Remote Mixing + Production

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: When presented a project, I lay it all out in front of me and dig in to each part of it individually. What I focus on, before we even start, is the quality of the samples used in the song, the quality of the vocal recording, the quality of the performance of the vocals or instrumentation etc. The top 40 songs you hear have maximized the quality of each of these components, and if you want to compete, you have to as well. I know what you're thinking: "I don't have the budget or resources to achieve this quality". Large budgets and word-class studios help, but the secret-sauce to every great song lies in the focus and will-power of the Artist and their Team. I've mixed 100s of records and through my experience, will give you genuine guidance on how to maximize your project.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I'm one of the chief Tracking and Mixing Engineers at Clear Lake and Fever Recording Studios in North Hollywood, CA. My go-to rooms are Clear Lake Studio A and Fever Studio One. Studio A is a George Augspurger room where I have a vintage Trident 80b console and a huge rack of vintage outboard gear. I have a vintage U67 that I use for tracking most vocals. This room is special and I always leave with a very warm and vintage, yet hi-fi, sound. Studio One at Fever Recording comes equipped with a SSL Duality the highest quality modern gear that is being used on Top-40 records every day. Studio One is home to artists such as J Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Terrace Martin, Alina Baraz and more. Between these two rooms, I can always catch the vibe that I want, and know that I'll leave with nothing but top quality art.

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

A: The final realization of a finished, polished song doesn't come from the "mix" or the plugins I use to mix your track. It comes from the communication between an artist and a producer or mixing engineer, the focus and motivation to make every part of the song perfect, for you, and to never settle. It comes from being honest with yourself and being able to welcome helpful criticism and learn and get better. Its a process that requires dedication and hard work, but it will always be worth the work. Hey, once you share your song with the world, it's there forever. How do you want to present yourself to the world?

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Focus and perspective on the task at hand: Maximizing a song's potential. For example, when I receive a song to mix, before I start any editing or mixing, I reference, reference, reference. This is this process of listening to a ton of finished projects, generally all of your favorite songs that inspired the project to be mixed, to give you perspective on where your project currently stands and where we need to take it. I'll never settle and will always give you my honest opinion. For example, I may give you a specific list of lyrics that I think you could enunciate better, give you advice on creating a bigger vocal production (finding harmonies, adding background vocals etc.)I may offer to replace some of your samples with higher quality ones (kicks, snares, transitions etc). While I am here to maintain your creative direction, I'll always give you my genuine take on what we can do to make your project the absolute best.