Jim Roberts

Jim has been producing and engineering records since his start in Nashville in 1996 and has appeared on over 50 albums and projects as a producer, studio musician, engineer, and writer. He is an example of a musician who has worked on "both sides of the glass" as a Nashville studio musician and as a studio owner.  He is available to help you produce your project of any size.  Production duties include finding an appropriate room at the right price point, hiring players, controlling the budget, musical arrangements, musical and technical considerations.  Plus you get Jim's extensive knowledge of percussion to add beautiful and exotic sounds to your mixes.  He uses a Universal Audio platform with Cubase and Ableton Live. He has premium microphones, preamps and API, Neve and SSL, and Waves plugins. 

The tracks are compatible with any DAW system including ProTools. 

All Music Discography
Personal Discography

The Tao of Time  Producer, Writer, All Instruments, Engineering, Mixing 2018                                                                    Craicdown Roads Producer, Percussion and Drums, Engineer, Editing, Writer 2010  
CapeTown Waka Waka  Producer, Percussion, Engineer, Writer 2003 
Two Traditions Balaphon, Banjo, Fiddle, And Drum  Producer, Writer, Percussion 1999      
Ancient Hand Tranze is the Danze Producer, Artist, percussion, Writer 1997
 

Recent Discography  

The Doug Prescott Band ​Let's Do Something Dangerous  2020 (Percussion)  

Karyn Oliver - A List of Names 2019  (Drum Set, Percussion) 

Isabel Taylor - Isabel Taylor 2019 (Drum Set, Percussion) 

Leah Kaufman - Midnight Refrain 2019 (Drum Set) 

Jim Roberts -The Tao of Time 2018 (Original Work, Production) 

Lipbone Redding - The Return of the Beautiful 2018 (Percussion, Engineering, Mixing) 

The Doug Prescott Band One World: A Benefit for Kiribati 2017 (Percussion)
  
 
Production History 

In 1996, Jim embarked on a production career with the start of two albums, Ancient Hand, Tranze is the Danze and Two Traditions, Balaphon, Banjo, Fiddle, and Drum with Horse Flies members, Jeff Claus and Judy Hyman.  During the recording of Tranze is the Danze,  Jim was able to bring together a unique palette of sounds, combining acoustic drums and old-time instruments with electric processed guitar and vocals from 8 different singers. This began his journey of sonic possibilities.  In the summer of 1996, Jim went to Ithaca, NY where he played with the Horse Flies at the Grassroots Festival.  He came back in October and recorded the beginning tracks for Two Traditions with the Horse Flies old-time music and 3 drummers, aka a wall of sound. Other tracks would be added later but the project was exciting on many levels. Coupled with doing sessions in Nashville, Jim became fascinated with the art of production. He met engineers Neal Cappellino and Daniel Summer who taught him microphone techniques, gear tricks, and studio wizardry. He was further inspired by co-producing and playing percussion for guitarist Shane Theriot’s (Hall and Oats, The Neville Brothers, Boz Scaggs) first album, Hwy 90.  The band included Flecktones bassist Victor Wooten, Neville Brother drummer Willie Green, and keyboardist, Johnny Neel.  In addition Wooten was recording his double album, Ying Yang in Jim’s home which was later to become Kalimba Studio. Jim was able to observe the recording of the album and play on it. Wooten was using the latest technology at the time, a pair of linked Roland Digital Recorders.  Jim also recorded percussion on his project for Taylor Guitar,  Sounds of Wood and Steel Vol. 2.  With this flurry of recording, Jim was overly inspired by the recording arts.  By 1999, Jim had enrolled in the first graduating class of the SAE Institute Nashville and finished his degree in June 2000 when he opened Kalimba Studio. It was a unique space on the side of his house with walls made from 100 years old, Oak, Cherry, and Chestnut wood and afforded all the luxury of a warm sounding room.  It was located the beautiful Oak Hill neighborhood, 5 minutes’ walk from Radnor Lake State Park.  In his first year he was assisted by engineer Phil Wolfe. 

From that beginning, Jim went on to record demo, albums and his own projects such as CapeTown Waka Waka co-produced by Paul Peterson and Phil Wolfe.  Jim also produced/engineered other Nashville projects such as Secret Commonwealth’s Uninvited Guests and Irish fiddler Cady Finlayson’s albums, Harp and Shamrock, Shines Like Silver, and Irish Coffee. 

In 2006, Jim moved to Chapel Hill, NC, and reopened a small studio where he records drum tracks, instrument overdubs, and mixes. He has produced a classical/jazz ASCAP and BMI award-winning artist, Nate Beversluis. His epic pieces include The Crossing and Pictures from Point Reyes. In addition, he co-produced and co-engineered Craicdown Roads. This music is called World Acousticana to match the interesting and unique combinations of sounds that the band produces with percussion/drum set, accordion, guitar, fiddle, Irish flute, and vocals. This band was one of his working bands in the Chapel Hill area since 2008. He is available to help you produce your project of any size. Production duties include finding an appropriate room at the right price point, hiring players, controlling the budget, musical arrangements, musical and technical considerations.