Roy Harter
Encyclopedia
Roy Harter is a New York Emmy award-winning, sound designer and audio mixer, best known for his work in television and film. He is also a multi-instrumentalist
for various performing and recording artists. Harter is the owner of the post-production
facility SkinnyMan, located in Times-Square, New York.
, New York, the Harter family settled in Bellerose, Queens
, New York. Roy began taking piano lessons at the age of 9, and eventually began studying music theory under original Dream Theater
keyboardist Kevin Moore
.
Harter’s first band was the art-rock band "Matisse" which he formed while attending Chaminade High School
in Mineola, Long Island. By the age of 14, Harter was spending his summers interning at Hip Pocket Recording Studios, where he assisted alongside television composer Eddie Jobson
and developed an interest in commercial music and post-production
.
He went on to graduate from St. John's University, in Jamaica, Queens, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication
s and a Minor Degree in International Studies
, due to a year spent studying in Budapest, Hungary. Harter first began playing keyboards professionally with Chrysalis
recording artist Fabulon while still in college. Although, the instability of a life as a touring musician reaffirmed his interest in seeking work at a recording studio.
In 1995 Harter accepted an entry-level position at Superdupe Studios in New York, where he worked as a tape duplicator. It was around this time when Roy moved to Woodside, Queens
, New York, and began meeting and performing with many Irish musicians (including Dan Donnelly
) in the local pubs. After two years he accepted another position at Clack / Hothead Studios where he eventually rose to full-fledged audio engineer and sound designer. Harter began offering his services as a composer
, and soon found himself writing music for his clients’ television spots and films.
facility Editional Effects, (EENYC) located in Times Square, New York City. He set up and ran their audio division.
facility SkinnyMan, located in Times Square, New York City. He has composed or mixed television commercials, promos, and shows for many major television networks including: Noggin, VH-1, Lifetime
, Nickelodeon
, Nick Jr., MTV
, M2
, TV Land
, Nick at Nite
, Fox News, Sci Fi Channel
, Comedy Central
, BBC
, USA Networks, Court TV
, Logo
, Spike TV
, WE
, Discovery Channel
, Cartoon Network
, Disney Channel
, CBS
, ABC
, Food Network
, Oxygen
, ESPN
, Bravo, TruTV, Cloo, Nat Geo, Science Channel, and Discovery Channel
.
's band and Stiff Little Fingers
, Roy Harter composed all the promotional music for the children's television network Noggin. The "Alley Pond Park Ensemble" he created for the project was given strict rules that only allowed the musicians to perform using common household items, such as pots and pans.
In the spring of 2002, Erik Friedlander
created Broken Shadows, Radio Nights at Tonic. Roy was hired to provide onstage sound effects for a series of old-fashioned live radio broadcasts.
In July 2003, Roy Harter's first solo album "Lover of Beauty and Coffee Breath" was released. He played all the instruments on the album.
On October 21, 2005 Harter gave a televised alpine bell performance in Times Square, New York City. The event was sponsored by Verizon and aired on Nickelodeon
. The performance was also simulcast on the Viacom
Jumbo-Tron Screen in Times Square, New York.
During the summers, Harter can be found performing at various European music festivals with various artists. He has performed on the main stage at the 2006 Beautiful Days Festival
in Devon, UK, as part of Dan Donnelly
's live band, Sonovagun. In 2008 Roy Harter performed with Dan Donnelly
and Sonovagun on the Leftfield Stage at Glastonbury Festival
. In 2010 and 2011 he performed at Beautiful Days Festival
with The Fabulous Good Time Party Boys, as well as Dan Donnelly
.
From January 2007 to 2010, Roy hosted a weekly radio show entitled "Roy Harter's Outlaw Hour", airing every Sunday night on UK based, Tinternet Radio. The show was primarily a music program showcasing outlaw country
and rebellious musical acts, both classic and modern.
Since 2011, Harter has become a regular character on "The Davey Mac Sports Show", hosted by Dave McDonald
. Due to Roy's limited knowledge of sports, he plays the musical sidekick character of "Roy Shaffer", often interrupting the host with humorous musical stings.
. His younger brother Kenneth Harter is a music producer and audio mixer living in California.
As Audio Engineer or Producer
With Dan Donnelly & Sonovagun
2003 Promax Award Silver
2003 BDA Award Bronze
2003 BDA Award Bronze
2003 BDA Award Silver
2003 Promax Award Gold
2006 BDA Award Silver
2006 BDA Award Gold
2007 Promax Award Gold
2007 Promax Award Gold
2010 Emmy Award
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
for various performing and recording artists. Harter is the owner of the post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
facility SkinnyMan, located in Times-Square, New York.
Early life
Born into a German / Austrian family in Sunnyside, QueensSunnyside, Queens
Sunnyside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens, in New York state, in the United States. It shares borders with Hunters Point and Long Island City to the west, Astoria to the north, Woodside to the east and Maspeth to the south...
, New York, the Harter family settled in Bellerose, Queens
Bellerose, Queens
Bellerose, also called Bellerose Manor, is a neighborhood on the eastern edge of the New York City borough of Queens, near the border with Nassau County. It is sometimes referred to as Bellerose Manor, to distinguish it from the adjacent Bellerose Village and Bellerose Terrace in Nassau County,...
, New York. Roy began taking piano lessons at the age of 9, and eventually began studying music theory under original Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
keyboardist Kevin Moore
Kevin Moore
For the blues singer, see Keb' Mo'.Kevin Moore is a keyboardist, vocalist and composer and founder of the Chroma Key music project. He is also a former member of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater, co-founder of the progressive rock supergroup O.S.I. and has composed film soundtracks...
.
Harter’s first band was the art-rock band "Matisse" which he formed while attending Chaminade High School
Chaminade High School
Chaminade High School is a Roman Catholic college preparatory high school for young men. Located in Mineola, New York, the school was founded in 1930 by the Society of Mary , an international Roman Catholic teaching order of priests and religious Brothers. The school is named for Father William...
in Mineola, Long Island. By the age of 14, Harter was spending his summers interning at Hip Pocket Recording Studios, where he assisted alongside television composer Eddie Jobson
Eddie Jobson
Edwin "Eddie" Jobson is an English keyboardist and violinist noted for his use of synthesizers. He has been a member of several progressive rock bands, including Curved Air, Roxy Music, U.K., and Jethro Tull. He was also part of Frank Zappa's band in 1976-77...
and developed an interest in commercial music and post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
.
He went on to graduate from St. John's University, in Jamaica, Queens, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
s and a Minor Degree in International Studies
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
, due to a year spent studying in Budapest, Hungary. Harter first began playing keyboards professionally with Chrysalis
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
recording artist Fabulon while still in college. Although, the instability of a life as a touring musician reaffirmed his interest in seeking work at a recording studio.
In 1995 Harter accepted an entry-level position at Superdupe Studios in New York, where he worked as a tape duplicator. It was around this time when Roy moved to Woodside, Queens
Woodside, Queens
Woodside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the south by Maspeth, on the north by Astoria, on the west by Sunnyside and on the east by Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. Some areas are widely residential and very quiet, while others are...
, New York, and began meeting and performing with many Irish musicians (including Dan Donnelly
Dan Donnelly
Daniel Thomas Donnelly is a singer-songwriter.Growing up in Belfast, Donnelly played in a number of local bands, finding success in Ireland with Watercress, a four piece acoustic folk-rock band for whom he played guitar, mandolin, percussion and "plumbing"...
) in the local pubs. After two years he accepted another position at Clack / Hothead Studios where he eventually rose to full-fledged audio engineer and sound designer. Harter began offering his services as a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and soon found himself writing music for his clients’ television spots and films.
Editional Effects
In 2004 Harter became co-owner of the television post-productionPost-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
facility Editional Effects, (EENYC) located in Times Square, New York City. He set up and ran their audio division.
SkinnyMan
In 2008 Roy set up his current television and film post-productionPost-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
facility SkinnyMan, located in Times Square, New York City. He has composed or mixed television commercials, promos, and shows for many major television networks including: Noggin, VH-1, Lifetime
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
, Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
, Nick Jr., MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, M2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
, TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
, Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite is the nighttime Cable network that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon on Sundays from 8.p.m.-7.am., Monday through Fridays from 9 p.m.-7 a.m. and Saturdays from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. . Though it shares channel space with Nickelodeon, A.C. Nielsen Co...
, Fox News, Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
, Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, USA Networks, Court TV
Court TV
truTV is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The network launched as Court TV in 1991, changing to truTV in 2008...
, Logo
Logo (TV channel)
Logo is an American digital cable television channel owned by Viacom's MTV Networks division. Launched in June 2005, the channel's programs are geared towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community...
, Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
, WE
WE: Women's Entertainment
WE tv is an American cable television channel that is marketed towards women. It features some original programming, such as non-fiction talk shows, as well as made-for-TV movies, older feature films, and reruns of TV shows, it also shows art and fashion documentaries and reality series....
, Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
, Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
, Oxygen
Oxygen (TV channel)
Oxygen is an American cable television specialty channel with television programming marketed towards women, with a format similar to Lifetime.- History :...
, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, Bravo, TruTV, Cloo, Nat Geo, Science Channel, and Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
.
Notable Events
Using various musicians, including members of Paul SimonPaul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
's band and Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star , doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They split up after six years and four albums, although they...
, Roy Harter composed all the promotional music for the children's television network Noggin. The "Alley Pond Park Ensemble" he created for the project was given strict rules that only allowed the musicians to perform using common household items, such as pots and pans.
In the spring of 2002, Erik Friedlander
Erik Friedlander
Erik Friedlander is an American cellist and composer based in New York City.A veteran of NYC's experimental downtown scene, Friedlander has worked in many contexts, but is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with saxophonist/composer John Zorn...
created Broken Shadows, Radio Nights at Tonic. Roy was hired to provide onstage sound effects for a series of old-fashioned live radio broadcasts.
In July 2003, Roy Harter's first solo album "Lover of Beauty and Coffee Breath" was released. He played all the instruments on the album.
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
. The performance was also simulcast on the Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
Jumbo-Tron Screen in Times Square, New York.
During the summers, Harter can be found performing at various European music festivals with various artists. He has performed on the main stage at the 2006 Beautiful Days Festival
Beautiful Days (festival)
This article is about the music festival. For other uses, see Beautiful Days .The Beautiful Days is a music festival that takes place in August at Escot Park, Ottery St Mary, Devon...
in Devon, UK, as part of Dan Donnelly
Dan Donnelly
Daniel Thomas Donnelly is a singer-songwriter.Growing up in Belfast, Donnelly played in a number of local bands, finding success in Ireland with Watercress, a four piece acoustic folk-rock band for whom he played guitar, mandolin, percussion and "plumbing"...
's live band, Sonovagun. In 2008 Roy Harter performed with Dan Donnelly
Dan Donnelly
Daniel Thomas Donnelly is a singer-songwriter.Growing up in Belfast, Donnelly played in a number of local bands, finding success in Ireland with Watercress, a four piece acoustic folk-rock band for whom he played guitar, mandolin, percussion and "plumbing"...
and Sonovagun on the Leftfield Stage at Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
. In 2010 and 2011 he performed at Beautiful Days Festival
Beautiful Days (festival)
This article is about the music festival. For other uses, see Beautiful Days .The Beautiful Days is a music festival that takes place in August at Escot Park, Ottery St Mary, Devon...
with The Fabulous Good Time Party Boys, as well as Dan Donnelly
Dan Donnelly
Daniel Thomas Donnelly is a singer-songwriter.Growing up in Belfast, Donnelly played in a number of local bands, finding success in Ireland with Watercress, a four piece acoustic folk-rock band for whom he played guitar, mandolin, percussion and "plumbing"...
.
From January 2007 to 2010, Roy hosted a weekly radio show entitled "Roy Harter's Outlaw Hour", airing every Sunday night on UK based, Tinternet Radio. The show was primarily a music program showcasing outlaw country
Outlaw country
Outlaw country is a subgenre of country music, most popular during the late 1960s and the 1970s , sometimes referred to as the outlaw movement or simply outlaw music...
and rebellious musical acts, both classic and modern.
Since 2011, Harter has become a regular character on "The Davey Mac Sports Show", hosted by Dave McDonald
Dave McDonald (radio personality)
David Dodd McDonald , also known as East Side Dave, is an American radio personality. Dave is the co-host of Mornings On The Night on WBJB-FM in Lincroft, New Jersey. He is also the co-host of Special Delivery on The Virus, and the host of the Davey Mac Sports Program. Dave is also the former...
. Due to Roy's limited knowledge of sports, he plays the musical sidekick character of "Roy Shaffer", often interrupting the host with humorous musical stings.
Personal life
Roy Harter currently lives in Manhasset, Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. His younger brother Kenneth Harter is a music producer and audio mixer living in California.
Filmography
- 2003: Tide – Composer
- 2005: The Mad One – Actor
- 2007: Area X - Composer
- 2007: Astoria Park – Sound Design / Mix
- 2007: The Slackers - Sound Design / Mix
- 2008: Act As If - Sound Design / Mix
- 2010: Go-Go - Composer / Sound Design / Mix
- 2010: After the Catch (Season 4) - Sound Design / Mix
Discography
As Roy Harter- 2003: Lover of Beauty and Coffee Breath
As Audio Engineer or Producer
- 2001: Liz Skillman - "In the Middle"
- 2002: Liz Skillman - "Wayphoria"
- 2000: Abbey of Regina Laudis - "Women in Chant"
- 2000: Bed Devils - "Le Caprice"
- 1999: Dequincy’s Dream - "Solfege"
- 1998: Dequincy’s Dream - "Jeepers Mister, Thanks for the Sweet Deal"
With Dan Donnelly & Sonovagun
- 2006: Bootleg
- 2006: The Beach E.P.
- 2007: Yearning a Living
- 2008: Live in NYC
- 2010: Running E.P.
- 2011: Country and Northern
Awards
2002 Promax Award Silver- Music Package / Sound Design Post Score or Instrumental Theme
- Comedy Central, "Shocktoberfest in South Park" - Composer
2003 Promax Award Silver
- Use of Music
- Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
"Are You Square Enough?" - Composer and Audio Mixer
2003 BDA Award Bronze
- Non-News Out of House Open
- Nickelodeon, "Slam! Opening Theme" - Sound Designer and Audio Mixer
2003 BDA Award Bronze
- Non-News Out of House Interstitial
- Nicktoons Holiday Party - Composer and Audio Mixer
2003 BDA Award Silver
- Non-News / In-House Image Promo Over :30 to :90
- Noggin, "Spill It Campaign" - Composer
2003 Promax Award Gold
- Holiday Image Campaign
- Nickelodeon, "Nicktoons Holiday Image Campaign" - Composer and Audio Mixer
2006 BDA Award Silver
- Interactive Media, Greeting, E-card or E-vite
- Harrison Industries, "5C Cocktail Party" - Composer and Audio Mixer
2006 BDA Award Gold
- Interactive Media, DVD Design
- Editional Effects Reel - Sound Designer
2007 Promax Award Gold
- Marketing Presentation, Internal
- Anatomy Media, Reuters "Time of Our Lives" - Sound Designer and Audio Mixer
2007 Promax Award Gold
- Marketing Presentation, External
- Anatomy Media, USA Networks Upfront "Character's Welcome" - Sound Designer and Audio Mixer
2010 Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
- Promotion: Program Promo Campaign
- MSG Network "Heart of New York Campaign" - Audio Mixer