Mixing Engineer/Mix Ninja

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

A: Mixing engineer on most of the Rap/HipHop in my area.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Jake Lacoste's new album.

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

A: Justin Perkins - Mastering Engineer

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! The recall of digital means a lot less headaches for both parties, and each passing year is bridging the gap between algorithms and circuits. That being said, analog gear and boards have a certain sound that some seek and the ability to physically touch the faders/knobs attach you to the song a bit more.

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

A: To do my absolute best on every song I ever work on.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Learning new techniques and old tricks.

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

A: People not in the recording or music industry rarely have any idea what a mixing engineer does. They just assume once it's recorded, it's already perfect and ready to release!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Their vision/purpose of the song.

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

A: Make sure it's a good mutual fit.

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

A: La2a, A7x's, Maag EQ, SSL style buss comp, pultec tube EQs

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

A: I wanted to be a part of music creation but like many audio engineers, I wasn't a natural musician. Once I discovered what a DAW was in about 2006/2007 I knew I wanted to be the guy behind the scenes.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Thorough

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

A: Big KRIT

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: A hit song is a compelling performance of a great song. Capture the greatness in recording, magnify it with mixing, and polish it with mastering.

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

A: Rap/R&B/HipHop

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Critical listening.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: My priority is first to bring out the artists vision of what the song needs to be. I do feel that I leave an imprint on any project I work on, but not to the point of trying to take a song and make it my own. I want to give the artist exactly what they envisioned with techniques continue to perfect on every project.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My first go-to is the drums. I get the Kick and Snare to the point where they are balanced and driving the track. Then I move to other percussion and bring in the vocals and other instrumentation. Subgroups are sent out to the Tube EQ's and printed back into protools throughout the process. After a good balance is achieved with the broad strokes of applying various inserts to the subgroups, if any individual tracks need adjustment or to be fixed I then go through and do the minor tweaks. Vocals in the genres that I work in often require large amounts of time with all of the dynamic processing and also time-based fx. Some also require timing correction and pitch correction. After all the elements are where I want them I print the mix back into ProTools and either send to a Mastering Engineer or do the Mastering myself if that's what the client prefers.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Universal Audio interface, ProTools, Adam A7x monitors, T10 Tremblor Subwoofer, KlarkTeknik EQP-KT (pair), CP5 Preamp, all cables hand soldered with Neutrik Gold connectors. Plug-ins from: UAD, Waves, Slate Digital, Fab Filter, Anteras Tech, Brainworx, many more. Room is treated with Roxul panels for a better acoustic environment.

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

A: Mike Dean, Butch Vig, MixedByAli, Andy Wallace, Chad Butler

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

A: Mixing is my primary job for most clients. Many of those also hire me to master their songs too. I work mainly in Rap/R&B/HipHop but have worked in many genres.