Production, Mixing, Mastering

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: A little bit of both. Mostly digital obviously, it sounds fantastic at this point and the workflow is brilliant. However, I do have some analog pieces (namely a tape machine) that I rely on for vibe at times. If a track needs a little vintage coloration, I have the tools for that.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Above all else, I love helping people express themselves and realize their potential in a constructive and fun way. Music is the best therapy, it's what makes me the happiest in this life and I love sharing that.

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

A: Be honest. The only bad experiences I've had working with clients is when someone isn't being honest about how they feel. It's not a burden on me to do another quick revision, it's not a problem for me to try something else if I didn't quite get the idea you were going for. Creating is a process of weeding through what doesn't work a lot of the time, and everyone needs to be completely honest about their feelings in order to produce the best work.

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

A: I went to school after recording high school bands in 2007 for Audio Engineering. I then worked in studios for a couple years before moving to Portland where I became active in the local music scene. Eventually I started recording more and more bands up here and decided to open up my basement studio to clients. 3 years later I'm doing what I love full time!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Dark, heavy, saturated. I love the darker side of things, I like making things crunchy, I love giving sounds impact. I love making things tingle your ears when you're listening on headphones.

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

A: Tierra Whack, she's so inventive and creative, I feel like I would walk away with a whole new perspective on producing beats.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Music affects us emotionally and physically, try to listen to how your body responds to a song you're working on, rather than trying to intellectualize it. Do you feel excited, sad, anticipation, relief, etc when listening to your track? Do you want to move and dance in your chair? Try to approach music with this focus.

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

A: It's an even split between heavier rock-based music (metal/punk), and more vocal-centric hip-hop and r&b.

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

A: I love the technical and creative side of music production. Technically I'm inspired by great engineers like Steve Albini, and Kurt Ballou. Creatively I'm obsessed by the production work on albums by Danny Brown, Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, 6lack, Tierra Whack, Rustie, Jacques Greene, among many others.

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

A: Most clients come to me with an idea for a song and we work together to grow that seed of an idea into a full song and production. This can be as basic as a simple guitar riff, or a song that just needs that last 10% to tell the story you're trying to get out there.