Bringing Music to life

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

A: I got to work on a production of a performance with an elementary school I worked at a few years ago where I was responsible for writing and teaching all of the percussion parts. It came out great.

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

A: I am new here and I'm getting to know people. I would like to come back to this question.

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

A: I promise I will be honest from the onset, and you will be happy. It does me no good to take your money only to not be able to do what you're asking. I would only be hurting myself.

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

A: "How much do you charge for studio time?" I answer I don't do studio time. I will take a song from concept to finished product for 600 bucks. To some that's a bargain and to others that's a lot. The thing is most people are paying for studio time, which means you're paying for bathroom breaks and smoke/food breaks as well. With a flat rate, the number of hours are irrelevant.

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

A: Wow.... I've been at this for almost 15 years. Believe it or not this was my career path. I have loved music since I was a little kid. I always loved singing and I wanted to learn to write, so I went to school to learn how music worked, got a music education degree, became a teacher, and have been doing this as well ever since.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I would describe my style as open and introspective. I find that in all cases, I'm trying to find the essence of the music I'm performing and to allow that to connect with the audience.

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

A: Is this limited to living artists? If so, I would start with John Legend because I would love to be able to discuss his thought process on chord progressions. Lauryn Hill for Lyrical content, I would like to work with India.Arie for Chord progressions on guitar, and song writing, Michael Nyman because I love how his music moves, as well as Stevie Wonder, Lupe Fiasco, LaCrae, Imogene Heap, Zap Mama, Ryan Leslie, and there are many others. Most of these are because I admire the way they carve out a path for their music to move and they seem unapologetic for it. I appreciate that.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I think the song is the most important. I have a Wurlitzer upright piano on the other side of the room where I practice mostly. I think its really important to nail the timing and progressions before you record. It saves time once you turn on your machines. Once you can play it, you set your metronome, play in your main parts, and begin to build the universe.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A couple of children's songs, and some pop rock music.

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

A: I think I would fall somewhere between R&B/rock, and classical. I will say that the elements are all the same. It's like chemistry, it's all in how you mix them. :)

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital because my house is small.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The different stuff I get to do every day. Its great!

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

A: I think the biggest misconception is that something that isn't right in the mix can be fixed in the mastering process. It needs to be right at the mixing stage if you want it to be right and ultimately marketable once finished.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your goal for this piece of music and ultimately your career? Where would you like to see yourself? How can I help you get there? Are you willing to invest in the future you want? Is it worth it to you?

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

A: The more descriptive you are about what you want the easier it is for a person like me to understand. Be honest about what you like and don't like, but also have ideas for alternatives.

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

A: They would all require electricity, so I think the first piece of gear would be my house hooked to a generator that has perpetual electricity. From there I would take my computer and my Keyboard. I might have cheated a little on that one :)

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Raise your eyebrows when singing high notes. I would love to give you a scientific reason why, but as a vocal coach and a classically trained singer you'll just have to trust me.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Helping people see perspectives in themselves and their music they wouldn't otherwise see.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Insightful lyricism

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a Roland RD 700 series piano, Studio one is my DAW. I am pretty much sold on Presonus, so I use the Eris 8 Monitors, a Fire studio project for my interface and a ridiculous amount of sounds.

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

A: Sound solutions for live shows, and getting music on the internet

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

A: Composers and conductors. They were mixing acoustics in real time in real environments before it was a thing.