Andrew Rawbone-Viljoen

My Story

I developed a love for music from a young age while listening to the likes of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and The Animals. 

I first achieved my Diploma in audio engineering at Cape Audio College in 2002 and then moved on to SAE (School of Audio Engineering) in Byron Bay, Australia where I achieved my Bachelor of Audio Production degree and developed a love for recording and producing music. I was the first audio student to receive the staff award at SAE for outstanding achievement and contribution.

Since returning from Australia, I have built Digital Forest Studio into what it is today. I have had the privilege of working with various artists both internationally and locally including Glen Power (The Script), Will Linley, Goodluck, Al Bairre, The Plastics, Diamond Thug, Jackal & the Wind, Amy Ayanda, Jonathan Rubain, ChianoSky, Farryl Purkiss, Macstanley, Yoav, Fetish (UK), and many more. 

In 2015/16 I engineered The Plastics' album 'In-Three's', Al Bairre’s EP 'Experience the Al Bairre Show With Al Bairre Experience', Medicine Boys' album 'Kinda Like Electricity' and Slow Jacks' chart topping single 'Love To Dream'. I also embarked on a seminar with world-renowned producer Joe Barresi (Chevelle, Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Xavier Rudd & Soundgarden to name a few) at the beautiful La Fabrique Studio in the South Of France where I added a great deal to my knowledge of production and especially mixing.

In 2017/18 I engineered Roger Luceys' album 'Now Is The Time' and Radio Rats' album 'The Concise Rock And Roll Primer'. In 2017 I also embarked on a mixing course in Malibu, California, USA with legendary mixing engineer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley (Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Journey etc).

In 2019/20 I engineered for the SAMA award winning album by Lo-Ghost 'Cult Pop', The Plastics' SAMA nominated album 'The Bright Blue Orchids', Amy Ayanda's EP 'Young', Georgia Rose' album 'The Same Mistakes' and The Soap Girls' single 'Heart In Bloom'.

In 2021/22 I engineered SAMA nominated album by Goodluck 'Up Close', David Jantjies' singles 'God Het 'n Behae' and 'Trust', The Soap Girls' album 'In My Skin' and Will Linley's smash hit single 'Last Call'.

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In addition to recording music I have also worked on numerous television/cinema commercials for clients such as Olmeca Tequila, Toyota, Speedy, Head And Shoulders, winning a Vuka Award for best sound design and music in 2007. Before leaving for Australia, I also engineered all the audio for season 1 of ‘Cooked’, a cooking show for BBC Food.

I am an experienced Audio Engineer with strong leadership and relationship-building skills. I have 20 years’ experience recording music and television commercial work. I am skilled in both Pro Tools and Logic. I have run my own sound studio for 17 years. My areas of expertise include recording, editing, mixing and production. I am excellent at juggling multiple tasks and working under pressure. I have outstanding communicational skills. I am adaptable, organized, creative, mature and reliable.