About Me
Recording, Mixing, Mastering and Artist Management/Consulting Services
“I’ve been working with Martin Stansbury since 2008, when he engineered and produced Crow Coyote Buffalo, the album I made with Zoë Pollock under the band name Mama. Soon after that he became my manager, overseeing my musical career and accompanying me on all my tours worldwide. It’s fantastic to see what Cacophony Cottage has become, and the advice and direction he’s given me with my musical career has been invaluable. I’m very, very lucky to have him on my team and recommend his services highly to other artists.”
— Sarah McQuaid, https://sarahmcquaid.com
Cacophony Cottage started life as a mixing and mastering studio designed to remotely help artists take home recordings and transform them into professionally polished pieces. After close to 15 years managing the internationally touring artist Sarah McQuaid, I found I had a lot more to offer than just audio services. Working with a grassroots artist had given me insight and knowledge into almost every aspect of the music industry, especially with regard to artist career development. Before long, projects were extending beyond simply mixing and mastering as I helped clients with all stages of getting their music to the public, from digital distribution, launch campaigns and publicity to general career/branding advice. Since then, in addition to mixing, mastering and audio restoration, I have helped clients register compositions with collecting bodies (and navigate the confusing world of copyright), distributed their product to aggregators, designed Bandcamp pages, created and uploaded assets to streaming platforms, and designed release campaigns/schedules.
“After 50 years on the road I like to think I know what I’m talking about. I’ve worked with or alongside Martin in clubs/festivals and studios. He’s the ultimate pro, unflappable and dependable and I really would like to think I’ll be working with him in some capacity in the future. I would look forward to that immensely.”
— Michael Chapman, http://www.michaelchapman.co.uk
Having started out as (and with the sole intention of being) a freelance producer/studio engineer, I feel I have, in some ways, come full circle. It wasn’t long after becoming self employed that I was tempted into the live environment due to the sheer volume of work available at the time. During that period I worked with a huge spectrum of musical styles and events, from drum’n’bass to musical theatre and from sweaty nightclubs to corporate events. When Covid shut everything down it gave me the chance to take stock of a whirlwind career and realise, older and wiser, that I was happiest when working closely with the artists themselves. I was fortunate enough to receive a grant from Arts Council England to revitalise my studio, thus giving me the opportunity to retire from live events and split my time between looking after the career of the delightful (and very talented) Sarah McQuaid and running Cacophony Cottage – mixing, mastering and providing artist management and consulting services including everything from artistic direction and career advice to administering song registrations, dealing with pressing plants and distributors, and releasing both digital and physical product.
Services offered include:
• Recording and production (both studio and location services available)
• Mixing from multi-tracks/stems
• Mastering and mix finalising (Red Book Standard mastering, DDP files for commercial pressing)
• Artist management, consulting and administration services
Please phone or email for quote.
Martin Stansbury
Tel: 07977 470498