Custom Music Production

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Producing from scratch: How serious of an undertaking is this for you? Do you want to make a killer record that competes with anything? Do you want a demo? I really need to know where their head is fundamentally. But if someone is just hiring me to mix, all that is not necessary. I'll just impress them with mix wizardry.

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

A: There are people I would recommend but I don't know if they are on SB.

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

A: You final product will stand up to any successful music out there in your genre. You can play them side by side and yours will sound just as good. Caveat: budget notwithstanding. You can't necessarily get there with an unrealistic budget.

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

A: That anybody can produce music / CDs at home/cheap/free these days and it will be just about as good as hiring a pro.

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

A: 'What are your rates?" Answer: Their real question is "how much will this cost me?". I have a long talk with the client to see what they want to achieve and how we can work together to make that happen. And there is so much more that goes into making a great record than the dollar cost. The better prepared the client/artist is, the less it will cost to get what they want. I coach them on just about everything they need before they even get to the studio or even start working with me.

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

A: Solar power system. Refrigerator. First aid kit. Hunting/fishing/trapping gear and lots of seeds. Communication gear (radio etc.)

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

A: Music loving kid, organ lessons, photographer of bands and concerts that got me into studios with the bands. The first time inside I asked: " how do you learn to do that?" Got a job as a runner, graduated to assisting and then producing and engineering. Learned to play guitar to be able to write and communicate better. Been making a living at this for 20+ years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is whatever the artist needs. I don't need to give it my stamp. I help YOU give YOUR music your OWN sound!

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

A: See if they have a real track record. Call their past clients! Listen to their productions. All that should be done before you even talk or email with them. Don't be "sold" a bill of goods by their sales pitch. Be sure the person has delivered the goods before! Don't let a great studio fool you either. He/she needs to be skilled, in ANY studio. And some of the gear is so inexpensive these days that clueless, inexperienced salesmen are buying a "studio" and using it to make records that suck.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: You have to be objective! No matter what you think, feel, know, believe about a song you wrote/sang/played/produced, the listening public does not. They will only hear your song in the din of 1000s of others they heard, with zero of your background love of the song. And you MAY get 30 seconds of listening on a really good day. You need to be able to listen like they will. If you have trouble being objective, get someone who can be. Not your friends, either. Get people with nothing to gain or lose by telling you the (sometimes ugly) truth.

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

A: Producers and writer/producers that make great records: Mutt Lange, Max Martin, Quincy Jones, Jack Joseph Puig, Tom Lorge Alge, Chris Lord-Alge, Rob Cavallo, Howard Benson, Rick Rubin, Phil Spector.

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

A: 1. Record their live band, all overdubs, music editing, vocals and pitch correcting, mix. 2. Record vocals and mix

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Often it is necessary to help an artist with their songs. That is THEE foundation! When I produce from scratch, that is where I start. What does the artist want to say with the final master? I get in their head in the beginning with that in mind and we start digging in. Melodies, structure, lyrics. That classic style of production really works. If I come in after some stuff is already recorded, or I was hired as the engineer / studio, I always bring, when needed, some after-the- fact improvements. This can be done with edits, both with song structure or instruments, re-doing weak parts, flying, pitch and timing fixes. I have a zillion production tricks to improve songs and recordings!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: That so depends on the project. Most important is to get a clear picture of the clients needs and wants, as well as their abilities and experience. Then figure out how to get there within their budget.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I built it as a haven for recording live bands of 5 (and more sometimes) players at once. 400 sq. ft. tracing room with A-frame ceilings, 4 isolation rooms. No parallel walls. Separate roomy control room with a custom modified Soundcraft console that sounds like an SSL 4K. Both rooms are acoustically treated to sound perfect for recording and mixing. Lots of aesthetic treatment and great cozy or bright lighting depending on client’s preference!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A punk tribute album called "My High School Rebellion". Co Producer and Mixing.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: The right tool for the job. Period. Which one I use does not matter. Getting the production right does, however we get there.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I get to work with different kinds of music, styles, and different artists all the time. It's rarely boring!

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

A: Rock and all it's permutations: Alternative Rock, Pop-Rock, Punk, Hard Rock, Country of all sorts. If it has "rock" in the genre, that's a large part of what I do. Live drums, bass and guitars find their way into all styles of music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Restructuring the song, the instrumentation, lyrics, the vibe, from what the artist brings, into way more than they imagined it could be.