Brendan Byrnes is a composer, mix engineer, and sound designer based in Los Angeles, CA. His vivid productions and lush, organic compositions have been featured in films, television, and podcasts. In addition to mixing music for independent artists and film composers, he has mixed Emmy winning scores and documentaries (That Far Corner:Frank Lloyd Wright in Los Angeles and Lost LA Season 2). Byrnes is also an accomplished microtonal guitarist with several microtonal/xenharmonic albums on Spectropol Records and Split-Note Records.
Clients include Vice, Google, Maiyet, KCET, Sage Lewis Music (Operator Film Score and Soundtrack), Electronic Countermeasures, Adam Schoenberg, and Katy Jarzebowski. He is currently a Supervising Audio Engineer for Sirius XM/Stitcher, working on shows such as LeVar Burton Reads, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, Sound Detectives, and The Mel Robbins Podcast. He has a BFA in Contemporary Writing and Production from the Berklee College of Music and an MFA in Composition from The California Institute of the Arts.
In addition to his own work mentioned above, his works for string ensemble and orchestra have been performed internationally. His String Quartet “Aman” was premiered in 5 cities in Nicaragua including Managua’s National Concert Hall and a composition for full orchestra titled “Chroma” was premiered by the San Francisco Sinfonietta alongside Paul McCartney’s “Oratorio” in San Francisco, California (2011). A recent collaborative composition with virtuoso violinist and composer Mark Menzies titled “Swongering Butterfly” was premiered for “Ensemble Sospeso: The Machine Breathes” at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, NYC.
News & press
GUITAR WORLD MAGAZINE REVIEWS NEW SINGLE
Check out the great review of my new single “Murmurations” in Guitar World Magazine!
THAT FAR CORNER: FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT IN LOS ANGELES
Mix for Adam Schoenberg's sublime score for the new Frank Lloyd Wright documentary is done and the doc will be premiering on KCET this weekend. Have a look a the trailer HERE
LOST LA - SEASON 2 on KCET
I was the re-recording and sound mix engineer for Season 2 of Lost LA - 6 episodes of fascinating LA history that most people aren't aware of, brought to life with incredible interviews and archival material. You can see the episodes online HERE. I also contributed some music cues and did the music mix for Sage Lewis's score.
7" RELEASE FOR "AFTER THE MOON" by PRUDENCE
I was thrilled to mix and play electric guitar for the awesomely psychedelic track "After the Moon" by Prudence (Eastmint) and even more thrilled to see the track get a limited edition vinyl pressing. Pick up a copy and hear the track HERE
OPERATOR FILM AND SOUNDTRACK RELEASED!
The Orchard has released the feature film Operator and the soundtrack has also been released-you can find it here. Many of the cues that I wrote for the film were extended into full songs for the soundtrack!
OPERATOR PREMIERES AT 2016 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL!
I contributed several cues of my own and also assisted Sage Lewis compose and produce the massive score for the feature length film "Operator" starring Martin Starr and Mae Whitman. The film is already receiving very positive reviews like this one
ILEVENS RELEASES LIVE VIDEOS
2 new songs, both in the 22 divisions per octave tuning system -played live in the studio!
Watch HERE
ILEVENS @ PIETER SPACE
ILEVENS featuring visuals by Kerstin Hovland and Emery Martin. Opening acts are Katie Stewing Rubber, Deyrdier, Georgia Bell and Maxwell Gualtierri. $5. DETAILS
ILEVENS @ LIVE ARTS LOS ANGELES
after-party performance for TETHERING by Becca Lemme and Acts of Matter
UNTWELVE INTERNATIONAL COMPOSITION CONTEST
Selected as a judge for the 2014-2015 contest . The contest is held annually and awards the best 3 microtonal and xenharmonic works in any style. A collaboration by Brendan Byrnes and Alex Wand took 2nd place in the 2012-2013 contest and can be heard HERE
Details for the contest here: untwelve.org
FO(u)R TUNINGS @ THE WILD BEAST
Opening for Kraut-rock pioneers Faust. Fo(u)r Tunings is a piece for full orchestra, electronics, and "rock band". The tunings used are 20 EDO, a custom 13 limit JI scale, good ol' 12 EDO and the Bohlen Pierce scale. DETAILS
Music Reviews
Untwelve "Brendan Byrnes Produces an album destined for classic status" READ HERE
Igloo Magazine "There’s an immediate wow factor embedded within these eight pieces of sonic delight" READ HERE
Can This Even Be CalledMusic? "Unlike most microtonal stuff I’ve heard, the goal here is not to challenge the listener, but rather to take his hand and show him new soundscapes, and to show him the beauty of it all." READ HERE