Rock/Indie Mixer and Add Prod

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: When recording, analogue... what I mean by this is try and get the sound you are looking for to tape/disk, don't rely on plugins. It's important to commit as each sound you record influences the next. With mixing, I'm not too strict and it can be budget dependant, but I would say I am quicker getting a balance and a vibe going on a board, but inevitably it has to end up in the box at some point. And in this day and age, there are plugins that analogue stuff simply can't do, which can be useful

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Their influences

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

A: A field recorder to capture the local tribes music, or swap it with them for food

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

A: I've been working freelance since 2011, before which i worked for Trevor Horn at SARM Studios for 5 years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Just jeans and a hoodie usually!

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

A: Bjork...I imagine it would be hard work, but very creative!

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

A: Band orientated is probably the best way to put it

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I only accentuate what the producer and artist have already put in there... by the mix stage, it's not my job to impart my character on it so much as lend a fresh pair of ears to enhance what they've already captured.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Firstly, you need to break the ice, create a friendship with the artists, understand their music and direction, then it's good to get creative, this keeps people interested. It could be getting the band playing whilst doing pre-production, or trying to find that spark in the mix. All prep, (first stages of mixing, or line checking for example), has to be done before the artist and producer get there to not take up their time

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I predominantly work out of Lime Green Monkeys, working "up the board" on an SSL G series, and utilising the various live spaces and equipment.

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

A: Andy Wallace... can't really be beaten!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Film work actually, working with Stephen Lipson on the 5.1 mix for film scores

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Meeting people, not having to get up before 9am, genuinely enjoying my day and it being my job

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

A: Be realistic in terms of time frame, quality and budget

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

A: Jeff Beck's "Emotion & Commotion". Working with Jeff Beck alone is amazing as a guitarist myself, but the album did extremely well, and was nominated for the "best engineered album" Grammy

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

A: I'm quite often brought in to record full bands. I feel I have a talent for putting the musicians in a creative and productive environment allowing them to be at ease and give their best performance. A big part of this, which translates to mixing as well, is getting a unique, interesting and suitable sound for the song and/or band, whilst being sympathetic to their creative direction.