Actual Grammy-Winning Engineer

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both can sound incredible. I love recording through good analogue equipment, but my mixing and mastering workflow is primarily digital because it allows precise recall, fast revisions and dependable delivery. The listener ultimately cares about the result, not the route used to get there.

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

A: I will treat the music seriously, communicate honestly and use my experience to help it reach its full potential.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The balance between creativity and problem-solving. Every project presents a different musical puzzle, and I get to use technical tools in service of an emotional result.

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

A: Clients often ask whether one master will work properly across Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube and other platforms. Yes. I deliver high-resolution masters suitable for all major streaming services. I am also Apple Digital Masters certified, so eligible releases can be submitted through participating distributors for Apple's badge and higher-resolution delivery process.

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

A: That mixing and mastering are interchangeable. Mixing is the process of balancing and shaping the individual elements of a production. Mastering happens after the mix is complete and prepares the final stereo file for release, consistency and translation.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are you trying to achieve? What do you already love about the track? What still feels unfinished? What deliverables do you need, and when do you need them?

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

A: The Japanese House. The production is detailed and adventurous, but the emotion and songwriting always remain central.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Do not confuse louder with better. Level-match your comparisons whenever possible. It becomes much easier to judge tone, balance and impact honestly when one version is not simply winning because it is louder.

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

A: Almost every genre. Hip Hop, R&B, Gospel, Jazz, Pop and Rock are major parts of my background, but I have also worked extensively in Classical, Electronic, Singer-Songwriter, Country, World music and many areas between them.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Understanding what the artist is trying to achieve and helping bring that vision to life without losing what made the music theirs.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Experience, perspective and restraint. I know when a record needs more energy, depth or character, but I also know when the right decision is to leave something alone.

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

A: Nigel Godrich has always been one of my favourite producer-engineers. I am inspired by people who combine strong technical instincts with a very clear musical identity.

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

A: The Clark Sisters' Live: One Last Time. I was an engineer on the record, and it earned me my Grammy statue. Being trusted with music of that calibre, especially at that stage of my career, remains something I am enormously proud of.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A different genre and a different client almost every day. Mixing and mastering remain the core of my work, with an increasing amount of Dolby Atmos. I am also building Coda Room London into a dedicated stereo and immersive mixing and mastering room.

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

A: Just give me a decent laptop, some good headphones, Pro Tools, iZotope RX and FabFilter Saturn. It would be a stripped-down setup, but I could still do serious work with it.

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

A: More than 20 years professionally. I moved through the usual stages: student, intern, assistant, staff engineer, freelance engineer, studio owner and educator. I founded Coda Room Audio in Chicago in 2016 and later expanded the business to London.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I listen for what the song is asking for. Some records need more energy, width or attitude. Others need restraint. I am not precious about genre, gear or process. I just want the result to feel right.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Files in, critical listen first. I want to understand what the track is before I touch anything. Then I work, deliver, and communicate clearly at every step.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I operate Coda Room Audio in London and Chicago. Coda Room London is my primary base and is dedicated to stereo and 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos mixing, mastering and critical listening. It is centred around Pro Tools Ultimate, an Audient Oria Atmos interface, calibrated monitoring and a fully treated room. Coda Room Chicago remains a full recording, production and mixing facility.

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

A: Mixing and mastering keep me busiest, along with a growing amount of Dolby Atmos work. I also handle recording, editing, vocal production and alternate deliverables when they are part of a larger project.

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

A: Listen carefully to their work, check that their credits are real, read what previous clients say, and choose somebody whose communication makes you feel comfortable trusting them with the music.