MICHAEL JACK
Engineer Mixer Producer
Michael Jack is a multi gold and platinum award winning producer/recording engineer.
He's been in the recording industry for three decades.
Prior to gaining his engineering chops Michael spent the early and mid 80's as vocalist and guitar player for bands like Ninth Line, Teyes,
The Remnants, Alia Hart and Fallan.
In 1981, while still in high school, he signed up for a ten week recording workshop at a local studio in Newmarket, Ontario .
After completing the course Michael was asked if he would like to hang around and assist on some sessions. This was where the real learning began.
By being a "fly on the wall" Michael was able to gain important insight into studio dynamics - technical, creative and personal.
He also studied guitar under the tutelage of legendary guitarist Red Shea who played with Gordon Lightfoot, Ian & Sylvia Tyson and Tommy Hunter.
In 1986 Michael toured much of Canada as a member of the technical crew for Liberty Silver who had just won two Juno Awards the year before.
After sleeping in the back of a Winnebago motor home and risking his life driving through raging snow storms in Manitoba and
Northwestern Ontario Michael decided to settle into the “easier”, safer and climate controlled life of the recording studio.
He started doing his own sessions at Para Sound and soon began doing the majority of the work at that facility.
In 1988, at the age of 24, Michael bought the studio and changed the name to Sessions Recordings.
It was a 16 track analog studio at the time and most of the work was demo recording. Liberty Silver graced the studio on more than
one occasion as did Glass Tiger and Jim Cregan of the Rod Stewart Band.
Although business was great Michael decided to sell the studio after a four year run and migrated south to Toronto where he began to freelance
at several studios. During the mid 90’s Michael took up performing once again with the folk duo “Young Americans” as well as establishing himself
as in-house producer for the boutique record label Marshmellow Records where he produced, engineered and performed on several instrumental CDs
that enjoyed worldwide release. By the end of 1999 Michael landed the position of senior engineer at the legendary Phase One Studios and worked on numerous world class sessions there until 2007, earning many gold and platinum record awards and had over 20 projects reach both the Canadian and U.S. charts. In 2007 Michael was given the opportunity to develop and helm a new Solid State Logic based studio at Lenz Entertainment
where he was involved in music, film, corporate and television projects.
(see film and TV credits below)
While working at Lenz Entertainment Michael recorded and mixed songs that would reach top ten and top twenty status on the U.S. Billboard charts.
Presently he is freelancing at numerous recording studios but considers Phase One Studios his home base.
Michael has also established his own home based editing and mixing suite called The Radio Room.
(It’s named The Radio Room because he is an avid collector of vintage transistor radios and has an extensive and acclaimed collection of over one thousand radios) You can see the collection by clicking here.
Over the years his work has taken him to Nashville, Miami, Cannes (France), Calgary, Montreal and Victoria.
Michael has been awarded 27 gold and platinum record awards and has had singles and albums reach the U.S. Billboard charts.
See Awards link for a full list.
Michael has recorded, edited and/or mixed sessions for:
The Trews, Bono, Nelly Furtado, Hilary Duff, Rush, Big Sugar, Kardinal Offishal, Ludacris,
The Canadian Tenors, Liona Boyd, Olivia Newton John, Leahy, Jann Arden, Anjulie,
George Canyon, Sass Jordan, Anne Murray, Billy Ray Cyrus, Engelbert Humperdinck, Amy Sky, Hemingway Corner,
Sony/ATV Publishing, Marc Jordan, Canadian Idol, Jesse Cook, Natalie MacMaster, Dala, Michelle Wright,
Jim Brickman, Mark Masri, Simon Wilcox, G.Q., Xquisite, and thousands more over the past 28 years.
Film & TV credits include:
752 Is Not A Number, Perfect Harmony (Hallmark TV movie), Men With Brooms Soundtrack, Atomic Betty Soundtrack,
Across The Universe Soundtrack, Too Fast Too Furious Soundtrack, Passchendaele Soundtrack (Sara Slean), Prom Night In Mississippi,
Puck Hogs, Little Mosque On The Prairie, Train 48, The Hour, Wildcard, Canadian Country Music Awards, Mansions, Big Voice, Gold Mind,
What's Your News, Atomic Betty, Stratusphere, Party Mamas, Producing Parker, Jimmy Two Shoes, Crash & Burn, Doc,
Keep Your Head Up Kid -The Don Cherry Story and the soundtrack for the movie "Celine" based on the life of Celine Dion.
Michael has worked with and learned from some of the best record producers in the business:
Jack Douglas (John Lennon, Aerosmith, Slash, New York Dolls, The Who, Cheap Trick, The Trews)
Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, KISS, Peter Gabriel, Rod Stewart, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Jane's Addiction)
David Leonard (Rush, Prince, John Cougar Mellencamp, Paul McCartney, Collective Soul)
Joe Chiccarelli (Elton John, Beck, Frank Zappa)
Frank Filipetti (KISS, Barbra Streisand, James Taylor, George Michael)
Mike Roth (Dala, Amanda Marshall, Our Lady Peace, Hemingway Corner, Chantal Kreviasuk, Junkhouse)
Jack Lenz (Seals & Crofts, Canadian Tenors, Billy Ray Cyrus, Andrea Bocelli, Loggins and Messina)
Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar, The Trews, Joel Plaskett, Wide Mouth Mason)
Matthew Gerrard (Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, Cher, Hannah Montana, Hilary Duff, Nick Carter)
Bob Gallo (James Brown, Ottis Redding, Young Rascals, Bo Diddley, Aretha Franklin)
Nick Blagona (Deep Purple, The Police, The Bee Gees, Nazareth, Kim Mitchell, April Wine)
David Martin (Hemingway Corner, Billy Ray Cyrus, Adam Gregory, Dawn Langstroth)
Mark Plati (David Bowie, Roger Waters, New Order, The Cure)
Rhett Lawrence (Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Paula Abdul, Chicago, Michael Jackson)
Lauren Wild (Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Art Garfunkel, Taylor Dayne)
Tommy West (Anne Murray, Jim Croce, Blonde On Blonde)
JK Gulley (Lawnie Wallace, Gil Grand, Jason McCoy, Beverley Mahood)
Steve Wingfield (Sugar Jones, Somerset Entertainment, Jim Brickman, Sandi Patty)
Gilles Godard (Curb Music Publishing-Nashville)
Russ Zavitson (The Wilkinsons, The Kinleys)