockliff has an uncanny ability to get the very best out of an artist, and the reason for this is simple: Aside from being a master Technician, he is, himself, an extraordinary Artist.
As Producer, Engineer, Consultant and Musician, Tony is a consummate professional. I consider working with him to be one of my greatest pleasures.
The other thing that sets him apart, is that he cares. And THAT, in this ‘me, me, me’ world is a rarity, indeed.”
David Pomeranz
“I noticed from the beginning of the album and throughout, the great deference you gave to the words. Though the arrangements and the mix became increasingly exquisite, there was never a point where you were in danger of burying the poetry of the lyrics, which indicated that you were at one with the spirit of the work. What I did for Bettina and Tom, by entering into their lives and bringing out exact duplicates, you did for me, and transitively for them, by your scrupulous respect for the material. You duplicated my intention and the spirit of River Oak.
At one point I found myself pulling the flannel shirt closed and buttoning it, not because it was chilly in the house, but because of the frisson of chills that kept recurring as I listened. Greg (Smith) was this mischievous spirit that kept flitting about kissing the the music in every sweet spot. I felt great friendship for him, as I do for you.
When it was over I walked out, stunned, into the library/guest room, where Lavada was packing for our drive to Savannah later today. She looked up and saw me…saw the state I was in, and asked, “Well, how was it?”
It was then I broke into tears.
Then I played it for her and at the end she opened her eyes and her first words were, “It’s like a play. It feels like a play, a stage production.” I was glad to hear that. Your and Greg’s sense of the dramatic arc are the cause.
She was blown away, as I was.
The album is just perfect the way it is. I keep hearing things, like the woodwinds on When Love Lives a Life, that are staggering in beauty.
I have a strange ambivalence about your moving on to the next project without me. I am both jealous and anxious for you to be on your way, living your magic in the lives of other hopeful songwriters and artists.
Merry Christmas Tony, my dear friend, and thank you so much for this fine work which is so good as to be stunning.”
Tony Baker
“I’ve worked with a number of producers and now I simply don’t want to work with any other producer than Tony. I’ve never before found a producer who so exactly duplicated my vision and who also was able to co-enhance it with me. Tony suggested and added great ideas and sounds that really brought my recordings to life.
I often tell the story of when I had just finished playing a nylon-string guitar part and went outside to have a cigarette and came back in and said, “Wouldn’t it be wild to put tremolo and a distant reverb on the guitar, kind of like in Spaghetti Westerns?” and Tony said, “You mean like this?” – he had already done it while I was having my cigarette! “Plus the recording sessions were also always great fun and it was obvious to me how much Tony enjoyed my music and that also made a difference.”
Sam MacTaggart
“I couldn’t be more satisfied with my experience working with Tony Rockliff. He is a pure joy to work with. He makes a genuine effort in understanding an artist’s vision of what they want their music to portray, and has a great talent in creating exactly that. There were times when he knew exactly the kind of feel I wanted for a song before I even verbalized it to him. I feel he really brought out the best in my music, and helped me to create a product that I am extremely proud of.
He also took my songs to the level that I really wanted them to be even when I hadn’t previously fully realized that that was where I wanted them to be. As a producer…Tony has a great ear, a great passion and drive to create good music, and a great big heart that really shines through the music he produces. Working with Tony has left me inspired, and I look forward to future projects with him.”
Stephanie Anderson
“My experience with Tony Rockliff has been superb; we as artists work with waves, sounds, feelings, vibes, perceptions, etc. Music is an abstract form and between the mind and the world there is a whole walk to be walked. When I worked with Tony I found not only a mentor, but a well-versed and versatile man who helped me transform my ideas into sounds.
“But not only some ideas, I mean THE IDEAS. I believe that when it comes to producing one must absolutely have the right people around, because the ability to capture ideas fast, and in the moment, the flow of communication necessary for those ideas to be prominent, adequate, and just right, is extremely important.
“This is priceless, this is what helps define and craft music, it is in those moments that matter when having the right words said to you, or someone catching your idea and perceiving your vibe, making the whole creative and production process so effortless, helping you flow your sound out, that we either do art, or just another song.
“Tony is that man. His fluidity and craftsmanship are without compare and working with him has always been a pleasure and may I say a luxury. We may find many producers and sound engineers in the industry, that’s for sure, but it is not the craft of the man that makes the difference, it’s the man himself. That’s Tony Rockliff.”
Jessy Leros
“If you have ever recorded an album before, you know that it becomes the very thing you live and breathe for during the time it takes to complete the project. You put your heart and soul and very self into every lyric, note and arrangement. It is a mission, a vision, and you can hear it from within. When something is this passion-driven, it is imperative that there is someone who can share that passion and care enough to help you to achieve that dream.
Tony Rockliff is a man of few words, but what he does say, and what he knows and can do in the studio, is not only exactly what an artist NEEDS, it goes above and beyond what you might receive in any other given production company.
Tony is always professional, and honest, so you KNOW when something’s good, it’s GOOD! On the flip side, you can be absolutely sure that if it’s less than desirable, Tony will, quite nicely, voice his expert opinion and work with you until it’s right.
And that is what every songwriter/musician/performer must have. A set of honest ears, and someone who does truly care about the finished product. I can’t tell you how many extra hours he must have put into my album.
We worked on it together and produced an album that I am proud of and can’t wait for the world to hear!
I am so thankful that I was led to Tony, and his wealth of knowledge, musician contacts, state of the art equipment, and downright dedication."
Erica DiCeglie
“Working with Tony at his studio was truly an amazing experience. Laid back, not stressful, and just downright fun! Tony Rockliff cared more about my perspective as an artist than what the business perspective was, and was always willing to go along with my crazy recording ideas no matter how weird or off the wall they were.
Not only was I able to record a truly professional and amazing album, I was also able to learn a lot about the behind the scenes recording process as well. Tony has an amazing insight into the whole recording process and was not afraid to share that with me throughout the recording of my album.
He was able to offer me advice in spots where as an artist I was struggling with certain musical passages and couldn’t decide what I wanted to do with it. I plan on recording another album in a year or so and I plan to record that album with Tony Rockliff Productions.”
Andrew Baraban
“I have been playing drums for over forty five years and I have experienced the great, near great and the ridiculous as far as recording techs go. Until last March, 2008 I had never experienced a man who had ever gotten involved as deeply into any of my projects and honestly as Tony Rockliff did and still does.
When I was down about something going on in the recording; he and I went over it and over it until there was a feeling of total satisfaction with that current effort. This approach was used on all nine tracks of “SPONTANEITY “ which is receiving nice reviews worldwide as a well-produced jazz CD.
“I brought what I thought was a great idea for a CD and Tony helped me make it exactly what I asked for. “Good production comes from the best Producer/Engineer…………………use Tony Rockliff; you won’t regret it.“
Don Capone
“I had a CD I recorded a couple of years ago containing a bunch of my instrumental guitar originals. I had a lot of personal hoopla on it when I 1st did it and I managed to “hawk” about 60 or so of them to my friends and acquaintances in a somewhat enforced manner. Then the wind went out of my sails on it and I lost interest in pushing it and really didn’t know what to do next to get it to the next level.
“Enter master sound engineer/music industry pro Tony Rockliff. He initially said the exact things to get me re-inspired to do something further with the CD. The first quest was to really master it (I had done a fairly good job at mixing it on my home system but I had no idea really of the mastering process).
“Wow! What a difference having it mastered in the hands of a world class pro like Tony. He is a blur of tools on his computer that look largely like Martian to me and he works in a whir of skilled action as he does delicate surgery on your music. But he’s with you on each step, checking if you are happy with each result of the mastering process. And boy! What a difference!
“Each piece just came to life. I am newly inspired to get my CD into the hands of many. I additionally attended a seminar Tony did on marketing your CD which was incredible and gave me the exact tools to get my music out there and really selling. If you have music to be recorded, mixed or mastered or need help on how to actually go to the next level in getting your music out there, Tony is definitely your man. Look him up and go to work, you won’t regret it in the least.”
Greg Smith