Mix Engineer, Producer

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: It depends what you're working on. Recording Bands - Analogue. I feel it adds a huge amount of warmth and certain characteristics you can hear when listen to records like that. Whereas with dance music it's not about the sound quality as much therefore digital is fine to use.

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

A: You will receive exactly what you have asked me to do. May not be the first time attempt as no one is perfect. But I can guarantee it will be exactly what you asked for.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Working with different people and getting involved in their creative ideas. No few days are the same. granted sometimes it can be a little stressful, but that's down to because I care.

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

A: "Why doesn't this sound as loud as the reference tracks I suggested?" I simply say this is a mixdown and not the master. I sometimes will add a limiter on the master channel just to simply boost volumes so the client can feel the track a bit more. If I had a £ for everytime I say this...

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

A: "Too clean" - A few people (not clients) have said that I wouldn't know what to do with a 'Dirty' sounding record. Personally I love sonically great sounding records and from my point of view it's perhaps a little more 'perfectionist' rather than 'that'll do'. However I am more than open to working with any clients from any project background.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Are you available for a meeting? What is this project for? Where will it be listened to/played/performed? What has inspired this work? Who or What inspires YOU? What projects/creations/artists/tracks do you NOT like? What are you aiming to achieve with this project? When do you need this work finished by? How do you wish to receive these pieces of work?

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

A: Be clear and confident it is you want doing. I don't like to be asked what I think should be done as I feel this inflicts on the creative process when that would be down to the artist or producer. Also be able to fully explain what it is you wish to achieve.

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

A: MacBook Pro Rodes NT-1 Roland Jupiter 6 Fairchild 670 Akai MPC

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

A: I always wanted to be a song-writer and producer, However I realised I like too many genres to stick to a semi-niche if you like. I felt my ears were better lended to helping other artists creations become a reality.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Clean. Tidy and Industry Standard.

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

A: Daft Punk. Purely on the basis of their eclectic catalogue of songs. I could chat all day and night with them about their work processes and reasons behind a fair few of their tracks.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't mix too loud. Ear fatigue is bad and deafness is irreversible.

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

A: Electronic/Pop Music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Time Management: The ability to organise myself so I'm not rushing to get work done and providing the best work I can.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I've been told by a lot of my clients then love how clean and clear my mixes sound. They believe my work makes their tracks sound polished and 'finished' (even before mastering!). I wouldn't be able to get into a self-indulgent splurge about I will make your music sound better. As it's not about me. It's about the client.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I will always meet with the client for as long as I need to, in order to establish, not only, what it is they exactly want from my work but I also like to get to know the client too; What or who inspires them? Favourite pieces of work? Tracks they don't like sonically or structurally? What do they see as a great recording? All these questions have a huge impact on my workflow. As i'm do work for THEM and not for ME necessarily. So once we have established what they require I'd ask for the relevant resources to be sent over. I'd take a look at each individual stems and check everything is working correctly. (i.e Bit & Sample rates, tidy file management etc.) Then I will take a listen at everything together and note down everything I feel is wrong with the track. Once this is done I will typically listen to a few of the references tracks the client has suggested to me then note down some difference between that and the work I'm doing. Then we begin. I typically work on electronic music so I always start with Drums. As this tends to be the heart of the track. Then onto any other percussive elements, then onto the bass, synths and lastly vocals. I always feel vocals sound better once mixed at the end as they sit on top of a track better. Depending of course what the client is wanting. This idea tends to lean more towards the more commercial and pop work I do.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Mac Pro (Early 2009) 3.33 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon (20GB of RAM) w/ Dual 20" Monitor Screens Logic Pro X Ableton Live 9 Pro Tools 11 Yamaha HS80m Studio Monitors sE2200a Condensor Microphone w/ sE Reflector & Pop Shield M-Audio Profire 610 Audio Interface Native Instruments Kontrol S49 Novation LaunchPad Native Instruments Maschine Mikro Native Instruments Komplete 10 Waves Complete Plugins Fabfilter Complete Plugins SoundToys Complete Plugins Lennardigital Sylenth1 U-He Zebra2 Spectrasonics Omnisphere, Trillian and Stylus RMX Yamaha DX27 M-Audio Key49 Novation Remote 25SL Compact Arturia Complete Plugins Applied Acoustics Complete Plugins iZotope RX4 Audio Enhancer Software Plugin Alliance Complete Plugins Brainworx DSP Complete Plugins Image-Line Sakura, Sawer and Toxic Biohazard Plugins Oliver Larkin Virtual CZ Plugin Rob Papen Complete Plugins T-Racks CS DSP Korg Analogue & Digital Collection Plugins

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

A: From a consumer perspective Daft Punk have always been a huge inspiration for me to ever have gotten involved with electronic music in the first place. The sounds they created and the way they put their music across always resonated with me in some way, and I was always keen to get to get familiar with how they work. From a professional point of view, my biggest inspiration would be Tony Maserati. His list of clients proves everything about this man. His ethos of always putting the client first and understand their needs was always something I respected greatly and always wanted to achieve myself. It's almost as if he feels he needs to be completely transparent in the whole project; simply let the artist shine through and as a mix engineer you help to support that creation.

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

A: Most of the clients I work with are in the Electronic Music scene. Typically making a lot of House, Techno, Future R&B, Drum & Bass and Progressive House. I have also worked with a few small businesses making soundtracks and jingles to their adverts. My background is a mixture between working with bands and DJ's. Therefore my knowledge and understanding of a clients needs is at the forefront of the services I provide. It's all about the client.

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

A: All the projects I've helped with I have been proud of. People like my work and I do this as a job. Im constantly proud.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm currently working on Production/DJ duo group called Just Kiddins' latest single. It's house music with a tropical flavour. It's really good.

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

A: I'm new here. Sorry.