Recording/Mixing/Mastering

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I try to bring out a song's intended emotional delivery, whatever that may be. I always bring my best judgment to the table, and try to figure out what each song is trying to say, and then transform it into something the common listener can interpret based off of the artist's vision.

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

A: I am always inspired by the tireless efforts of musicians in getting their craft out into the world. This is the kind of thing that keeps me going. I love being the helping hand to an artist trying to bring their vision to life.

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

A: I recorded all of David Crosby's last record "Here If You Listen" which was an extremely inspiring experience. To work alongside such fantastic people and musicians such as Croz, Michael League, Michelle Willis and Becca Stevens, there's no way NOT to be inspired. We experimented with and committed to sounds, we explored emotions and how to portray them through the music, and most importantly we all brought 110% every day to make the record come out as beautiful as it did, and I'm very proud of the role that I played in it.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: If I'm given the choice and am both recording and mixing the record, as long as I can get on a great console or into some great microphone preamps with some great microphones capturing great musicians, I am more than certain that I can deliver a 100% in-the-box mix that will sound fantastic. I always record with the mix in mind, and therefore put great emphasis on tracking things properly and in a way that serves the music first. In short, a great analog front-end will allow for a great digital back-end.

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

A: My promise is to do everything in my power to help get your music to the place that you envision it.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like to see the payoff of countless hours on an artist's behalf come to life. When they hear the mix in a great room and finally see what kind pf potential it held all along. When the client is able to listen to their music and become inspired by it again after I have mixed it, there's no greater feeling to me.

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

A: That we're magicians and can make anything out of what we're given. We can only push a song so far, as the artist is truly the one responsible for the song, I'm responsible for how the listener hears it.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: First I ask what their vision is; where they want the song to go. Secondly, I tend to ask how the material was recorded so that I know what I'm starting with. I've worked with tracks that were recorded in the best studios in the world, and also on budget microphones in a musty basement. It really doesn't matter too much so long as the song is great and arranged well.

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

A: A Neumann U67, Coles 4038, Apollo 8p, and two Focal SM9s

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is whatever it needs to be to make a particular record sound great.

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

A: I wish I had the opportunity to work with Elliot Smith, as his music speaks so much. I would have loved to have been involved in his creative process.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't record anything with the intent of fixing it in the mix, because it rarely works. Record instruments with intent, with what they should sound like, or what you want them to sound like for a particular song. Let the song and mix guide themselves in the right direction from the start.

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

A: My strengths lie with acoustic music and singer-songwriters, as I tend to view mixing visually as well as sonically. While I love to create a convincingly real and intimate sound, I also like to break these same barriers by experimenting with and creating other-worldly sounds within the same context.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: After receiving files from the client, I tend to build a basic balance and start working from the top-down. I believe in keeping the song in perspective at all times, therefore I never start a mix by soloing the kick drum.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I currently work out of Flux Studios in New York City. Among the five rooms we have available, I have a Neve 53 console, a plethora of modern and vintage hardware processing, and all the plugins one could ask for. As a mixer I am working mostly in the box for recall ability's sake, however I do tend to lean into analog summing world depending on the project.

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

A: I am primarily a recording and mixing engineer, which make up about 70% of my current workload. I also offer mastering, editing, restoration, film scoring, and on-location recording (depending on the project specs).