tom eaton - Music

Using vintage and modern synthesizers, electric and lap steel guitars, fretted and fretless basses, myriad sonic sculpting devices, field recordings, and ambient piano, I make what Ambient Music Guide calls “lush, shadowed, emotional music that’s rich in harmonies and oceanic layers and…so deliciously slow.”

The spatial and dynamic aesthetic of the classic Hearts of Space, Windham Hill, and Private Music albums resonates through my work, described by Hypnagogue as “breathtaking…rich, complex and beautifully structured.”

My work has been featured on NPR's Echoes, Hearts of Space, Star’s End, SiriusXM, NPR, and many other programs, and my 2021 album Brothers with Will Ackerman and Jeff Oster was nominated for the Best New Age GRAMMY® award.

oto

A score to a video game that doesn't exist yet.

"Oto" arrived in a flurry. Each layer of sound suggested the next, and each piece led to the following one. I found myself making choices that were out of the ordinary for me, but completely right for what the music seemed to want to be.

It's one of the oddest albums I've made and I'm so glad it decided to present itself to me to shepherd it into being. The music definitely has opinions of its own and my job was to just get out of the way and listen.

streaming links

until the light was gone

The new ambient album from Vin Downes (electric guitars) and me (keys, bass, percussion) was released on May 29th. Stream the album anywhere now via the links below, or order the cd or digital download from the store!

streaming links

"Lushly and intricately produced, beautifully meditative and highly vulnerable…
Eaton reveals himself to be an incredible storyteller."
The JW Vibe

"Whatever separation there is between nature and the technologies used to assemble his
material dissolves when the music floods the listening space."
Textura

"Tom Eaton’s piano playing is a revelation"
Wind and Wire

"A piano sound to lust after, immersed in a suggestive, gauzy world of beautifully
wrought electronics and guitar loops"
Tim Story

"A beautiful, shimmering, and colorful emotional experience, with strong melodic content
morphing slowly like waves as each piece slowly progresses"
Expose

jump to the store

The loft at Sounds & Substance. Favorite instruments and tools are close at hand: from left to right there's my Yamaha EX5 (pad monster) over an Access Virus TI, and an ASM Hydrasynth over an Expressive E Osmose. The Rhodes (made by Roland in the 80s) MK80, sits above the racks which contain a Fractal AXE-FXii, a Cranesong Avocet IIa, a Phoenix preamp (for the Rhodes and whatever bass I might be playing) and MOTU 16a and 8a interfaces. All the keyboards have dedicated inputs into the computer via the MOTU boxes and can be selected by name in PT or DP. I have TC Clarity meters (the small display on the right side on top of the MK80) here in the loft and downstairs (a great little tool!). Kensington Expert Mice live at all the computers I use. A Modal Cobalt 8 and Korg opSix are above the racked Novation Supernova, Yamaha TX802, and Roland D550. The Waldorf Quantum is below, and then there's a Roland JD800 sitting on my suitcase Rhodes. Not seen is the Seaboard ROLI tucked under the Quantum, and the Yamaha CP70 which is in the right corner with the Korg Labda on top. Most of my music starts on the CP70. Music Man and G&L basses and DBZ guitars are in the foreground. The lap steel is hanging on the rack by the opSix. Not seen but occasionally pressed into service: Ensoniq TS10, Yamaha DX7iid, Korg DW8000, Korg DSS-1, and Roland JX10.

Most recording work is done in ProTools, while drone and looping work is done in Digital Performer's POLAR. Monitors are Genelec 8351b and Hales Design Concept 3 with stereo NHT subs, with the Avocet Quantum handling the D/A, level control, and switching.

GET in touch via the contact form

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until the light was gone

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