Logo
horatiuromantic.com
:)

Production

I'm a music producer! I specialize in producing songwriters and intimate recordings, in my home studio in Copenhagen since 2022.

Here I also compose, arrange, record electric piano, acoustic guitar and backing vocals, mixing, and mastering. I've done it for all of my music so far, as well as a few collaborations. Listen below for samples of my work.

Picture from the studio

Samples - songwriters

These are some collaborations of gentle productions for a songwriter on guitar and/or piano.

Christa Wolf - Lullaby
Christa Wolf - Make Love Not War
Horatiu Roman - I won't be home for Xmas

Samples - band stuff

I also have some experience producing band stuff - with drums, bass, the works. This can get a little bit more elaborate. Here are some examples with digital drums.

Horatiu Roman - I'll think of you as I cough and moan
Horatiu Roman - She's talking to another man on the phone

About my setup

In 2022 I started producing my own songs. I built a home studio, and recorded over 100 songs since then. I've received some very nice reviews from fans and fellow musicians, and I intend to continue making hundreds more.

I invested in studio monitors (Neumann KH80) and a Røde NT2-A condenser mic, a Shure SM58 vocal mic, a Universal Audio Volt 476 audio interface with 4 inputs acting as my mixer. It's a minimalist setup but it can make a good performance shine, especially with a careful treatment using the following production stack.

I use my 20kg keyboard - Studiologic SL88 Grand with pristine heavy action, and UAD Spark plugins for access to a beautiful digital acoustic grand, electric piano, Minimoog clone, and analog replicas of classic studio plugins such as the LA-2A, 1176, Fairchild 660/670 compressors, Neve 1073 preamp, the EMT 140 plate reverb and Capitol Chambers reverb, the Studer A800 tape machine, and Tape Echo, among others. I have used them live and in the studio, and I approach the full process with a minimalist philosophy - but often go maximalist when needed, with thick piano harmonies and runs, and elaborate arrangements, for intense and wacky projects.

To put even more words on it, I am inspired by the sounds of the 60s and 70s, when I believe some of the best records of all time were made, both in terms of their performances but also their sound - from Woodstock era singer-songwriters to psychedelic rock and jazz fusion and more. I bring back this spirit with a contemporary and experimental flair, pulling inspiration from the improvised avantgarde music scene, as well as classic rock, jazz from all eras, hiphop beats, funk grooves, orchestral scoring and videogame music and the dirtiest contemporary funk.

Case study - working with Christa

In April 2025, I produced two songs for my first client, the wonderful Christa Wolf, who approached me after having worked with other producers and looking for something new.

Her music is gentle and calming, but powerful in its intention to spread love and peace, so I was very happy to produce it. Our collaboration was smooth, with good communication and a healthy mix of creative freedom for me and artistic direction from her. I love her songs because their message resonates with me - the world needs more love and calm, more togetherness and understanding among each other in spite of, and thanks to, our differences, and more dreamers to believe in this pursuit, and I aimed to reflect this in the arrangements.

For both songs, I recorded Christa's performances on the Røde NT2-A, capturing both the vocals and the guitar in one take, without a metronome, because I wanted to maintain the authenticity of the performance, and capture the emotion that Christa is able to convey with her playing, as I heard it and was touched by it myself live.

I'll put up a video of the making-of of both songs below - when it's finished... For now here is the video reel of our other project, Songs & Stories.

The production process

For "Make Love Not War", I arranged and recorded the piano and backing vocals myself, as well as recorded Anja Majbritt who contributed backing vocals as well. I also recorded a choir made of the audience of fans and fellow songwriters, at the Copenhagen Listening Room, a local open mic that hosts songwriters every Sunday, where I spent a lot of time with Christa over the months. We recorded this choir in order to lift the final crescendo of the song to new heights and add a real sense of togetherness - because that's exactly what happened - and the results speak for themselves!

For "Lullaby", I recorded electric piano in the background of the guitar, in order to bring it even closer to the listener and create that sense of warmth and intimacy needed for the song. I used samples of rainfall and percussion to create atmosphere and punctuate certain sections, and came up with a minimalist acoustic piano line to accentuate the chorus. The song is already excellent with guitar and voice alone, so my goal was to support it and to use only the essential additions to communicate the story.

The recording process took 2 days of recording and about 4 days of work on the arrangements, production and mastering. It aligns perfectly with the estimation I made at the beginning of the process, but it is important to keep in mind that every project is different in terms of its requirements and process, although the general outlines are the same.

Rates, offers

My rates are affordable, since I have a semi-professional setup. Let's scope it together to find a balance between your budget and ambitions.

I have access to various resources and a rich local musicians network, if we need to record drums or other instruments, or a choir or the like. It all comes at a price, but magic happens when nice people come together so I hope we get to crank those ambitions to a high level!

Let me know your thoughts!

Contact

If you are interested in a quote, a collaboration, or hearing more about the process, feel free to drop me a message!

*Required fields