Virtual orchestration for metal requires an in-depth knowledge of this style of music (and its various sub-genres), which Jon gained through playing guitar and singing in various death, black, and progressive metal bands throughout the 2000s. Whilst cutting his teeth as a performer on the local scene, he worked as a guitar tutor in his home town of Ipswich, UK.
This was also a period in which he graduated with a Master of Arts degree in Music from the University of Essex, and continued teaching one-to-one music lessons and group workshops in both Colchester and Ipswich, where he still provides tuition to this day.
Whilst studying, he honed his composition and performance skills as a modern classical composer, choral singer, jazz double bassist, and metal guitarist. This professional development was also enriched by his employment as a digital engraver and transcriber for the world-renowned composer David Fanshawe.
Jon has been in several UK bands, including Korvus; Reciprocal; Sectioned (Hungary/USA/UK); Daniel Merrill and the Flowers of Evil, and the Kuru Smile.
More recently, throughout his journey so far as a virtual orchestrator for metal bands, Jon was a member of Terra Odium, with members of Death, Manitou, and Spiral Architect, and has also written a lot of his own metal music - this will be released as solo albums in the near future.
Alongside working with bands in the context of virtual orchestration throughout the 2010s, Jon also produced library music in a broad range of styles for Alibi Music, which resulted in successful track licenses for NASA, Hershey, and Carhartt among many others.
Genres he branched out into through this foray into library music production include: drum'n'bass; glitch-hop; trip-hop, and electro-house, as well as commercial classical, pop and rock styles.
Vocalist SPIRAL ARCHITECT, SCARIOT Vocalist & Guitarist TERRA ODIUM (Norway)
"Versatile and creative. Absolutely a top-notch musician and composer / orchestrator. Recommended!"
Producer GRINDSTONE STUDIO (UK)
"Jon has all the knowledge and skill to deliver any project, no matter how big or small, to the highest standard possible. He has a killer understanding of theory and how an orchestra works - you won't find anyone better, certainly in the rock / metal world, who can bring your project to life at an affordable level. Get in touch now!"
Producer DIRTY VIKING AUDIO PRODUCTION Guitarist POWER THEORY, SHADOWDANCE (USA)
"I knew I'd be getting something special and amazing sounding when I hired you to compose & record some orchestral music to enhance my songs. I never expected that the results of your contribution would so exceed what I imagined that its actually elevated my music from being just a song into a fully realised work of art! Can't thank you enough for that Maestro!"
Vocalist ex-I'LL BE DAMNED (Denmark)
"Jon is a great composer and a great guy. Real easy and fast to work with. And he even got it just right for our (I’LL BE DAMNED) new single 'Just Ain’t Right'!"
Drummer & Composer I'LL BE DAMNED (Denmark)
"Had the pleasure of working together with Mr. Phipps on a track for I'LL BE DAMNED's upcoming album. Having talks back and forth, Jon not only showed good spirit and a proper work ethic but also a great understanding of how the orchestral arrangement would intertwine with the song – and itself. To add to that, he is also a laugh and we had fun discussing ideas. Summary: Highly recommended!"
Composer (Costa Rica)
"I worked with Jon in an engraving project and besides his expertise I enjoyed his good attitude and pleasant manner. We had a tight deadline but his positive outlook certainly helped us reach the goal. He delivered everything extremely fast and his transcriptions were accurate and top-notch. He's easy to reach, always available with a fast response time and fair pricing. Can't recommend him enough!"
Composer & Director
of Production
ALIBI MUSIC (UK)
"Jon is an incredibly talented musician and composer with a vast array of invaluable skills and musical knowledge, constantly pushing his abilities to their limits and striving for perfection in every area of his work".
Guitarist Ravenous E.H (Canada)
"Jon is an extremely talented multi-instrumentalist and composer. Throughout the process for creating the orchestral components of our album he was deeply involved with notes, recommendations, suggestions, and ideas, which is the kind of in-depth dedication you wouldn't normally expect from someone that provides these types of contributions. It was comforting to know that there was an element of personal involvement in his craft rather than a disconnected third-party, which allowed for much more laid-back back-and-forth discussion and a passionate outlook towards the orchestral components. Jon is clearly very well-versed in musical theory and composition, and his experience shines through in the quality of his output. Thanks for everything, dude!"
Drummer NEPHYLIM (The Netherlands)
"I approached Jon to help us out with the intro song of the upcoming debut album of my band Nephylim. Communication went very smoothly, and the end result was even better than what we expected. To top it off, we liked the results so much that we decided to have him work on two more songs which we thought could benefit from Jon's musical touch, and they did, even more so than we could have thought of. I could not think of recommending someone else!"
(UK)
"Jon demonstrated excellent musicality on all the occasions that I have worked with him. His ability to understand the needs and sensitivities of my music set him aside amongst other musicians as one who can communicate his ideas clearly, whilst offering up creative suggestions and truly getting into the atmosphere and aesthetics of the music."
Guitarist & Composer
SHATTERED (Germany)
"Very good work received from Jon. The communication was always great. I could always ask for different adaptions and they were made and presented in super quick time. I highly suggest this orchestration service."
Bassist & Composer DIVINE DISORDER (Kuwait)
"Working with Jon was a great experience. He worked alongside us (Divine Disorder) as if he was a permanent member of the band, giving it all his heart and thought throughout the progress of writing the debut album. Every opinion he ever shared with us helped push the band a step further in the right direction and towards a better representation of how the music should sound.
Even though the time-frame was pretty tight, he still managed to deliver great sounding and professional work. His skills and the ability to deliver a varied and wide range of styles has given us broader and deeper meanings to deliver into certain parts of the songs, through the inclusion of classical, blues, and jazz stylistic ideas into our eclectic metal sound. I will definitely go back and work with him again and again on future works and releases. For everyone who is going to work with Jon: You have made the right choice!"
