Music Producer & Mix Engineer

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: If it's production work the first thing I ask is what they're looking for in terms of sound & vision for their song and overall project. I like to find out who an artists influences are, what kind of music they like and get a strong idea of the sounds and genres that inspire them. That way when I produce them I can feel more confident that i'll be creating something that's a reflection of their individual taste and style.

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

A: I'd say ask as many questions as possible, and really make sure that their sound & experience match what you're looking for as a producer. Different producers and mixers have different tastes and each person will have their own take on the way they create. Asking questions and really communicating with the producer or engineer is a super important part of the process!

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

A: Laptop, Headphones, Midi Keyboard, My Focal 6 Monitors and a Microphone (SM7B)

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

A: I started producing by making hip hop beats and selling them to myspace rappers in high school. I started moving into R&B and eventually pop music as I progressed as a producer. I studied audio engineering for two years and straight after starting taking on clients at my home studio! It didn't take long from there to turn my passion/hobby into a full-time career and since then i've been lucky enough to work with some of the most talented artists in the country, as well as releasing my own music through some of the biggest electronic labels in Australia.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: It really depends on the artist. I try to create a sound that fits the artists voice and style, but I tend towards electronic & hip hop influenced music.

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

A: I'd love to work with The Weeknd. He's got one of the most incredible voices in contemporary music today, and he's making great pop music that's still creatively pushing boundaries, and with tasteful forward thinking production.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't over do it! A lot of the time it's easy to add a million sounds to a record but it's better to make sure the song is right, and to use less sounds and make sure those sounds are really great. The devil is in the details with production, so really try to go into the details of the sonics of sounds rather than "over producing" a song. And also remember that vocals are usually the most important part of any song! Don't let the production distract from the story and emotion the artist is trying to portray.

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

A: Right now i'm working on a lot of cooler, darker pop music (Think The Weeknd, Lana Del Rey) and a lot of Hip Hop records. I'm also doing some work with different electronic artists which is fun too.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Definitely production - especially on the electronic side of things. I don't do a lot of work with bands so live instruments arn't my forte, but any production that falls on the electronically produced side (most pop music, hip hop/urban music, EDM etc) is my specialty!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: 1) Skills - I've spent countless hours (and continue to constantly spend time) honing and expanding my skills as an audio professional. I've worked with hundreds of artists and so I bring my skill level in making sure the production level is at the highest level possible 2) Taste - I give my opinion/taste and work hard to make sure the song sounds as great as possible! This might mean shortening a prechorus, slightly changing a melody line, altering chord progressions etc to make sure the song has maximum emotional impact 3) Passion! - I love music! I live and breathe it and that passion goes into each song and client I work with

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: It really depends on the job. If i'm starting a song from scratch with an artist, i'll typically focus on chords and arrangement first, before fleshing out the production and sonic direction. I really feel like the core of the song is the most important part (arrangement, chord progressions, melody/lyrics and vocal performance) and if those parts are nailed, the rest of the production becomes easy!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work out of a studio space in Melbourne, set up with a seperate vocal booth and control room. Fully equipped with Focal 6be Monitors, KRK Rokit 6 Monitors, Maschine, June 106 Synth, Moog SubPhatty Synth, Neve Preamps, MIO Audio Iterface, and lots of cool mood lighting :)

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

A: Hugely inspired by great forward thinking pop producers. Benny Blanco, Jack Antonoff, illangelo

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

A: It really depends on the time! A lot of my work is producing up songs by pop songwriters and mixing work. I also do a lot of beat-making for Hip Hop/R&B artists