"I've been working with Brian Moncarz for the last several years. He is a top class engineer and producer and is always able to put musicians at ease. It is always my intention to encourage musicians to feel that they are doing their best work and Brian is always supportive of this and remains calm even during the most stressful of sessions. We've had such a productive working relationship that when I felt it was time to open a studio and needed a partner, my obvious choice was Brian." David Bottrill (Producer, Tool, Peter Gabriel, Silverchair)
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About Brian Moncarz:
"Even before I could walk, my dad taught me how to put a record on the record player," says Brian Moncarz, Toronto-based producer/engineer. Music has been an ingrained part of his life since he was young, and his passion for sound has led Moncarz to work with artists from Moneen (Dine Alone/Vagrant) and The Junction (Universal Music) to Kyle Riabko (Aware/Columbia), Silverstein (Victory Records), Pilot Speed (Maple Music), Rise Electric (featuring Lukas Rossi, EMI Publishing) and most recently, Circa Survive (Atlantic Records).
"Brian is one of the hottest young producer/engineers around." Bob Ezrin (Producer, Pink Floyd, Kiss, Jane's Addiction)
In high school, Moncarz was intrigued by the recording process. "I played in lots of bands when I was growing up and... I was always the band member that would be heavily involved with the recording of our demos. It was just a natural progression from guitarist/musician to producer/engineer."
After completing a degree in Radio and Television Arts at Ryerson University, he began work as a freelance engineer in the Greater Toronto Area. A self-motivated entrepreneur, he opened his first studio in 2000 and began honing his skills with an attitude characterized by humour, calmness and attentiveness in the studio. Moncarz explains, "In order to keep bands inspired, I feel it's important to maintain a fun and creative atmosphere... while always staying focused on working hard. Recording a song or an album takes time. Why shouldn't we have a great time doing it?"
And while his self-taught engineering style forced Moncarz to learn quickly, it wasn't until 2005 that he found a mentor in legendary producer, Bob Ezrin. "[Ezrin] taught me how to listen," Moncarz says, "He especially helped me with mixing and really tuned my ears to hear tones."
That experience was put to good use in 2007, when Moncarz was hired to produce The Junction's debut album for Universal Music. The album's first single, Components of Four, was quickly picked up by rock radio stations across Canada, and reached top 10 at 102.1 The Edge in Toronto.
Ezrin also introduced Moncarz to producer David Bottrill (Peter Gabriel, Tool, Silverchair), with whom a friendship quickly developed. After working together on an EP for We Are The Take. he and Bottrill banded together to open Rattlebox Studios in 2008. Their first joint-effort was, fittingly, a co-production of Moneen's The World I Want to Live Behind, which Exclaim! Magazine heralds as the band's "watershed album".
2009 was just as busy for Moncarz, both in and out of the studio. Most notably, he held post as engineer for Circa Survive's forthcoming major label debut while attending to teaching duties at Ryerson University and the Metalworks Institute of Sound and Music production. He has also delved into the world of electronic business, as the president of online mixing website, eMixEngine.com.
And though Brian Moncarz has experienced success as an engineer, producer and e-business entrepreneur, he attributes it, first and foremost, to his passion and love for music.
"I've been working with Brian Moncarz for the last several years. He is a top class engineer and producer and is always able to put musicians at ease. It is always my intention to encourage musicians to feel that they are doing their best work and Brian is always supportive of this and remains calm even during the most stressful of sessions. We've had such a productive working relationship that when I felt it was time to open a studio and needed a partner, my obvious choice was Brian." David Bottrill (Producer, Tool, Peter Gabriel, Silverchair)
