Record Maker

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Well, I did a lot of tracking last month, so I'm now mixing these songs, as well as a few studio live sessions. I added a lot of winds to a couple of song, and just started pre-production on a couple of exciting EPs !

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

A: To go where they haven't been yet. I want the process to be an adventure so they can discover something about themselves and make a different record from what they've done before. Life is short, I don't want to make the same record over and over again.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Working with such talented artists on a daily basis. It is special hearing all these wonderful performances before anyone else.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you expect from me? What were you listening to writing this record? Is the click your friend?

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

A: A couple of mics, let's say a Beyer M160 and a Neumann U67, a Neve stereo channel strip, an interface with great converters, a MacBook.

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

A: I've been doing this for more than ten years now. I went to engineering school, assisted in big studios and basically recorded everywhere I could since day one: empty houses, million-euro studios, garages, bedrooms, you name it...

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

A: I love working on quite a few different genres: pop, folk, alt rock, jazz... I'm into anything with real people playing their guts out. All these different genres feed each other and that's when you get something truly interesting.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: As an engineer, probably my adaptability. As a producer, I hope my understanding, whether it'd be of the musical vision of the artist, of his recent troubles, or of the budget we're working with.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Colour. Attitude. Those last missing percents to bring it to the finish line!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I've been moving around constantly for years now, so I mix pretty much anywhere on my laptop, with a DAC and great headphones. Recording wise, I'm lucky enough to work in awesome pro studios in Paris and England, and in people's houses everywhere else, which I enjoy just as much as "real" studios at the end of the day.

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

A: Bleachers, Eels, PUP, Lana Del Rey, Tigercub, St Vincent, dEUS, Buena Vista Social Club, Foo Fighters; Jack Antonoff, Al Schmitt, Fab Dupont, Steve Albini, Butch Vig, Andrew Scheps.

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

A: I usually work on a project from the pre-production phase to the final mix. I love to be able to shape the best song we can before we even hit record, then track great performances, capture the sounds we hear in our heads and mix the song so it's exactly how the artist wants it. Sometimes I only come in later during the process, to help with the arrangement and add little pops of colour here and there. It can be a string section, a guitar part, some saxophone, whatever is missing to bring the song to the next level. I don't do mastering. After spending that much time on a project, I want a fresh set of ears to come in and do the finishing touches. I sometimes also send the tracks to a different mixer as well, when I think I'm not the best fit for a project.

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

A: "How much time is it gonna take ?" and "how much is it gonna cost ?" are two big ones. And the answer to both is usually "more than what you planned".

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Spend the time in pre-production. That's the only secret.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My main priority is the emotion of the song. I focus on capturing incredible performances by incredible human beings. If you want some perfectly edited drums and pitch-corrected vocals, I'm not your guy.

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

A: Feel free to ask questions, about influences and workflow, what's possible and what's not. It can avoid a lot of misunderstanding and bad surprises after the fact. We need to be on the same page to make your music the best it can possibly be !

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

A: Not yet, except for a few big names, but they don't need recommendations. Their tracks speak for themselves.

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

A: I can do a lot but I'm no magician. If it doesn't sound great on the way in, it won't sound great on the way out. Period.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I use hybrid setups all the time, best of both worlds, the sound and the flexibility.