Mixing engineer

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

A: Boys Night Out. They are my buds, and we grew up together. I recorded their demo and first full-length and they got more and more successful from there. I'm proud to be part of it, and it got me a lot of work for years after that. Same with Silversten. On top of that I love doing my own bands. My old bands The Pettit Project and Love You To Death. And my current bands. A punk band called Terror Ruins Birthdays, and my hardcore band Twin Rivals.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Zach Oliver... awesome pop kid living in Toronto but has a crazy english accent. I think he's about to do very well for himself.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Usually analog, but not for every step. Vocals and live instruments sound awesome through analog gear. But people are pretty used to hearing beats that are creative on a laptop in a digital world. So when I mix a lot of beat-based music, it actually gets smaller when run through analog. Analog does this amazing thing where it sticks everything together and makes it sound like one big ball of music. But largely we're not used to hearing beats like that. Sometimes in electronic music things need to stick out, and be wide, and be flashy and digital.

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

A: This isn't an answer that this question is looking for... but I promise that picking away at a song over and over again trying to make it "perfect" only robs it of life and makes it less interesting. Its an affliction for amateurs largely. The most seasoned people that come to record come in, get it down, get the mix, and move on to the next song. Quantity is quality in that the more music you make, the better you'll become, and at the end of the day, from your multiple songs, one or two will really stand out. Working one song to death because you think its "the one" usually ends up a waste of time and money.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The idea of taking pieces of something and ending up with a finished product that is more amazing than the sum of its parts. Like building a house. You start with pieces of brick and wood. And end up with a place where somebody spends most of their time. Its amazing.

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

A: Honestly? How much do you charge?

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

A: That the song is done and all-together once its tracked. And all a mixer does it turns up levels. Pans some things. And adds reverb to the odd thing. The reality is that every track of every instrument needs to be massaged in such a way that it fits in with the other tracks. You've got this song that you want to sound larger-than-life... and its coming out of earbuds. Think about what that takes to make that happen.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What genres do you like? What albums excite you? And what elements of those albums are noteworthy? For example... the bass in this one. The way the vocals are processed in this one. The drums of this one.

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

A: Once you do your research and decide that you like their style and what they bring to music.... let go... you hear your song a certain way and sometimes people have trouble letting go of what they've been hearing during the whole process. But when its in the mixer's hands remember that you like what they've done to other songs the first time you heard it. So know that they'll do that for your songs when it comes to other listeners hearing it for the first time.

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

A: SSL mixer. Protools. Yamaha Speakers.1176-style compressor. And a comfy chair.

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

A: I started recording my friends' bands at 18 years old. Some of them made it pretty big and I got work from that. Around 10 years ago I started working more pop and urban music into my portfolio. Now I mostly work in that genre, while co-writing with artist, and mixing whatever comes my way. There's still guitar-based music in my workload, but not as much as before.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Mixes with bright, clear, larger-than-life vocals, and heavy bottom ends.

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

A: Fat Mike from NOFX. Because he's a crazy good songwriter and he's in my favourite band.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: The more simple, and pared-down a production is, the bigger and more exciting yet subtle it can be mixed.

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

A: Usually its pop and urban stuff. But historically its been heavy, full-band productions.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Problem-solving to make sure the outcome is the best it can be, despite any little issues or problem areas in the tracking.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: The goal is to bring the song alive and into genre and space in time where it belongs. If its heavy stuff... be it rock or urban, I make the the low end is huge without destroying the song. If there are heavy guitars I make sure that the drums are big enough that I can bring the guitars way loud in the mix. And always always always make sure the vocals are bright and clear and bigger than the rest of the track... not necessarily louder.... just more important.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I ask the client what kind of industry mixes they like the sound of and go from there. If its really poppy stuff I may start with the vocals and build from there. More often than not its from the drums and bass, and up from there. It really depends on the genre and song. I mix a song in the afternoon, then typically listen back the next day and do a revision. Then send it to the client.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I use ProTools for mixing and love my Slate Dragon outboard compressors. I rely pretty heavily on Slate Plugins as well. I have an SSL mixing board. When I do rock genres I tend to analog sum through it. My converters are RME with Black Lion Audio mods. My room is painstakingly mathed-out and acoustically treated to sound transparent for mixing.

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

A: My favourite music is 90s skate punk and hardcore. But I love the way pop music sounds these days. I think its an amazing time for production and songwriting.

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

A: Mostly I produce and mix Trap, Pop, and punk.

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

A: Not yet! But I'll have a look around.