Testimonials

Working with John was a really important chapter in my life. Early in 2008, I reached out to him because he was recommended by Elliot Brood (with whom I’d done some touring in Australia). I’d been hustling in obscurity and venturing further and further into debt. I believed in the songs, and had the sense that the next album would either make me or break me. John was extremely thoughtful and I could tell he spent a lot of time with the demos. We worked together for nearly a month. I invited musician friends to join us at times, and he pulled from his community (for example, he introduced me to Todor Kobakov who arranged the strings for Basket). John really believed in getting the take and we recorded most everything live off the floor with the band. I remember telling him that I wanted it to sound bluegrassy at times but that it should feel like a party (remember, this was long before Mumford and Sons and the arrival of “arena folk”). One time, John and I got into an argument about some creative impasse, and I’ve never forgotten what he said… something along the lines of, “Maybe somewhere between what I like and what you like is something cool and different that neither of us would have ever considered on our own”. It’s a principle I’ve worked with ever since – that we should stay in discovery mode at every part of the process. John was dedicated to this work. I remember him burning CDs and going for long solo drives down the QET in the evenings so he could listen to the mixes. Nice, Nice, Very Nice changed my life – the rollout of that album was such a whirlwind. I’m so thankful for my time with John and Tina at Green Door. Good people doing good things.

Lowest of the Low have recorded a bunch of singles and albums at Green Door over the last decade. The relaxed vibe and artistic surroundings – from gig posters and paintings to vintage gear – provide a fertile space for creation. It’s a testament to John’s engineering skills that of the 22 albums I’ve recorded I feel the ones laid down at Green Door are the warmest and truest to the band’s sound. And it doesn’t hurt to have the founding member of a legendary Canadian indie band behind the board.

John Critchley at the Green Door Studios has been my go to recording engineer, mixer and magical ear for the past Decade. We began our friendship creating an album, Orchestral Powwow that was Juno Nominated in the Instrumental Category. His ability to understand recording symphonic instruments as well as pop and electronic makes him a great catch in the recording world. I have worked with him on Dance projects, Film and TV Scores and Albums. He is great with any size of project and his mixing ear is phenomenal. Our most recent film score is going to TIFF this year in 2025. Highly recommend John for his magical ear and chill vibes.

Recording at Green Door Studio with John Critchley manning the console is a relaxed, creative and very professional experience. Coupled with a great studio room reminiscent in size and vibe of Motown’s Hitsville USA you have the perfect combination for a winning final product.

“Green Door was such an awesome space to create and write two of our most popular records.  The space is a perfect place to create and record and John is like a quiet and patient captain guiding the ship. His advice and creativity are a huge part of the records we made there and even helped nab us a Juno for Days Into Years.

Eight years recording at Green Door Studios, and we just keep coming back! There’s nothing like the welcoming atmosphere John creates, paired with the high quality engineering we get every time. The live room and vocal booth makes it a perfect studio to capture raw energy, while maintaining an extremely professional sound. John and Green Door Studios do not disappoint, that’s why in almost ten years as a band we’ve never recorded at any other studio!

Recording at Green Door Studio with John Critchley manning the console is a relaxed, creative and very professional experience. Coupled with a great studio room reminiscent in size and vibe of Motown’s Hitsville USA you have the perfect combination for a winning final product

Green Door is a cozy and pro studio that made us feel at home, and the downtown west-end location makes it super convenient.

John’s engineering and production skills brought the sound of the Tijuana Bibles up several notches on the two albums that we recorded and mixed there, with his ear for detail and editing being a major factor. His experience and modern gear in combination with the warm-sounding room made for an environment that helped us to realize the vision we had for our music.

We felt safe to be the little weirdos we are. I still think and learn from our time there. Such a pivotal point in our lives.

Working with John completely changed the course of my life. I learned what it takes to be one of the good ones as a producer and a person right when I needed it. I think about John every time I fire up my own studio which never would have happened if not for his experience, example, guidance and patience.

Also…comfy, vibey, killer sound, and cool gear.

John does it all and does it perfectly. Very nice man and works with the band to get the best out of you . 10 out of 10 !

We have recorded multiple projects with John at Green Door Studios and will definitely be planning a return visit for future projects. When you walk into Green Door Studios you immediately feel at home. John is welcoming and eager to take your vision to the next level and has cultivated an atmosphere at GDS that is truly conducive to creativity.

We had the privilege of working with John on our album “Kidding On The Square” at Green Door Studios and were blown away by the experience. John was incredibly easy to work with, especially when it came to navigating our band’s dynamics and musical vocabulary. We feel like he was able to get the very best out of us and cannot recommend John and GDS enough.

Green Door Studio is about as comfortable and cool as it gets.  A calming, neutral air; with no pretention, despite the legendary Canuck rock hero on the board.  Deadly gear if you don’t want to lug yours.  Plus, fabulous communication during the process, hooked me to long for another visit; and i plan on it.  Green means go!

I’ve been working steadily with John at green door studio since 2019.  In that time I’ve recorded four albums, an EP and a single for four different bands.   What can I say, John is excellent to work with and the recording, mixing and productions he brings is the best I’ve experienced.  Regardless of the musical style, the comment I most hear is “that’s a great sounding recording”.

Let’s break it down.  It starts with the recording and John gets great sounds starting at the drums all the way up to the guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion, horns, you name it. But what I really like is his recording of vocals, from picking the mic that suits your voice to the ease of the process to get the final track.

What’s amazing is watching the magic of him on the recording software as he edits and blends the tracks for the final take.  The efficiency and ease that he works at keeps the flow of the session moving for the artist.

That’s John the engineer and technician but what is the part that goes way beyond technology is John Critchley is an amazing musician with a train musical depth that he never flexes. He uses it to give that piece of guidance, advice or an idea at that right time. As a producer he creates a great atmosphere for you to create.  The Green door space has a magical cottage vibe in the heart of Toronto.  John never tries to dominate but has the calm assurance that when he gives an idea or suggestion it’s spot on and raises your song to a new level.

I’ve touched on his engineering, his producing and by extension that bring us to his mixing. The man has impeccable ears.  He gets where all the instruments, vocies need to sit.  When you get a mix from John your notes have more to do with a minor tweak based on personal preference.  In all cases he nails it out of the gate. His final mixes are professional and world class.

Lastly, John can be summed up as a solid unpretentious guy who cares about the craft of making the best sounding music possible for the artists he works with.  He’s a gem and I can’t recommend him or his studio the Green Door high enough.

I worked with John in the early days of the pandemic and by the time we’d agreed to work together on what would become ‘And the Country Stirred’, we were living in a very different 2020. Despite the technological issues inevitable in making an album over email, it came out incredibly well. It’s the only work of mine I ever chose to have pressed on vinyl, and it’s what people still ask me about. John is incredibly insightful about not just working with artists but how to best express their ideas.

As a long time musician who has recorded at various studios throughout my career, I find working at Green Door studios to be relaxing and productive. The room is excellent for live sounds. John is able to capture great recordings in a timely fashion and provides excellent suggestions and tips as needed. When it comes to mixing John is thorough and timely and always quick to provide and remix ideas that are requested and always delivers what I think are outstanding results.

John/Green Door Studios were highly recommended to us by Peter J. Moore and Fred Robinson (UIC), we are happy to have taken their advice!-great floor spaces to record in, comfy control/listening booth and, engineer, John Critchley got us the greatest sounds ever!     I can listen to our album right next to my million dollar produced Mastodon albums, or whatever, and it doesn’t wither!!! John, as producer, has great hearing and seemed to know what I wanted to do before I even told him which made the sessions flow easy and he went far beyond the call of duty to make our record sound the way it does!! We want to do another one there!”

Love the results we get with John at Green Door.  From tasty vintage gear to a water bowl tuned to D to an inspired Mellotron track he added himself after hours, John has helped us realize our vision session after session.  Anything goes!

Above all, as a meticulous (perhaps even challenging) client at times, I value very highly the effort and attitude John invariably brings to the board.  Positively stellar mixes.  Highly recommended.

We had a wonderful time working with John at Green Door Studios for our albums ‘In the Hills’ and ‘Sing to the Night’. John was an incredible producer and helped guide us as we navigated recording our first proper studio albums. John was super keen to do whatever it took to ensure the project sounded great and ran on schedule. It’s a wonderful welcoming space and we fondly remember our time there recording. We appreciated John sharing some of his network connections with us as a new band on the scene, and always coming out to catch our shows when we come through Toronto. Highly recommend, we only wish we lived closer so we could come back again!

John’s got a rare ear for detail and a calm, steady, creative presence that pulls the best out of you. He captures performances with a life and energy that stand the test of time. Green Door blends comfort and inspiration with great gear and an organic vibe.

I have worked with John in studio both as a background/harmony singer and as a lead singer and guitarist on my own material. He has a great respect and love for the art itself, which is what makes him so good at what he does. You can tell he actually cares. He has excellent instincts and knows exactly when to make suggestions. He also has a great sense of humour and a very chill demeanor. Highly recommend.

John is not only a talented mixer but a wonderful producer. He pushed me to perform my best and also arranged my songs in a favourable way I wouldn’t have thought possible. The studio itself is tranquil, inspiring, and comfortable. I totally recommend Green Door Studios and John for any project.