Skill, Vibe & Value

The attention and creativity in the studio...you heard things I couldn't have ever imagined. You pulled and pushed me, but listened too, and I so value the respect you showed me. You were patient and unflappable, and ultimately, more committed to the project than I ever would have hoped for. Working with you and recording at Saga was a joy and a privilege. I was made to feel very much at home and am still discovering the joy of making a great relationship with a music-loving and music-making peer, and friend.”

For me, one of these folks is Michael Nowak at Saga Recording. There is an expression in the musician world—“he’s got big ears”—which is meant as a great compliment for the ability to hear music at a more advanced level, to hear the sound fidelity and texture, not only the notes. Michael is blessed with this gift! Many studios have all the gear and software, but not all “knob twiddlers” have the gift. He goes above and beyond the norm, because he truly cares about his end results. Thanks for the great help in getting the music out of my head and onto disc!”

He is not only a great producer, but a highly skilled audio engineer, an accomplished guitarist, and a dedicated and gifted wordsmith. Michael's guitar experience and gear helped me sculpt the best guitar tones I’ve recorded to date as a player, and his ability to introduce production and songwriting ideas while still helping us hold true to our vision for the album was a winning combination.”

I absolutely loved the process of working with Michael on my lyrics, and he helped get the most powerful and emotive vocal takes from me. In short, we could not be happier with our new album and for the wonderful experience we had working with Michael  every step of the way.”

I leave every single time with a smile on my face. He is genuine, professional, extremely fair, and a pleasure to work with. Michael is also a musician, and has a wonderfully amazing ear.”

He brings creative and original ideas to the session and lets the song dictate what needs to be done. Saga Recording has great gear, the rates are reasonable, and the sounds I get on my tunes are second-to-none. But more importantly, I trust Michael's ears—he knows his stuff. You don't get "Mr. Big Producer" attitude, you get a guy who is honest, low-key, friendly and experienced. I've had nothing but good results from Saga. Highly recommended.”

Michael is the guy! The whole package! Great attitude, ears like satellite dishes, and deeply committed to a fabulous sounding result. He has even thrown in some killer guitar work for me when necessary.”

Both the recording sessions and the final products were above and beyond my expectations; he gave great advice during the sessions and pulled the tracks together beautifully at the end. I'll never record anywhere else!”

He amazed me with his capacity to quickly and wholly grasp the nature of each one of my songs. With scrupulous ears, Michael left no attention to detail unnoticed and contributed a great deal to instrumentation and arrangement. He is personable, clearly dedicated to the music, and prepared to get the best results. ”

His expertise and calm, encouraging manner make for a positive, stress-free recording environment. I thoroughly enjoy working with Michael, have sent many of my students in his direction and will continue to do so!”

Saga Recording was an excellent choice for my needs. The professional attitude and ability to choose the right microphone for my vocals enabled me to produce the best results.”

Michael was patient, knowledgeable and provided guidance and advice on my project. He is the type of person who will spend the extra time and energy on the little details to make sure that it gets done right. Thank you for the awesome job.”

He has a gift for bringing out the best performances from the artists he records with, and as a vocalist, that's everything. I'm thrilled with how my songs sound, and I recommend Saga Recording without hesitation to any singer-songwriter seriously pursuing a career in music.”

For an independent musician, when it comes to the technical side of the creative process you need a good, patient “partner.” Someone who can give a few pointers, shed some light, and bring in ideas every step of the way while making an album. I'd like to recommend Michael to artists who are looking for such a partner. All my songs are written in a foreign language to him, and yet he amazed me by how he could comprehend the emotions so well! He's got more than good ears!”

He has a deep knowledge of music and a great instinct for what works and doesn't work. What I appreciated the most was his integrity and his ability to get the best possible performance out of me. Michael really is the whole package from engineering to producing to mastering!”

Michael's production feedback and suggestions were very helpful and the finished product sounds better than I thought it would. He did a fantastic job. I've already started doing another recording project and I didn't even consider going anywhere else to do it.”

He has a great ear for detail and is very easy to work with, I couldn't be happier with the final product.”

You did a most awesome job in every way...the recording, the bass (rock on!) and guitar parts, the synth parts...all the technical/musical aspects! Plus it was a pleasure working with you. I felt at ease with you immediately and found that all the input you offered was valuable and well thought-out. Thanks for all you did — I’m so happy with the results.”

You really understand that songs are stories we've lived. Thanks for your skill in bringing the stories to life, for your vision and musical ideas, and for your gentle reminders that less can be more. The whole project happened with ease and fun and I learned a tremendous amount from you. I'm thrilled with the result.”

I don't think you could have done any better on the demo. That whole feel is really hard to pull off. Nailed it all the way down.”

With his knowledge and incredible musical talent, Michael was able to fine tune my songs and sound with sometimes the slightest of suggestions. He has the ability to hear what needs to be added or taken away in order to make the artist sound true.

He was often complimentary without being patronizing. And the tracks came out sounding great! Super clean and cozy warm. I live in Texas but someday I hope to travel back to Vancouver just to record with him again. Thanks, Michael!

He really worked with us to bring out the best in our music. We were very pleased with the way it came out, and we'll be back for sure.”

The recording was a success and it's completely due to the demo that I was even considered. Thanks tons.”

He really took the time to cater to my needs, and his recording skills are impressive. His passion for music really shines in his work. I'm totally confident and trust Michael when he says he will deliver a quality product. Thanks for the great experience and I can't wait to get back there in the studio.”

I am so glad I found Michael Nowak at Saga Recording — he confidently and masterfully led me through each step of my first professional demo. I walked in with a vocal-only song on tape and walked away with a demo that I am proud to shop around. Michael is a great person to work with because he is easy-going, intuitive and a great listener.”

He is easy to work with and a very gifted musician, producer and arranger who also is able to encourage me as a developing artist so I can achieve my goals in my recording projects. I wholeheartedly recommend working with him.”