mixing, geeetars, bass, re-amp

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

A: Acoustic Guitar, Millennia Origin x2, a stereo ribbon mic, laptop and a fishing rod. That's six. I'm not a big fan of coloring within the lines.

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

A: Lavey Laveau. Artist/P/M/E arranger, writer, director. What began as a discussion on a writing retreat in Spain morphed into a full blown project that resulted in a short film that was accepted into 21 film festival screened on four continents, winning a few and placing in several. I learned a great deal about micing grand pianos as well as what it takes to write/produce/direct a short film from start to finish.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Vulcan Freedom Fighters, Music For The Master Debaters, the second full-length record.

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

A: nope. new to soundbetter.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Analog for as much of the tracking as possible & outboard gear while mixing when appropriate. Faster to mix in a DAW and tape degrades over multiple passes so no more large format consoles for mixing or 2" tape for me.

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

A: that it's your art, your baby, and I won't defile it. It's my job to help you manifest whatever you hear in your head.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: working on great songs

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

A: Q: How much? A: A lot but I'm going to bust my ass and do it right.

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

A: That you can't learn how to do it on your own...the only issue is that it takes a good ten thousand hours in multiple studios to really learn how to do everything.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Have you edited all the drums and vocals? What are the weaknesses in the recording that you're hoping I can compensate for? What are the strengths you want to make sure I don't fuck with? Who are your favorite bands and what records do you love the sound of that are similar to the vibe you are trying to achieve?

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

A: Make sure you are happy with all of your takes and that you're ready to mix with a good idea of the vibe you're looking for.

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

A: Bregman Electronic Music Studio at Dartmouth working on a full blown synclavier as a student, to A&R West Coast Rep. for Emerald Forest Entertainment (Marilyn Manson, Macy Gray, Brownstone, Sophie B. Hawkins, Stan Lynch etc.) to lead singer/guitarist for Anonymous Bosch, Vulcan Freedom Fighters, and Lavey Laveau interspersed with Recording Studio Ownership, Concert Promotion, Artist Manager, Producer, Mixer & Engineer and fathering four children who are now all in college.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: mild-mannered fun-loving criminal.

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

A: The Front Bottoms because they write great songs and I could bring them the rock if they would just let me.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: always have a room mic as well.

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

A: rock

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: psychologist.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: everything I've got.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: write/record/mix in that order. silly question. drums/bass/vocals/guitars/everything else probably in that order.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Hardware Comps: Avalon/Millennia/1176revA/1176revD/Drawmer/DBX EQs: API/Millennia/Avalon/Vintech/Neotek Pres: API/Millennia/Avalon/Drawmer/Neotek/Sytek/Vintech/Hairball AD/DA: Benchmark/Antelope/Lynx/Lucid Monitoring: NHT M20/B20 Amps: Marshall/Boogie/Ampeg/GK/Frenzel/THD/Sinmarc Plugs: SoundToys, Izotope, Slate, Kush, Waves, Arturia, NI etc.

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

A: Huge fan of songwriters first, then artists...Prince/Petty/Reznor...Failure is one of my all-time favorite bands. If you were at any of their shows in LA in the early to mid 90s I was in the room. Same with Tool & RATM & This Great Religion. Also love Sigur Ros, Arcade Fire, Monster Magnet, Mother Mother, Bjork, Megadeth, Lyle Lovett etc etc.

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

A: Setting up recording environments from equipment choices to placement of everything in the room. Producing/Mixing/Engineering recordings. Consulting on gear purchases and studio setups.