Composer for Film, Score Prod.

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

A: I Composed the soundtrack score to Natalie Portman's & Joel Edgerton's "Jane Got A Gun" western film. I am proud that I was able not only to write the score but also perform guitars, percussion and multiple instruments alongside hiring an orchestra furthermore score mix engineer the entire thing from my studio in Los Angeles. The expertise, freedom and accomplishment this experience has awarded me is an asset I can now bring to any project I am involved with.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Scoring films, producing artists for the World Music genre in addition writing cues for the motion picture trailer advertising industry.

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

A: Not at this time. Just joined.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: It's a marriage of both.

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

A: That I will work my butt off to make sure that at the end of the project they got exactly what they wanted and more than what they ever expected.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the independence I have and that I am actually doing / creating what I am best wired to do. I also enjoy inviting directors and all creatives involved to come to the studio to collaborate and share ideas with me. Even those individuals who have never written music before usually realize after sitting in on a session just how important their opinions and ideas are to the process. It needs to be a palpable experience for everyone involved especially the client.

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

A: I obviously get asked how much I charge for my services. The overall budget of each project is usually what gives me an idea of what the client is looking to spend.

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

A: That because I work fast it's effortless. Quite the contrary.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I spend a good two to three hours initially with a client and ask everything under the sun relating to the project. By the time I meet a prospect client I usually have already acquainted myself with the job by having either read a script or heard samples they are looking for style wise. I am obliged to get on the creative page of the job as soon as possible in order to make the process seamless for the client.

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

A: Make sure the music samples, production result of the creative you are approaching is superior quality furthermore represents and is exactly a good fit for your project. Get a second opinion if need be from someone who knows the business. Go on Youtube or Apple Music and do a track to track comparison with the samples of the composer you are looking to hire and the temp music you are basing your request from. I often see creatives being miscast-ed into projects they are not prepared to handle and the music is not hitting the mark either emotionally or sonic-ally. In the overall scheme of things this does matter very much!

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

A: Does this desert island have electricity?

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

A: I am self taught and have been working full time in this field for fifteen years now.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: As a film composer and World Music album producer my styles vary from project to project. I am a scoring engineer and producer as well, which allows me to dial into a specific signature style / sound with ease. Having an international background where I resided in South America, Spain, North Africa, The Caribbean and the US has allowed me to bring a wide range of styles to the table while maintaining an authentic result to the projects I am involved with.

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

A: Soundtrack Scores, World Music Artist, Production Music for the trailer industry, Epic Orchestral Modern Classical Percussive tracks.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Composing, producing, recording and mixing a soundtrack score or a World Music Track in addition to Epic Orchestral Choral tracks often with a soprano or pop singer.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: If I am working with a band or a singer for me it's all about bringing out the identity of the artist. The production strategy of how the music will be recorded and mixed has a lot to do with the end result and I organize myself a lot towards streamlining every element and resource available to me.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I work from morning til dawn and commit to whatever it takes to delivering the best possible results on time.

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

A: John Williams, James Newton Howard, Eric Serra, Sarah Brightman, Lisa Gerrard, Hans Zimmer, John Powell, Dead Can Dance, King Crimson, Vangelis, Adele, Bruno Mars, Roxy Music, Peter Garbiel.

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

A: Films Soundtrack Scores, producing World Music Recording Artists.

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

A: James Cameron (Director) - Reason is I know I would take his films to a level they have not gone to yet...

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Never give up on a track. Work on it til it hums...

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work in Cubase and Pro Tools on a Mac Platform. I rely mainly on outboard gear for compression and eq's. I also use all outboard reverb hardware. I can do projects in stereo or surround. My sound speaks for itself.