Session Guitarist, Tone Lover

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

A: I played and mixed a lot of songs of which I'm really proud. Choosing and talking only about one will make me feel somewhere uncomfortable :)

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working for several artists and for some labels all over the world. I also hope to start writing my second solo album soon.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. I love best of both worlds and that's why I constantly use both.

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

A: My best in every single work. My full attention to details and professionalism.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love playing on new songs every day, I love the relationships that grows between me and artist/producers. I love making them happy and satisfied, this helps me too keeping the fire inside me.

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

A: They commonly ask for delivery times, they ask for what I think of their song. I always give honest answers cause I think this is the n.1 value to establish a lasting collaboration.

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

A: Usually there's not a precise understanding of what I do, it sound every time strange that there's people who pay someone else for playing guitar :D

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I ask for what they imagine on the song, I ask where they're gonna place the song and in which context they feel comfortable for it.

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

A: Look for honest people. Look for nice persons that really love music and love being at your song's service. That's the way to establish an alchemy that bring everything to the next level.

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

A: Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul, Mezzabarba MZero Overdrive, Binson Echorec and a pair of Audeze LCD-X

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

A: I play the guitar and study mixing from the age of 14. I've started my professional career in 2009 after a big earthquake in Italy, I was there and I lost some friends too. I decided to stop my engineering studies (that I was attending side by side to the music) and dedicate 100% of my time and my work to the passion that makes me alive every day.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I'm pretty effective.

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

A: They are too many. If I had to pick one it will be James Taylor: it reminds me all my youth with my beloved mother who now looks at me from the sky.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Less is more, always. Don't concentrate to what to add, but to what to cut out.

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

A: Everything around Pop and Rock.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My main skill is having the experience to not overplay or overpower the song when not needed. My main goal is serving the song, in every single track that I record. I've to thank my years of playing on stage and on studio as well all over the world, placing my guitars in millions-plays songs working with several producer and artists. My experience as mixing enginner helps me knowing spaces, frequencies and context where placing (or not) guitars. I'm usually pretty quick in terms of delivery times and I'm a happy and nice guy.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Everything the artist/producer want plus my personal vision of the song. Working together and mixing skills and visions is what I love most of this job.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Usually the producer/artist send me the song together with the best information to work on it. We discuss on the work to do and on the possibilities that I include listening to the song. I proceed working on the song an 99,5% the first delivery is always good. I deliver both dry and wet files to give maximum flexibility. On request I can record a clean DI (thorugh Avalon U5 or Neve/API DI) as well.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I've my own 4 rooms recording studio with top class recording gear. I have several vintage and moderns amplifiers (i endorse Mezzabarba Amps but I've also access to some vintage jewels like: '74 Marshall Plexi, '68 Fender Showman and some more) and a huge collection of guitar pedals to be sure to grant the best tone for the song. I use Apogee and Ferrofish converters, API and Neve original preamps plus some cool hardware (Empirical Labs Distressor for example). I monitor everything through my Amphion Two 15 + Amp700 amp in my absolutely well threated control room.

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

A: I'm a tone lover, a "less-is-more" lover. I like every music scenario where everything is at song's service.

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

A: My usual work is being completely into the song. I record guitar tracks for songs of various songs, mainly pop/rock and side genres. I put all my experience at the service of the artist.