Eric Lichter: Engineer, Producer, and so Much More
The comparisons that Dirt Floor gets to Big Pink or Shangri La are fully warranted and reasonable in my own eyes. There is something that you just cannot manufacture when it comes to making music and recording songs. That something special, it doesn’t have a name and it’s damn near impossible to describe..its just that thing. When you hear it, when you feel it, you know it.
I have recorded albums at home, I have recorded at a studio with a focus on “clean” sounding records, I have recorded at studios that are all about the grit and natural organic sound that doesn’t hide the song or songwriter. While my catalogue isn’t super extensive (3 studio recordings, 6-9 home recorded albums/EPs), I have had my share of very different experiences in studio and know what works for me as an artist focused on the songs and the feel over how many tracks or how mainstream my music could be. My last project was recorded at Dirt Floor with Eric and I don’t think I will be able to record anywhere else as long as I am a songwriter without thinking of that experience. Eric Lichter has an aura about him. There is a positive energy that just surrounds that man. Dirt Floor isn’t a studio or a building or a marketing tool. Dirt Floor is a feeling, a vibe, it is Eric Lichter. It almost seems unfair that he is as talented as he is and has the ear that he does. He just hears differently. He doesn’t hear what a song is, he hears what a song can be. He hears the potential that we often overlook in ourselves as artists (lets face it, we are our own worst enemies). I never realized what my music and my songs could truly be until I worked with Eric. He was able to pull something out of me and my writing that I firmly believe no other producer or engineer could or will do as long as my fingers still move across frets and I still have a voice. I owe a huge debt to him both as a friend that believes in me and as an engineer, session player, and producer for elevating my music. Eric is my friend, my colleague, my family and I am damn lucky for that fact. But don’t take it from me…
“A lot of studios have great gear and talented engineers or producers- but only one has Eric Lichter.
This guy is special, and that’s not a word I throw around often. As someone who followed the going’s on at Dirt Floor with Eric and the crew as a fan religiously for more than a year before I started recording there , I had a flicker of doubt before I met him that maybe I would be disappointed with the real flesh and blood, Eric Lichter. I had built him up in my mind to almost hero status, and honestly, who can live up to that kind of hype? In less than five seconds into our introduction, any iota of skepticism I had melted away. It was like greeting an old friend. This guy was the right guy to make my album with, without a doubt.
His professionalism in the studio is impressive. He doesn’t need to mess around with equipment trying to find the sound he’s looking for, he already knows how to get what he wants. And he does it, quickly and efficiently. His taste level and ear are exceptional, and it’s not lips service when you hear Eric say that the most important thing is to serve the song. He leaves his ego at the door, and shows up to serve your songs and give them exactly what they need- nothing more and nothing less. The results are stunning.
There is a kind of magic Eric has, that is impossible to put my finger on. It can’t be bottled or reproduced, and any studio that might try to imitate that ‘Dirt Floor’ sound will come up short every single time. There is only one Eric Lichter, and he is the heart and soul of Dirt Floor.” – Krista Baroni
“Eric is both a magical soul and producer/engineer. He knows how to make an artist shine without ever compromising the art of the song and music.” – Kerri Powers
“As I write this I’m sleeping on the floor of Eric’s new cabin up in the CT mountains….
My friend Eric is a timeless human-being. He strives to capture the soul of an artist on tape (or digital), with all of the natural perfections and imperfections that exist in the universe of music, and life. When you listen to an Eric Lichter stamped record, you know that your getting no bullshit. Your getting the opportunity to hear an artist completely exposed… And part of the reason for that is he makes everyone who walks into the studio feel like family. I am blessed to call him my friend.” – Jonah Tolchin
“When I first met Eric I felt that I had already had known him through the music he had recorded that was a big part of my life already. Maybe that is why beginning work on the first Wise Old Moon album came so naturally. Eric has a great passion for his work and it shows in the process and the final results of that process. I look forward to hearing more of the great music coming out of his studio, and getting back to work on future projects with Eric.” – Connor Millican (Wise Old Moon)
(literally at a loss for words becuase he loves Eric so much) – James Maple
“The artist is not always right at Dirt Floor. Though it seems counterintuitive within the standards of customer service, it actually makes perfect sense: Of course the artist is not always right; no one is. Eric Lichter knows this. And, perhaps more importantly, he knows how to tell the artist. When Eric sees a song sliding off-track, he knows how to guide it back in the correct direction. When he hears an idea that does not best serve the song or make the best record, he can point it out without breaking the artist’s heart. Part of his secret is that he always has another idea at the ready, something that he feels will make the song shine. And it is that song, that record, that he is most concerned with: if his idea for a song is to leave it as is rather than adding one more guitar solo or banjo part or organ fill, he will say so; an urge simply to demonstrate his mastery of those and any number of other instruments never surfaces. And that same lack of ego allows him to recognize when the artist is right, when the artist does have a better idea, and to serve that idea in whatever way he can. Eric is not my friend *because* he makes great records; Eric is my friend, and Eric makes great records. And he does it all the right way. I’m proud to know him.” –Ian Fitzgerald
“Eric likes to work quickly when the creative juices are flowing at Dirt Floor. As the studio engineer, you never know what instrument he’s going to add to a song, so we have to be ready for anything. Sometimes that may mean using a microphone, a preamp, or a compressor that would not be “textbook” for the instrument or voice, but it usually means we come up with interesting and unique sounds” – Steve Wytas (mastering engineer at Dirt Floor)
“Even before I went into the studio, Eric set himself apart from the norm. He listened to all the songs I had kicking around (and I mean all of them . . . I’ve written 18 in the past year) and came up with a playlist of his favorites – ones that he already had ideas for, musically. I was really struck by his eagerness to be a part of the planning, not just the recording, of the album, and his eagerness to bounce ideas back and forth. I love it. When I write a new song, I send it to him. I tell him he’s going to hate it, and he assures me he won’t. Most of the times, he’s right. Since we first spoke in September, we’ve become good friends. He sends me encouraging notes about the album, I send him Power Ranger emojis. It’s great.
In the studio, that enthusiasm for the shaping of the album blooms. Eric is a master musician, throwing down bass, drums, guitar, piano (etc.), wherever needed. It’s really magical to see your song take on a new life – to see it through the lens of Eric Lichter’s imagination. It’s an extraordinary collaboration. It’s a back and forth between the artist and Eric, and that process pushes your song into new and remarkable forms. The Dirt Floor experience is like no other. It’s relaxed, comfortable, exciting. I’ve spent two days at the studio, and I’ve been counting down the days on my kitchen calendar until I get to go back (7! Huzzah!). And considering the first time I went into the studio in 2006, I wept, and the second time in 2013, I came home and lapsed into a self-loathing-induced fever, that’s really saying something.” – Molly Pinto Madigan
