Mixer & Producer + Soundscaper

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I'm always, always learning. At the end of the day this is an art and there's really no "right" way to do it. I've had clients insist that I crank some frequency on an instrument that I swear is going to sound horrible but ends up making the track awesome - against my better judgement. You have to really have an open mind at all times. Technology has allowed almost anyone to make music. Sometimes the person with no experience can create a more honest, beautiful piece of music than a seasoned pro. It's really about the heart and not the brain. It's important to respect that.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I'm pretty good at delivering very punchy mixes...a term I realize that gets thrown around pretty liberally. But I do make a point to push the rhythmic elements against the compression wall. I want the song to jump out of whatever listening device it's being played on in an almost aggressive way that matches the energy of the message. All while still allowing every piece of the composition to shine in it's own space.

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

A: Hard rock, pop and metal. However I'm a fan of the good song regardless of the genre.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Patience.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I try to keep an eye on both the big picture as well as the minute details. Both can make or break a track. If something is not working I'm not going to sit back and let it slide. I try to address every aspect of the song and whatever it needs is what I'm going to make every effort to try to provide. From lyrics, to the right kick drum sound, that very subtle tambourine in the chorus, to removing or adding another bar of chorus (with approval of course), I try to deliver the best version of the song I can.

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

A: I recently recorded, produced and mixed Lacey Sturm's new album. It was her first "solo" album after leaving her major-label band "Flyleaf." I used to use her voice on her Flyleaf album's as a comparison any time I mixed girl-fronted hard rock bands and now I had to be the one making sure she sounded as good if not better than her previous high-budget albums. That release debuted at #1 hard-rock on iTunes and her fans loved the album so I felt proud to have helped her continue her legacy in a really good way. I also helped with vocal harmonies and even a guitar solo on that album.

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

A: 20+ years. I started recording my band on a 4-track tape recorder, moved up to 8-track reel-to-reel, ADATs and finally ProTools. Initially it was just a money-saving function to record myself but through my own releases my mixing work was noticed by many of my fellow musicians got me involved recording other people and grew from there.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I'm a ProTools guy although I do run an older version. The keyboard is an extension of my brain (lol).

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

A: Dave Pensado has a great YouTube channel and I love his work ethic and approach to music. But I also really appreciate musicians and song-writers that don't know anything about recording and purely can look at music in terms of it's emotional impact on listeners...because that's the most important part that sometimes gets lost on this side of the ProTools rig.

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

A: Lately I've been doing mostly vocal recording/arrangement and mixing. Generally when I mix I'm also tuning vocals, sound-replacing drums, adding synths and loops to make the track as big as possible.