Mixer, Producer, Knob Twiddler

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

A: There's a lot, but if I were to pick one right now but the one that comes to mind is Lindsay Fuller's "The Last Light I See". I often play on my productions and get very involved, but on this one all I did was put the band in the right room and get out the way. The songs and players on this record are just amazing and one that I like to listen to to this day.

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

A: Some of my studio heroes are Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Dave Fridmann, and Peter Katis. What I love about all these guys is that they seem know that the texture of a recording can often have as much as an impact as any other element. Atmospheric, experimental, ambient, distorted, and effected soundscapes often feature themselves like additional instruments in their productions and I love how these can enhance the emotional energy of a song.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Some mixes for Gems, an instrumental band out of Seattle similar to Tortoise; producing a track for Shauna Sweeney, an acoustic/pop artist from Florida; and producing a few tracks for Jeremy White, an atmospheric indie rock artist from Paris.

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

A: I haven't gotten a chance to see everyone here, but I'm sure there are some very qualified and talented folks that would be a good fit.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Doesn't really matter. There are advantages to both, but there are so many more important factors - first and most importantly - the song, then the performers, the instruments, the room - then person behind the desk (or DAW, or tape machine) and then the mics, preamps, compressors. Analog or digital is such a small variable in the big picture these days.

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

A: That when they hand out a CD or send a link of the work that we did together that they'll do it with the full confidence that they're sharing a true and fully realized version of their artistic expression. For productions or mixes I always revise until the client is happy. For sessions I strive to keep things on schedule, relaxed and to strive to create as creative as an environment as possible.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Pretty much everything.

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

A: "How does this work?" - I usually answer, "However is best for you." And then we have a conversation about the best way to make that happen.

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

A: Hmmm, not sure about that one!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are you looking to get from working together? What are your goals? What does music mean to you and what are you trying to say? What has worked in the past? What hasn't worked in the past?

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

A: In 1999 some friends started a studio in southern California called Sonikwire Studios. I got very lucky to get involved in from beginning and learned studio construction, management, and engineering in an amazing, world class studio. After working there for six years, I decided to move to Seattle and go freelance, and did that for ten years until 2015. During that time I was also the member of the bands Trespassers William and the Soft Hills and had experience with major and independent labels as well touring the US and Europe. In 2015 I relocated to Germany and am continuing to work freelance there as well as pursuing new musical projects of my own.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Atmospheric, deep, lush, dynamic, experimental.

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

A: Leonard Cohen! He's one of the best songwriters of all time, but I feel like his recordings have never fully realized the brilliance of his words, melodies and voice.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Pre-production! The best thing you can do is be prepared on the vision, arrangement, parts, tones. A well prepared record always comes out better in the end.

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

A: I often work with singer/songwriters with melancholic leanings, indie rock bands with atmospheric or experimental touches as well as electronic/ambient groups and American roots based bands. I love hip-hop but haven't done as much of it as I'd like to!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I feel like I often understand what an artist is trying to say musically and that I have the sensitivity to help them extract the core of that feeling into a recording. Again, it's about knowing whether to do very little, or get very involved.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Though not a singer or songwriter myself, I feel like the song is the most important part of everything I do. I love creating the atmosphere and environment for a song to live in and I try to make every decision based on trying to bring out the very essence of a song. Sometimes this is a simple as doing as little as possible and just capturing a great performance, other times it involves everything from working on lyrics and arrangements to far-out creative sonic experiments.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: It depends on each project, but the one thing that I always do is spend some time talking or hanging out with my clients before we even start working. I do this because I want to know what it is that they'd like to get from working together. Their goals, expectations and passions greatly inform how I approach a project and I adjust the budget and logistics accordingly

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: At my home studio I've got a extra room acoustically treated and dedicated to mixing. I mix on Adam A7X's, Yamaha HS5's, and an old pair of Realistic desktop speakers. I use mostly UAD plug-ins and an Universal Audio Apollo interface which is hooked up to a SPL MixDream 16x2 analog summing mixer. For tracking I've got a Daking Mic Pre IV, a UA 6176 Channel Strip and a small mic collection with a couple AKG 414's, a Sennheiser 421, two Cascade Fat Head ribbons, and a handful of SM57's.

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

A: These days the most of my work is doing mixes or producing tracks for singer/songwriters and bands.

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

A: Trust your gut and go with someone that feels right for you.

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

A: My 1947 Rickenbacker Lapsteel, my 1978 Tele Custom, a Deluxe Memory Man, a 1965 Deluxe Reverb and a Martin D-28.