Daniel has experience in recording and producing in several different genres including Rock, Pop, Gospel, Electronic, Celtic, and Jazz. Daniel's main goal is to make great music no matter what the genre, and guide the artist to the best recording that they're capable of.
The Producer
By Annie Angell and Kate Davenport
Get Out Magazine, September 2005
“I want this for them [his clients], because this is what I wanted for myself, it is that everybody who leaves here has something that they can play to their grandkids and be really proud of.” This passion and understanding of music is a huge part of the reason that Daniel, owner and producer for Telekon Studios, is THE PRODUCER.
“I want to give them the closest experience that they can have to being a nationally signed band and having an unlimited budget and being able to spend as much time in the studio. I’ve worked in some of the bigger studios in town…I have seen a lot of bad recordings come out of $100 an hour studios. Where the band had spent $1,000’s of dollars and is really unhappy with what they took home…The technology gap is so small now. It’s not like it used to be 15 years ago where you could only go to a big studio to get a good sound. More bands are going to studios that are more modest size and spending a lot less with an engineer who is giving them a personal experience,” Willett says. He says it in a way that you know that he’s being real. He’s the kind of guy who looks you in the eyes when he talks to you, radiates enthusiasm, and never comes off as the salesman he claims to have once been.
Known for the comfortable vibe provided during recording and amazing end results, Daniel has gone from recording and mixing on 4 track cassettes ten years ago for himself and friends, to becoming a successful and well respected producer here in Arizona. His philosophy is based around his feeling that you should work with musicians whose music you understand and are truly a fan of.
This attitude is one of the reasons that he has catapulted to a higher status than many producers in Arizona, “…we actually do turn down projects…because that’s important to us that we are working on things that we care about because it will be better for them and better for us…” He feels that being a good producer means knowing what a song needs and how to bring out even strong projects if he doesn’t feel that he identifies enough with them to truly do the artist and the album justice.
The creativity behind the music is much derived from his love of the current music trends that seem to be surfacing such as the resurgence of 80’s inspired sounds and the modern phases of indie rock. “My concept is to use old analog sounds in today’s digital world.”
All told, it is an environment that nurtures creativity and ambition. Daniel is consistently putting in the extra effort to guide bands to the best recording they are capable of, while maintaining the integrity of the band’s sound and where they are with their music.
Daniel Willett, Telekon Studios owner, and chief engineer, has been recording bands and artists since he started in 1995 with a cassette four-track recorder. He earned a formal education at Mesa Community College from 1998 – 2000. Since then Daniel has become a successful and well respected Producer / Engineer here in Arizona.