Engineer

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

A: I produced and mixed a project called "In Due Time" by a local Jacksonville artist named Pop$hit DayDay. This was my first venture into handling a project from start to finish. I made the beats, recorded the artist, produced the album, mixed the songs and was heavily involved with the mastering process. I also was responsible for the album artwork and getting it released on all the streaming platforms. A to Z I had my hand in it. It was a great learning process and I hope to do it again when I find another artist that I really connect with like I did with him. Other projects im proud of would be the song "Valentines" by YK Osiris that I mixed which has over 56 millions views/streams at the time of writing this. This song helped him land a record deal with Def Jam and is my biggest accomplishment as far streams and views.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Im currently building a new studio.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Im sure there is but Im the first in my direct circle to try the platform. Ive recommended to other engineers and professionals to check out SoundBetter.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Combination for sure. I like the ease of recall and diversity you get from working in the box but the sound of good analog gear cant be understated.

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

A: You will be hard pressed to find another engineer that cares about your music as much as you do. Sometimes I feel like Im more invested than the artist themselves. Their success is my success and all clients are worthy of my absolute best work.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Being in a community of artists, engineers and other industry professionals. Everyone from the DJs to promoters to photographers. I never feel like im on an island or that I dont have a network. I feel like im apart of something bigger than myself.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: "Can you make me sound like Such n Such....??" I take a diplomatic approach to this question by telling them: "You are gonna sound like you". I dont like to set the expectation that they will sound like there favorite artist. Sometimes it works but ultimately you will always be compared to the more famous artist with that sound which wont set you apart. Its much better to just be you.

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

A: The biggest misconception is that the mix process is objective. A good mix is completely subjective and depends on the vision of the client. A mix might not be what a client wants but it doesnt mean its wrong. You really have to find an engineer that understand what you are going for. Communication is very important.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Deadline? Do you have a rough mix/reference? Tell me about your goals for the song Whats your favorite movie?

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

A: Make sure to find an engineer that is experienced and understands the genre you work in.

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

A: DAW/Plugins Amphion Monitors Burl B32 Antelope Orion 32 Fishing Pole

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

A: Ive always been creating music. Started playing guitar in the 5th grade. By high school I had started dabbling in production with Magix and Reason. This was about 15 years ago so I have been doing this for half my life now. I went to college at Full Sail University (before it was a university) to get formally educated. I received an Associates in Recording Arts and a Bachelors in Music Business. After college I bounced around from Orlando to Atlanta and then back to Jacksonville. Even though Jacksonville is not a music hub, I have had more success here than any other location.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Clean with a vibe

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

A: Billie Eillish. I like to be creative and take chances. Her music would most certainly allow for that.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Perfect is not perfect. Listeners like imperfections.

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

A: Rap and hip hop mostly but Ive done quite a bit of pop music as well.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Listening to the clients needs and realizing that the best compliment a mix engineer can get is for nobody to notice the mix.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: What I bring to a song is the perspective from a producer's ear as well as an engineer. Ive produced for years so I deep understanding of the trends and subtle elements that will bring your song to life. Just a couple changes can go a long way. If the client trusts me to take some liberties it can be the difference between an average song vs a potential mega hit.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I typically take some time to setup the sessions exactly how I like. Everything from the order of the tracks, names of tracks, bussing/routing and plugins I know I am going to use. Then I just dive right in. I usually work very fast in the beginning while Im getting the overall mix ideas out and then as I fine tune the mix, things slow down. I will almost always let the mix "get cold" for at least a couple hours if not an entire day before revisiting to complete the mixdown. Vocals are the first thing I like to work on which is different from most other engineers Ive seen work. The vocals are typically the star of the show so I like to build everything around them. I also dont hold back from trying every idea I have but usually by the end I have stripped it down to best, most creative ideas. I dont like to over do it on the ear candy because it can take away from the song sometimes so I refine as I go. Before any of this process happens I will talk to the artist or client about their vision for the song and what direction they want me to take the mix.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I use a hybrid analog/digital setup. I mix in the box (Pro Tools) but sum everything through an analog summing amp. I also occasionally run stems to outboard compressors as well. Currently Im using the Burl B32 as my summing amp. It sounds amazing.

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

A: Mike Dean, Vance Powell, Eric Valentine, Joe Barresi, Max Martin and many more...

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

A: Mostly mixing and mastering but I often do vocal tuning (with melodyne) and song arrangements. I am also an accomplished producer and have many songs on the streaming services.