Music Producer / Mixing

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I like to keep it essential. Hardware-wise: a Mac Pro, Ableton Push, Studiologic Acuna 88 and a Presonus Monitor Station V2. For monitoring I use Sennheiser KH310, an Avantone MixCube and Sennheiser HD650. I have a Tele and a J-bass. I used Ableton Live for a decade, now I'm on Bitwig Studio 3. I have way more plugins than I really need.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm writing new material for NeZoomie and producing music for other artists.

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

A: I mastered the whole album "Uncored" for Need a Name (aka Dario Lupo). He was especially appreciative that I had brought his tracks' sound closer to the references he provided. I was proud when he told me that one of the tracks received a substantial placement in a commercial.

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

A: JT Roach is a great songwriter. Check him out if you're in need of an excellent hook.

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

A: When a customer has to prepare the material for mixing or mastering, I often get asked what type of processing or plugins should be removed. I think the rule of thumb is: anything that contributes to shaping the character of the sound should stay, while effects used to blend the individual tracks in the mix (including reverbs and delays) or artificially increase the loudness (like limiters or clippers) should be left out. When in doubt, bounce a copy of the audio tracks without any processing involved and make sure to name the files accordingly.

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

A: I started making music out of curiosity around 1999, tinkering with the software Music for Playstation 1. I quickly became obsessed and began creating compositions with Acid Music and FruityLoops, then later with Reason. At the time I was following the European techno and trance scene, and released my first tracks as Evangelist. In the mid 2000s I focused more on controllerism and live performance, switching to Ableton Live. I collaborated with the netlabel Sostanze Records, helping them with mixing and mastering on several releases. My first release as NeZoomie was in 2010 as part of the compilation "Don't believe the hype".

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

A: I'm a big fan of The Postal Service. I'd love to have the chance to work with Ben Gibbard and hear his voice in a more electronic context once again.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. It's powerful, convenient and more than enough to create awesome-sounding songs.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The inebriating feeling I get when I hear a song coming together.

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

A: That I only like funk and disco. I draw inspiration from multiple genres and I love pushing my production chops into new territories.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: It depends on the actual job, however, understanding the need of the artist and the vision of the song is paramount. Here are some common questions: - What are your goals? - What do you expect me to bring to the project? - Can you provide any reference tracks?

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

A: Use commercially available songs to convey your vision rather than only using words. This will help the provider to understand better what you want and will result in less revisions. Try to select 2-3 tracks that embody a reasonable goal and context for your song. When selecting them, keep the following in mind: - You want to select tracks with a similar vibe, tempo and sound of your song - Aim high: pick the most successful, and best sounding, examples - Scout the playlists on Spotify that you would like to end up into - Be realistic! Every song is unique, yours will always sound a bit different as well. And that's OK as long as we can get you in the same ballpark

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

A: A laptop with my DAW and plugins, a solar power portable generator, my headphones, a satellite WI-FI router, a smartphone: that way I'd still be able to deliver what your song needs!

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

A: Catchy, vocal-driven Pop is my natural habitat. If there's a dance-floor component involved, even better.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I listen to the provided material several times, trying to imagine how it could naturally evolve, what parts already work and what needs some love. I then write down a list of how to proceed and check with the artist if it matches their vision.

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

A: I'm a big fan of the electronic duo Oliver and Billboard, their production is incredible. Chromeo, Passion Pit and Madeon have been a great inspiration for my own music. Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie is one of my absolute favourites when it comes to lyrics.

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

A: I fill in the gap to complete the artist's vision. This can range from mastering the final production to coming up with the last 20% that makes the finished song shine.

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

A: If you work with me, I want you to be 100% happy with the result. It's your music, you should love it!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: High energy, vocal-driven Pop, with a wink to Funk, Disco and EDM.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Get your sounds tight and clean at the production stage.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Problem-solving, and having an understanding of what works in different situations.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Technical skills and experience learned through the years, but most importantly my taste and intuition.