Mixing & Mastering,Producer

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

A: Mixing, Mastering, Production,Tuning Vocals. I have many clients that want a mix and master at first, but then I assist them with additional production to take their tracks to the next level. I'm strongly believe that my music background help me a lot.

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

A: I've been doing it professionally about 15 years. I started naturally as a musician when I was 5 years old to learn Classic and Folk music.Later on I developed interest in playing different instruments such as guitar, bass, keys and drums. I was always good at music theory and rhythm with perfect pitch.This is why it was easy to pick any instrument in the band. Of course during my teen years , rock&roll hit me so hard.Then Alternative Rock and Grunge. When I played with my band I was always curious about how we could record our songs. Oh boy, we made it with one mic Shure SM58 and a cassette Deck, it was a magical time in my life! It was then that I fall in love with audio recording.In my 20th I was recording and mixing my friend's songs.Then I was invited to work at recording studio. Got more clients etc... I've been doing it professionally about 15 years.

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

A: It's hard to pick just one. But one that comes to mind was my work with a band called The NYChillharmonic-To Covet A Quiet Mind. This band is from New York and records with a combination of Strings Orchestra, Brass, an Indi-Rock Band and a powerful female voice. It was a challenge to mix & master this song. The String Orchestra was recorded in Prague. The Brass, rhythm section and Vocal was recorded in Bunker Studio NY. I had to make the sound of this song powerful but balanced.To be honest it's not often that you get an opportunity to work with this kind of style of music. But I value this experience till this day and the fact that I could work on a big project with talented musicians.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on with an artist Dusty Roach on this song Fickle Friend. This song has great energy, pressure and performance.

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

A: What I think of their song. I tell them the truth.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How the song was recorded, what daw etc. What is your vision for the song/project?

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Contemporary. Powerful.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Less is more sometimes

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

A: Pop,Inde-Rock,Hip Hop,Techno, Jazz,Acoustic

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I will first connect with the main emotion and vibe that the song gives me, then it's all about how to potentiate it and get it to a competitive and balanced sound, always keeping the emotion at first.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Logic Pro X, Mac Studio, LOTS of analog outboard gear, Neumann KH310 & Reftone Cube monitors, Rupert Neve Design 5057 analog summing mixer and many plugins like Slate Digital,Valhalla,Fabfilter,SoundToys,SSL,Izotope etc

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: They are both awesome! But I do love outboard gear. The sound of analog just has this magic vibe, and its about "feel". There is a special ingredient when you use Analog gear. But as the wise say it is all about the person behind the gear!

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

A: 100% commitment to my jobs. Also I love what I do, and you will see that reflected in the music and throughout all the process. You won't regret taking the leap!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Making people happy with my work.

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

A: I'd say as a mixer, there is a big misconception that all the magic happens when you go to mix. I would say that magic should be there from the moment you push record - the vibe and idea should be there all along, and my job as a mixer should be to preserve and clarify what is already happening there. Don't save anything for down the road or fixing it later, that rough mix should get people excited! And then when you mix it for real it can take a true step forward technically and sonically.

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

A: Make sure your songs/production are good. No amount of mixing can make a bad song a good one.

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

A: 1) Neumann KH310-My Monitors,2) Antelope Orion Studio Audio interface, 3) Rupert Neve Design 5057 Summing Mixer, 4) SSL Bus+ Comp & Dynamic EQ,5) Rupert Neve Design MBP. To be honest couple more:API5500 EQ,Dangerous BAX EQ, Dangerous AD+ Converter, Tegeler Audio EQP1 and Tegeler Audio VTC

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

A: I like to find the good in anything I'm working on, and have had the pleasure of working with lots of great artists. What I love about my job is the diversity.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I would say my sense of musicality - I play drums, guitar, bass, and keys and have a fairly advanced grasp of music theory as well as a very strong sense of relative pitch. I can very quickly familiarize myself with the chord progressions and melodies of the songs I am working on, and very often contribute creatively to what I am working on, even when it is just "mixing".Also my experience is my strongest skill.I have a set of my trusty ears.I know what it's like to work with great music and what a track needs to be to get to that next level.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Mixing: After I receive files and funding, I will prep the session and get it on my calendar, or let the client know if there's something missing or that needs to be fixed. I get a first pass to clients typically in 3-5 days and then if they have notes I recall and address as needed. Mastering: I generally listen to the song outside of the DAW, making sure it sounds like a decent mix, and that there's no major technical issues. Once I've confirmed everything is good to go, I schedule it in and hit it usually within a few days.