Producer, Mixer, Bassist

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

A: The last Sun Casino album (Deli Boy) is something I'm really proud of. I recorded, produced, and mixed it, almost becoming a fourth member of the band for the duration of the project. I worked with the band on overdubs to fill out the arrangements, playing synths and running things through cassettes etc to chase a vibe. The songs were great, so the project was set up for success, but I was able to take the production to sonic spaces that the band was stoked on and I felt represented some of my best work.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm currently working on an EP with the band Sun Casino, mixing a track for SVVARMS, working on an EP with my client Jose Nińo, two tracks with Firemaid, and a few of my own, as well as building a bunch of sample based instruments and keeping my chops together on guitar and bass.

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

A: Definitely!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Hybrid! Most records start off at least in part in the analog domain because things are being recorded, even if just a vocal. I find I like to use analog processing a lot while recording and in initial phases of production. There are some analog tools that make producing quicker and slightly better sounding. And twisting a knob on a processor on the way in to respond dynamically to a performance always beats automating after the fact. But digital (in the box) production is the way to get records finished and make sure everyone feels happy! There's no good reason to let analog limitations have an impact on the client getting mix that they are happy with. In a nutshell, start analog and end digital!

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

A: I promise my clients they will be satisfied with the outcome of our work together.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: It doesn't feel like work! I get lost in it and at the end of a day feel content and have music in my head.

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

A: To be honest, people don't ask enough questions at the get go! Mostly people ask about pricing and availability. I aim to create an environment where people are comfortable asking questions, as this is how we all learn and grow! I know some people feel self conscious about asking a question that may reveal a lack of knowledge or experience. But I never judge a question and am happy to wax about anything related to the recording and production process.

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

A: That all things can happen extremely quickly. While some things can happen super fast and have a big impact, like adding saturation to a vocal, other things such as detailed pitch correction can take a while to complete.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What outcome are you looking for? Do you have a demo? What do you like like/dislike about the demo? What music are you listening to/inspired by lately? By when do you need your project completed? Do you want to hear works in progress, or wait for a more completed version before reviewing?

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

A: Check out the discography of the person you are considering and listen if it resonates with you. If it does, request a call so you can make sure you vibe well. If the vibe is right, the outcome will be tight!

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

A: 1. Computer (does this island have solar panels?!) 2. Audio Interface 3. Any decent microphone 4. OP1 5. Any well setup guitar

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

A: I've been producing music for over ten years. I started playing bass at age 11, played in a bunch of bands through high school and college in myriad genres, toured the country in an indie rock band in my twenties, settled in the Bay Area and got obsessed with music production and recording, I think its a fairly typical path. The thing that sets me apart is me.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Respectful, maximalist, modern while paying homage to the sonics of the past 5 decades.

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

A: I'd like to work with Dijon because he is one of the most inspiring and deeply emotional artists I've heard in a long time! He slides between musical styles and degrees of emotional intensity with ease and it feels as if the music just pours out of him.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If you're having a hard time progressing with a track or finishing a song you built in a DAW, do a "save as" and convert all your tracks to audio with all your processing committed (flatten/freeze in ableton or bounce in place in logic). Next, pull all the faders to zero and rebalance your tracks. Having a fresh session with a new visual perspective (especially midi regions becoming audio regions) can really push a production forward because now you've committed all of those decisions and have to move on to a new set of decisions. And being forced to rebalance a production can make you fall back in love with it and/or learn what doesn't belong and can be muted!

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

A: Indie rock/pop, singer songwriter, electronic beat music, modern jazz. I'm a genre agnostic and can find somethign to love about almost eveyrthing.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill as a producer is knowing what is and isn't working in a track, and being gentle and kind when I address this with my clients. I'm also a great bass player.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a fearlessness and a respect. I want to bring out as much emotion and integrity from the song as possible and I also want to hear something I haven't heard before. I've listened to tens of thousands of hours f music, so I figure if something is exciting to me listen after listen it likely will be for the end consumer.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I don't approach any project the same. Besides having a template in pro tools to speed up my workflow, my work process suits the needs of the project at hand. While vague, it is true! One thing I almost always do when mixing is to start with the drums if there are drums. So long as the drums are feeling good, I know I have a solid foundation.

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

A: I'm inspired by so many musicians and producers! Miles Davis is a lifelong inspiration for me as a musician because of his fearlessness as a player and his ability to reinvent his sound across multiple decades. From a production standpoint, Kevin Parker from Tame Impala is a huge inspiration, and lately I've been on a big Bibio kick.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My home studio is centered around ATC SCM 25A monitors and a universal audio Apollo. I have an SSL mixer through which my keyboards and effects run, and a collection of preamps, compressors, and microphones to always capture sounds that please me and my clients. I have a number of analog synths, samplers, keyboards, guitars, basses, and more pedals than I can count! Everything is integrated into a patchbay. I work in Ableton, Pro Tools, and Logic. I have an extensive set of plugins and software instruments. I also work out of studios that have the traditional live room/control room/iso booth setup with consoles.

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

A: I'm often involved in the entire process, from co-writing and recording to mastering. The majority of projects I work on see me recording, overdubbing, editing, vocal tuning, drum editing, effects processing, and mixing. I often play bass, guitar & synths on tracks as well as program drums. My favorite thing to do is "additional production" where a track needs a fresh perspective, some parts added or replaced, and a rough mix.