Mixing and Mastering

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Clarity, depth, and impact

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm recording a folk-rock band called Death by Fireworks, mixing and mastering a record for an indie artist named Fritz, and mastering an indie rock record for an indie rock band called Buzzmutt.

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

A: Computer, Monitors, Headphones, Microphone, Converters.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Use high pass filters and subtractive eq. The low-frequency instruments will be much clearer and the mix will have more space.

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

A: I've been doing this for 15 years. I started out playing bass in bands when I became interested in recording. At that time DAWs had started to become affordable and I invested in a small setup and started recording my band as well as others. I eventually went to school to learn how to do things properly. After school, I started my own studio and started teaching a few years after that.

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

A: Lewis Robertson.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I've worked on analog consoles and tape as well as in the box and I like both. I like the sound of analog combined with the flexibility and speed of digital.

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

A: I typically work on various types of rock bands including indie, pop, punk, and metal.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Making songs into a polished, commercially viable product while maintaining the artistic vision.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My typical work process for mixing is to first listen to the rough and try to understand the emotion that is being conveyed and how it can be brought out. I will also listen to any samples the artist has sent to get a feel for the sound the client is going for. After that, I will make a basic fader and pan balance and start getting a feel for what is going on in the arrangement. Then I will start getting into individual elements and the technical details using EQ, compression, and effects. After I've achieved a good balance I will start with automation and try out different ideas to make the mix stand out.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: At home, I typically work in the box though, at work, I have access to various studios with both analog and digital consoles including a D-Control, SSL 9000J, SSL 6000 E/G. We also have a large variety of outboard gear including Universal Audio, UREI, Tube-Tech, Chandler, and Manley.

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

A: I'm inspired by legendary producers and engineers such as George Martin and Geoff Emerick for their incredibly creative and outside of the box approach to making records. I'm also inspired by Nigel Godrich, Andrew Scheps and Tchad Blake.

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

A: I typically work with artists from the pre-production stage all the way to mastering. I enjoy being involved in every aspect of the process but I especially love the mixing stage as I feel like that is where the record really comes to life.