Mix/Master Engineer & Producer

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Daily routines, improving my audio skills, and discovering music I've never heard before - both new and old.

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

A: Not yet but feel free to hit me up!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both are good but I prefer digital because it's just faster to use. Analog can provide a unique character but you can come closer now more than ever with software emulations of classic gear (supposedly).

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

A: I can promise that you'll come away from the experience of working with me having no stress whatsoever - as long as you communicate what you're looking for, I can take care of it without bothering you (too much)!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: More than anything, I enjoy helping people solve a problem. For many people, mixing and mastering are the most problematic step of the music creation process (that's where I come in).

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

A: "How long does it usually take for a service to be completed?" • 3-7 days is usually when things can be expected to be finished depending on the scope of the project. "How much do you cost?" • Always depends on a combination of project size and project needs, but I'm happy to work within your budget!

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

A: The biggest misconception is that mixing/mastering is not creative or fun. There's so much room for experimentation in a mix and mixing can completely shift the focus of a song. Plus you get to work directly with other creatives!

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

A: Be specific with your requests but don't hesitate to just reach out and start the conversation. I think engineers typically like some guidance for what you're looking for so that they can deliver the service that you're expecting. Nothing is worse than working on a mix, sending it out, and the customer responding that it's not what they were looking for at all. I'm here to provide you a service according to your needs - remember that!

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

A: I'm obsessed with my Arturia Keylab 88, my Yamaha HS8 Monitors, FL Studio, and my guitar + bass.

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

A: I started playing music on the alto saxophone in 5th grade and continued for 8 years all the way through high school. In high school I also took up drumming which is the backbone for a lot of my production style - rhythm and groove is everything to me. I started producing for fun in high school as well, deciding by college that this industry was something I needed to pursue. I graduated Ohio University in 2018, am currently work for a music marketing agency (Artist Influence), and have been mixing for other artists consistently for about 5 years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I work quickly and with intent. I don't get hung up on the first stage of an idea - I just keep moving forward and decide later if something it's good or not. This allows my output to be high while not getting too caught up in details on the first draft.

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

A: Skrillex has been a long time idol of mine as a producer as he's able to seamlessly blend styles and has easily surpassed being stuck in a single genre. He's produced for pop and rap artists and worked on movie soundtracks - his versatility continues to blow my mind.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: I'll give two simple ones - less is more & trust your process.

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

A: I tend to work on music in pop and electronic but have been expanding into hip-hop and rap productions.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: The ability to critically listen and provide feedback is a strong skill of mine. I'm the guy that all of my creative friends come to when they need feedback or second opinion. This translates very well into the audio engineering space in many ways.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a dedicated, sound-treated studio room with a pair of Yamaha HS8 monitors, and Arturia Keylab 88, Sennheiser HD650 headphones, and several instruments to record with like an Epiphone guitar, Warwick bass, some individual drums, and an alto saxophone.

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

A: This list could be way longer but I've been very inspired by: Radiohead/Thom Yorke, Tame Impala, Skrillex, Disclosure, Flume, G Jones, Gorillaz, Phoebe Bridgers, Jamie XX, Jimmy Edgar, JOYRYDE, Lorn, Nine Inch Nails, Sneaker Pimps, Travis Scott, Vince Staples, Tyler The Creator — just to name several.

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

A: Devault's entire artist project is something I'm very very proud of. I've been working with him on the technical side for 3 years and have had the privilege to mix and master nearly every single project he's released since then. Official remixes for Maroon 5, Rihanna, DJ Snake, Lorde, 6LACK, RL Grime, Alessia Cara, Daya - it's all just really exciting to me to get to work with so many artists' music I love so much. Every time he hits me up with a new project he's working on, I immediately make it high priority because of how much his work excites me.

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

A: I usually do both the mixing and mastering for a client to knock out both final parts of the production process through one person, saving the client time and money.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I like to know the goals, vision, and budget of any project that I'll potentially be working with. I want to make sure that I can align with your work just as you would want anyone else to.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: My background with musician varies widely so I'm able to provide a new idea or direction to a project that may be at a standstill. My 10 years of production experience also allows me to take that idea and run with it until it's complete.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For engineering, I start with laying the stems or mixed track out into a session and listen through to hear what I'll be working with. I gather some strong references of big players in the genre (along with suggestions for references from the client) to give some direction to the project and be able to deliver a track ready for charts, radio, and distribution.