This past year, I had the rare opportunity to observe the work of Gilad Eric Avni, widely regarded as one of the top and most sought after recording engineers in Israel, across a series of high-profile studio sessions.
While the projects varied wildly - from Apple Music Live Sessions with Ninet Tayeb to nationally broadcast performances like “Kanfey Ruah” featuring Berry Sakharof on Kan 11 and Channel 12, to live captures at major festivals - the through-line was Avni’s ability to combine precision engineering with instinctive musicality.
Much like the “song-a-day” philosophy in songwriting circles, Avni’s approach thrives on consistent creative momentum.
Over the course of the month, he engineered work for top-tier artists including Eran Tzur, Yuval Gold, Yeled, AS1ONE and other indie acts, each requiring a completely different sonic architecture.
The pace was relentless: one day meticulously crafting a modern jazz sound for a trio, and the next recording an album for a heavy-rock band.
1. Lean Into What You Do Best — But Keep It Fresh
Avni’s catalogue of over 200 verified recording credits and 30M+ streams makes it clear where his strengths lie — a finely tuned ear for clarity, layered ensemble balance, and a knack for translating live energy into studio fidelity.
2. More Time Doesn’t Always Mean Better Results
Watching him work was a masterclass in efficiency.
Whether recording Yeled’s viral singles “Lama At” and “Geveret Taltalim” - which together racked up over 1.6 million Spotify streams , or tracking Shlomi Shaban’s “Modeh Ani” in a tight live session changeover window, Avni applied the same principle: know when the take is already there.
His ability to avoid over-editing preserved spontaneity, and his clients’ performances carried more life as a result.
3. Imperfections Can Be the Glue
In high-stakes projects like the AS1ONE debut single “All Eyes On Us”, where the recording process was being filmed for a Paramount+ documentary and joined by label executives, some first-take moments carried an electricity that no retake could match.
Avni doesn’t obsessively sand down every transient or micro-timing variance; instead, he recognizes when these become part of the track’s identity.
The result is a signature sound - polished yet human.
4. First Takes, First Instincts
At the recent tribute “Safe Space Sessions”, featured on national radio and television network Avni captured six different acts in a day, using only full uninterrupted passes and no edits.
The performances were far from clinical perfection, but the emotional surge made it easily standout. When transferring the projects to the mixing engineer, he stressed his vision to preserve that immediacy and imperfection - a decision that drew praise from both the listeners and the performers themselves.
5. Momentum Is a Creative Asset
Over the month, Avni’s schedule left no room for second-guessing.
From Yuval Gold’s “Darling” sessions to Eran Tzur’s “Simanim Makdimim” album tracking, the constant turnover of projects kept ideas flowing.
He treated each gig not as an isolated job, but as part of a continuous creative thread, where techniques refined one day could be adapted and reimagined the next.
6. Collaboration Shapes the End Result
Much like a songwriting collective, Avni’s studio environment thrives on mutual trust and open exchange.
His collaborations span Grammy-level producers like Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk to long-term artist relationships, each contributing to his reputation as Israel’s most in-demand engineer for both commercial and indie projects.
7. Context Is Everything
One of the most revealing takeaways from observing Avni was how acutely he tailors his methods to the project’s context.
For a ballad piano, he’ll reach for ribbon mics and harmonic-rich preamps; for a drums on a pop banger, it’s all about phase-coherent multi-mic setups and quick compression moves to keep things sitting forward.
This adaptability - paired with an unrivaled record of shaping Israel’s contemporary sound, is what cements his position at the top of his field.
If the “song-a-day” philosophy is about learning through constant creation, then Gilad Eric Avni’s past month was a living example of that principle, scaled up to the demands of the professional music industry.
His work - spanning major-label releases, televised national events, and internationally streamed performances reflects not just technical know-how, but also an interesting instinct for when to preserve imperfection and let the performance speak for itself.
It’s a reminder that in music production, as in performance, momentum and adaptability are as valuable as any piece of gear.
