Metal Mixing & Mastering

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

A: I produced 2 EPs and 2 full-length albums for Sophist. I was dying to release some full-length albums with bands I was in previously, but we were never able to get to it, so I'm really proud to have done it twice now!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Now and then a client will blow me away with a truly awesome song - that's always a pleasure.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm currently working on new music for my studio project, Sophist.

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

A: I started by messing around with bands and studio projects in high school as a vocalist, over the internet and with friends. I decided to take a recording class at Powersound Recording Studios after I graduated high school, so I had to move to a larger city. Ever since I graduated from that class I've been active in local bands and recording them. Now I've started my own professional service and am eager to take on new projects. I hope that my clients' reviews on SoundBetter speak volumes about the effort I am putting into this.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Take the time to dial in your gain while doing home recording, really make sure there is enough headroom to avoid peaking.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Once I know what sound a client is looking for, I'll load up their tracks and get to work. After I've got all the tracks set up in Cubase, I'll begin initial mixing. Typically I'll focus on drums and bass at the beginning, moving on to guitars, vocals and anything else afterwards. I like to make use of vintage-style plugins to achieve a classic sound. After I've got a mix that we're happy with I will begin the mastering process, making comparisons to a reference track. Typically, I will make sure to fine-tune the sound closely to the reference track unless there are other plans in mind. Then I create multiple master copies suitable for different distribution methods like CD or streaming.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: It's all in-the-box. All I need is a computer, interface, and monitors. As for software, I've got Cubase 11, Wavelab 10 Pro, Waves Diamond, and a bunch of other plugins. I've got an IsoVox booth so I can do some quality vocal recording, and direct recording for bass and guitar as well.

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

A: There's a ton, I'm an avid metal collector with over 800 albums. I'm inspired by Darkthrone, Mayhem, Celtic Frost, Bathory, Anaal Nathrakh, Ghaals Wyrd, Gorgoroth, Fukpig, Napalm Death, Rotten Sound, Marduk, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Primordial, and many more.

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

A: Many people don't understand everything that goes into music production and barely conceive of what mixing and mastering are all about! So, there are many times I end up explaining the whole process in detail.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Are your multitracks bounced and exported in WAV? Do you have a reference track? What do you want to sound like, can you describe it? Are your tracks already edited and ready to mix? What notes do you have for me about your songs?

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Respect for the classic sound of 80s and 90s extreme metal.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Years of metal obsession and a respect for real metal sound from the 80s and 90s. Unwavering commitment to making sure that a client is satisfied with their masters.

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

A: I most commonly work on mastering single tracks or EPs for clients. A lot of people are focusing on singles these days, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

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

A: Make sure to do your research to figure out what you need and what you can afford. Oftentimes your home recordings are good enough to get the ball rolling, but you just need that extra touch and a bit of help with them to make them shine.

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

A: 100% satisfaction guarantee and a quick turnaround.

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

A: Various kinds of heavy metal, especially death, black, and thrash metal. I've had lots of rock and punk clients as well.