Producer, Musician, Engineer

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: During the pandemic, my friend and amazing songwriting partner wrote a song for the first responders who were saving the world. We tracked the song, mixing and mastered it and paired it with a video of photos from all over the US of nurses, doctors, and other first responders who were on the front lines of the pandemic. It was a beautiful project during a time when we were all out of work. I tracked guitars for it as well as handled the mixing.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm producing a song for a major fashion company which I'm not allowed to say as well as mixing for a whole slew of independent artists.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: I'm pretty new to SoundBetter so...not just yet haha.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both of course. Depends on the source, the genre, and the necessity of one over the other. Sometimes the best choice is to not go analog.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: That we will nail the sound your looking for and we'll keep going until it's right.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The variety of music and people I get to experience daily. It's wonderful!

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Can you work within a budget? My answer is usually yes and lets chat about it.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That the mixing process can turn a beat up 1982 Dodge Dart into a vintage Lamborghini. A great recording makes a great mix. Get it right at the source.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What's your budget? What's your timeline? What's your expectations?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Reach out and start a dialog. The online "hiring" process can be very impersonal for an artist who's trusting their art with a stranger.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: An iMac, my UAD 710d, a Neumann U67, any MIDI control surface, and my 1962 Fender Strat

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I started getting paid to play gigs as a musician 25 years ago and never stopped. I've been a full-time San Diego-based musician for 13 years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Open-minded and passionate.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Ben Folds. Because he's incredible and inspiring.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Before you start coating your production with EQ and compression, try moving your microphone. An inch here or there could be the difference between you needing to EQ/Compress and not. Too much over-processing in a lot of music today.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Pop, Rock, Soundtrack

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Listening

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A refined and experienced musician's ear with an emphasis on serving the needs of the song.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For mixing, usually a week to take the raw multi-tracks and bring them to a final polished mix. For production, it's very genre dependent--could take from a couple days up to a couple weeks. For session work, I can usually turn over a recording within a day, if needed, though I prefer at least two days.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work out of my home in San Diego with a dedicated studio room with acoustic treatment. I run a hybrid system that incorporates some top quality pre-amps (Neve, SSL, UA) and compressors with my Logic Pro rig. I monitor on Yamaha HS-80s with a pair of Auratone cubes to supplement.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: So many. As a mixer, I very much look up to Michael Brauer, Ryan Hewitt, Matthew Weiss, and Craig Bauer. As a producer, Daniel Lanois, Rick Rubin, Jeff Lynne, and Phil Ramone. As a musician, I've always been hugely inspired by many genres: Billy Joel, The Beatles, Tommy Emmanuel, John Mayer, Oscar Peterson, Beethoven, Chris Martin, Ben Folds, Guster, and the list could go on for days.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Most of my work comes via word of mouth for mixing, production, or session work. I love to keep open communication and get my clients the mixes/performances they're hoping for.