Chris Steinmetz (born 1966) is a record producer and engineer living in Chicago. He is president of
Stonecutter Records.
Biography
Early life
Chris Steinmetz was born in 1966 to Kenneth and Virginia Steinmetz in Barrington, Illinois. He began playing guitar at age 12 and played in bands throughout high school. It was during this time that Steinmetz first became interested in audio engineering. While playing a show one night, he was struck by the lower quality of his band's sound compared to the headliners. Despite his newfound interest in audio, Steinmetz entered the University of Utah majoring in biomedical engineering upon graduating high school. However, the call to music proved too strong and a year later Steinmetz dropped out and moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
to pursue a career in the recording industry.
Recording career
Steinmetz career in LA took off quickly as he spent his first three sessions working with
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...
,
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American Country music, country and Folk music, folk singer, songwriter, and actor. He was one of the most popular acoustic m ...
, and
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Known for his wild and energetic stage persona, he was the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen for three stints: from 1974 to 1985, during 1996, and from 2006 to when ...
. Within a year, engineer
Michael Wagener
Michael Wagener (born 25 April 1949) is a German retired record producer, mixer and engineer from Hamburg, best known for his work with many popular American hard rock and heavy metal music, heavy metal bands in the late 1980s. He is particularly ...
took notice of Steinmetz and hired him to engineer many classic 80s hard rock albums for his label. During his time in LA, Steinmetz also did freelance work for many other bands as well as for some feature films.
In 1996, Steinmetz moved back to his native Chicago to be closer to family. He began freelancing at Chicago Recording Company, Chicago Trax, and
Terry Fryer Music. Provided with access to Chicago's growing rap music scene, Steinmetz' normal clientele began to shift from hard rock to hip hop. Between 2004 and 2006 six alone, he received credits on albums by
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
,
Twista
Carl Terrell Mitchell (born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Twista (also known as Tung Twista), is an American rapper. He is best known for his Chopper (rap), chopper style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastest ...
,
Lil Jon
Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...
,
Usher,
E-dub, and
Jin with all six going platinum or gold. During this time, Steinmetz also helped to pioneer the field of music mixing in
5.1.
Stonecutter Records
Chris Steinmetz created his own label,
Stonecutter Records, in 2006 out of the desire to "advance
rtiststo the next level in their careers and get them the exposure they deserve."
[ Interview with music producer Chris Steinmetz] The label's first project, ''
Acoustic Chicago'', is a compilation of 13 Chicago artists and features their music in an acoustic format to highlight songwriting ability.
Stonecutter Recording Studios
In 2012, Steinmetz opened Stonecutter Recording Studios. Located in the south loop of Chicago, it is a recording facility providing recording, mixing, mastering, marketing and production.
Partial discography
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steinmetz, Chris
1966 births
Living people