Mixing / Mastering / Producing

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: More and more I lean towards digital due to simplicities sake, though analog will always have a place in the studio.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like the freedom, and I like the ability to work on music and collaborate with other musicians.

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

A: That you are constantly working on cool and interesting projects close to your heart. A lot of it is helping people work on projects that fit within their vision, not yours.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I ask what their plan is with this project: singles, release dates, length, etc. Then I ask what they want it to sound like: references, ideas, inspiration, and meaning.

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

A: Please ask questions and feel customer reaching out. I'm not above doing discounted work or working with you every step of the way.

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

A: Taylor GS mini, Shure SM57, MK II, Autotune, and my laptop. I'd be like a tropical Bon Iver.

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

A: I began by making sampled beats on my iPhone in middle school, like most thirteen-year-olds I loved potty-rap like The Lonely Island and thought it would be funny to make music like that about my friends. From there I worked on everything that interested me: hip hop, folk songs, ambient, and trap. I found that as I grew as a musician I became more interested in collaboration and helping other artists learn what I had learned, so I started producing and mixing for other people back in Denver. I found that I wanted to expand and learn even more, so I moved to New York with my band and have been working on various projects since.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Melodic, bright, pensive, immersive.

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

A: Charli XCX: she has the freshest outlook on modern pop, and the production she has with AG Cook and Hannah Diamond really frame her work in an amazing way.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Double almost everything.

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

A: Indie pop, synth pop, or folk.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Song-writing and creating atmosphere.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a creative outlook to mixing and production. My biggest love musically is experimental synth music, like The Knife or Bjork or Yung Lean. They all have a very unique way of treating vocals and crafting soundscapes that always comes with me when I create music.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: If I'm working on my own music, I just play around until I find a melody I like. Then I build the various sections of the song around that melody as a wireframe. Once that's created I'll fill in the gaps with instrumentation. If working on someone else's track, it's all about reference. I'll listen to music that resonates with them, and take their opinions into consideration, to craft their track in a way that reflects the message they want to get through.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have two Yamaha HS8 Monitors, a Scarlett 18i20 Interface, and dozens of "in-the-box" plugins including Soundtoys, Valhalla, Fabfilter, Ozone, and more. For instrumentation, I have a Fender Telecaster, Stratocaster, Dx7, Drum Kit, Elektron MKII, Minilogue, and many plugins.

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

A: Songwriting: Aaron Maine Mixing: Jake Aron Production: Rostam Batmanglij

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

A: As a musician in New York, many of the people I work with are people trying to transition to the semi-pro level from an amateur. They have a project or two under their belt and would like to have a polished piece of work to push them to that level. Oftentimes I will assist in co-producing (adding instrumentation, song structure, and re-tracking), then go on to mix that production, as these two processes tend to have the most payoff for a musician at the beginning of their career.