Mixing, Mastering, Producer

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

A: "When can you do your amazing, magical work on my songs again?" "When you're done paying for the other ones, son."

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

A: I learned to mix because I couldn't find anyone to get my own band's record to sound any good, and certainly not the way it sounded in my head. So that's what started it all, and it's when I learned the most.

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

A: I'm new here.

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

A: I promise to work as hard as I can to make your music sound as great as you want it to be. And I'll cook you some mean scrambled eggs if you happen to be in town.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Making music sound good for a living - what's not to like?

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

A: Usually, a bad recording cannot be saved in mixing or mastering (although I'll always give it my best shot).

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you mean 'I'm funny'? Funny like I'm a clown, like I amuse you? I make you laugh? I'm here to fuckin' amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?

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

A: I'd suggest you listen to some of the stuff the provider has done (although just because he hasn't done stuff that's similar to your work, doesn't mean he won't do it or won't be good at it). And I'd also suggest you talk to the person and see if he or she is smart, open and a good communicator. No point in picking a guy who's gonna do whatever he wants to your song and ignore (or misunderstand) your requests.

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

A: Who the f&*% would take music gear to a desert island? Jesus Christ, you guys are weird.

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

A: I've been doing this for about four years, on and off. I've recently set up a studio where I live, so it's basically my full-time job now.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Don Draper meets Royal Tenenbaum.

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

A: Bjork. So I can stare at Bjork.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Obvious, but often a problem: Work *hard* on your drum recording. Nothing like shitty drums to make your track sound amateurish or unpleasant.

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

A: I've worked a lot on alternative (or "indie") rock, but I've also done synth pop, electronic music, afrobeat, gospel, rockabilly, folk, country, and even some heavy metal. And that's what I like: diversity. Working on only one kind of music won't get you to learn new stuff and to become a better engineer and producer.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Dart-throwing. I'm pretty awesome at it.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring whatever the client asks me to bring. Unless I'm doing actual production work on that track, I feel like my job is to basically get the recorded audio to sound as close as possible to what the client hears in his head. I'm not going to impose an aesthetic on their sound - unless that's what they tell me to do.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: If I'm mixing, I listen to the song to figure out where I'm supposed to take it (and I'll also listen to references the client might show me). Then, I'll fix and repair and edit the tracks, when necessary, to get the technical stuff out of the way. Only then will I actually begin mixing the song. The process can take from an afternoon to a couple of days, depending on the complexity of the song, number of tracks, and how soon the client needs that mix. If I have time, I like to do a "first draft", work on something else for a little while, and then come back to the song with fresher ears. This will usually reveal lots of areas that could be improved. After I'm satisfied with the mix, I'll send it to the client and get feedback. I want to know what I got wrong and how I can get it to sound closer to what the band or artist is hearing in their head. I'll do as many revisions as necessary, until the client is satisified with the results. And then I'll go throw some darts.

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

A: Artists I'm a fan of: Radiohead, Neil Young, Brian Eno, Bjork, Aphex Twin, Charles Mingus, Fela Kuti, Fleetwood Mac, Beach Boys, and many others. Producers and engineers I admire: Gabriel Roth, Steve Albini (even more so for his hilarious rants), Nigel Godrich, Peter Katis, Greg Calbi, John Cogleton, etc.

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

A: Mixing, mastering and the occasional production. I'm happy to work in all of these capacities. I'm also pretty awesome at darts.