Mixing & Production

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I'm a fellow Recording Artist, so I understand how important these projects are to my clients, and how important it is that the end result is a clear expression of who they are and *their* vision. I combine that with my knowledge of how to manage frequencies and dynamics to make an expressive mix. Using those skills in tandem is the key to a great result.

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

A: Electronic, pop, indie, club and hip-hop genres. I like to work with artists who are experimenting and trying new things, regardless of genre.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: First I like to solidify the goals of the client. Once that's established, I listen to the artist's rough mix to get a feel for what was important to them. When I begin my mix there's a lot of prep work beforehand—labeling and color coding tracks and importing elements from my template. Then I typically start with the drums and the bass. Once that foundation is established I tackle everything else. I'll check any references the client's given me to make sure I'm headed in the right direction.

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

A: I enjoy watching online tutorials and interviews with famous mixers. Not only do you get to learn about their techniques, but you observe their personalities and why they're great to work with.

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

A: I've been working professionally for over 10 years. I played trumpet in high school marching bands, jazz bands and orchestras, and sang in choir. After graduating from Full Sail University I moved to New York, working as an audio engineer. I started making music as 2Beeps soon after, becoming an accomplished songwriter, collaborator and commercial composer, with music featured on national ad campaigns and TV shows.

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

A: That I use or need a lot of gear. The tools are relatively simple, it's the knowledge to know how and when to use those tools that's important.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A new 2Beeps track!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. Analog can be emulated, digital cannot.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What's the emotion they're going for and what are some musical references they think are relevant to the project.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Intense focus and listening, both to my clients and to the project at hand.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I like a clean, bright space to work in. My studio is completely "in-the-box," meaning I use a laptop with professional-grade software instead of lots of physical gear. I'm extremely happy with this setup—I firmly believe quality is NOT compromised working with software anymore. I'm fluent with Pro Tools, Ableton, and plugins from all the major manufacturers.

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

A: Whether it's mixing someone else's music or making my own, my job is to help convey emotional impact. Spelling out the emotional goals helps everything else fall into place.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Fresh

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Listen to your mixes on as many crappy speakers as possible. The important elements of your music should be able to be heard on any and all of them.

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

A: If you're interested in a mixing engineer, start a dialog with them and listen to their work, see if it speaks to you. Take the time to find the mixer you think will really shine with your project.

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

A: An OP-1, Macbook Pro, ATH-M50 headphones, iPad, and Apollo Twin.

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

A: I did a re-dub of an Ori Toor animation he did for the Pictoplasma Festival. I made new music and sound design. His animation is so out-there and fluid, it was a lot of fun letting my imagination go and having fun with it.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: It's challenging and creative. I work with really cool people and I'm constantly pushing boundaries and experimenting with new technology.

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

A: It's not done until they're happy.