EDM Production, Mix/Master

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: My artist project, Achilles, is also in full swing. Check it out on Spotify or @achillesmusic on Instagram.

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

A: Jordan Grace. A good friend of mine and super-talented top-liner.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Many people over-complicate this "issue". All music is consumed digital today. The advantage of analog is the harmonic distortion and saturation that gave analog hardware warmth and character. However, audio technology has come so far now that the modern digital emulations of old analog hardware are, in many cases, able to do a "better" job of bringing out the pleasant sonic nuances that made old-school analog hardware so good.

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

A: My promise is simply to take what you give me and make it better. Make it pop. Make it shine and be the best it can be. We don't stop until you're fully satisfied.

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

A: I generally explain things in a lot of detail to try and help my clients become better with their own recording and production techniques, and have quite a bit of experience as a mentor. So often I'm asked if I do one-to-one tutoring/mentoring. And the answer is yes.

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

A: Particularly with vocal production, the work is very time consuming due to the volume of tracks and 'manual' adjustments that need to be made. Many vocalists are often very talented, but not always fully aware of the sheer amount of work that needs to be done to sit a vocal nicely in a mix.

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

A: - Macbook Pro - Apollo twin - MIDI keyboard - Sennheiser HD800 headphones - Rode NT1-A microphone

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

A: I played piano as a kid, and began making music with software just after I began high school, before being a "producer" was cool 😅 then studied music production as a senior also. Without giving my age away, my music production journey began around 2008.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Attention to detail. My personality lends itself to that very much so.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Professional-sounding mixes start at the very beginning of the songwriting process. Choose quality sounds from the start, and you will make your life easier later on. You cannot polish a turd, as they say.

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

A: Pop, EDM & Indie/Acoustic genres.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I think the best way to phrase this question is perhaps "what skill is it that you enjoy performing the most?" as that's what anyone's strongest skill is generally going to be. For me, that's the mixdown process. It's the heart of any record. It's where we get the elbow grease out, get under the hood and spend the most amount of time taking the song to the next level.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: An extra set of ears and years of experience.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: When I'm hired to do a mixdown or master, I'll first take some detailed notes on the production and if there's anything that I feel can be improved from a sonic perspective I'll feed this info to my client over a call or message, whatever they prefer. I believe the secret to a good mixdown, is a good production. The secret to a good master, is a good mixdown. I'm told the primary thing that sets me apart from other providers is my attention to the client themselves as I want them to walk away not only with a finished record but also equipped with valuable knowledge into the future.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I operate in a custom treated studio. My workflow is in-the-box, but I highly favour analog-sounding tools. I work in the MacOS software environment using Ableton & FL Studio as my two preferred DAWs along with a vast array of 3rd party software plugins from all the top manufacturers.

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

A: I really admire professionals like Stuart Tyson (Bass Kleph) who are able to balance the creative with the technical very well. Musically I have a very diverse taste and garner inspiration from a variety of different genres. I am primarily active in the electronic dance music scene and inspired by artists like Axwell, The Chainsmokers, Nora En Pure, Martin Garrix, Calvin Harris, Armin van Buuren and Nicky Romero just to name a few.

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

A: - Mixing - Stem Mastering - Production

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love watching clients light up after a job well done. There are so many talented people out there that just need a small bit of technical magic to be done on their music to make it shine.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Generally I'm just trying to gauge their own technical ability in order to see what level of guidance they need on their end. Communication is very important so both parties can make their expectations clear to each other.

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

A: I have been a customer many times myself. You need to feel comfortable that you are going to get a personalised service that you will be happy with. Ask the provider as many questions as you need to before hiring them. You're a human being, not just an internet profile, and should be treated as such.

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

A: There are so many, however right now I'll say Axwell for his uncanny ability to write and produce such cutting-edge sounds with each and every production. Wildcard: Skrillex for his insane sound design.