Mixing & Mastering

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Right now I'm working with a couple of unsigned bands and a on project called 'Rock & Roll Time Machine'

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

A: How much do you charge? I thought you were a folk guy? How long did that beard take to grow? It depends on the project, not exclusively and this long.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Despite working in the digital era I still take a very traditional 'tape' approach. If I'm recording a band I like to make it as live as possible so it sounds like a band and not just layers.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: If it's a mixing job then I'll listen to the stems a couple of times and find the parts of the song that really jump out at me and that's my starting point for a mix, then it's a case of making the mix as great as possible. If I'm producing a project then I like to go to see the band live first if possible so I can get a feel for what their sound is and see how they work. Normally there will be the a few discussions about which artists they like, how they want their material to sound and what the client is trying to achieve.

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

A: Andy Wallace, George Martin, Butch Vig, Ross Robinson, Peter Gabriel, T Bone Burnett, GGGarth... The list is endless really!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The only bit I don't like is cleaning up afterwards

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

A: Nah, not going!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both have their pros and cons. Whatever works best.

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

A: I'll never settle for 'that'll do'

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

A: That I'm a purely folk guy. I play a lot of traditional folk stuff and got stuck with that label for a bit, but the truth is I love working on all styles of music, it's all great.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do YOU want out of the project?

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

A: Never be afraid to ask questions, I'm an easygoing guy and I'll happily discuss anything.

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

A: I've started playing in the early 90s, then I quit my day job to be a touring musician back in 2004. After that I went to university to study performance and production which was when I discovered my love of mixing and production. Since then I've been trying to work with as many different artists as I can.

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

A: Robert J Hunter's Songs For the Weary album was the first time I actively 'produced' a project rather than just engineering and mixing it; it was a real eye opener, but a great one. The lead single from that album went straight in at number one on the iTunes blues chart which was a really special moment, and one that can never be taken away.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Listen to as much as possible, even if it's not your bag, everything has mileage.

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

A: Anything, I don't like to stick to a particular genre

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I'm a good listener with an ear for detail.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I might make the odd suggestion here and there but I never try to get involved with the actual writing or structure of the songs, it's not my place to. So I guess what I bring to the song is honesty, I work with what I have available and try to make that as good as it can be.

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

A: Mainly stem mixing, but I have worked as the producer on several recordings too.