Songwriter/Music Producer

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: An independent full length album of my own material - some new material mixed in with some old tunes. I am forcing myself to take extra time so that I can get everything right. It's a mix of the genres that I grew up listening to: rock, pop, blues, southern rock, metal, R & B.

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

A: Nothing will leave the premises unless they are COMPLETELY satisfied with my work.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Freedom in scheduling and the creative process of capturing/comping the "perfect take."

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What exactly are you looking to accomplish with this session? Would you be open to suggestions?

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

A: Know exactly what you want to accomplish...and be open to changes; sometimes the song dictates where it wants to go to be its best.

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

A: A mixture really, of rock, hard rock, metal, blues, R & B, some country. Pretty much anything.

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

A: I would love to try to grab a chart topping female pop singer and mash them with a super heavy rock band just to see where it could go.

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

A: An EP that a new up and coming post hard core metal band was tracking in 2015. I engineered, edited and mixed all the tracks. The final mix down was the best I'd ever done for that particular genre - chest pounding rhythm section, every note came through in the mix, and a very angry, in your face vocal that sat just perfectly in the mix. Unfortunately they went to an outside source for mastering and the work that was done was drowned out in very bass heavy and over clipping tracks, almost like they were ran through some house/EDM preset.

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

A: I am new on here, so no, I don't I know anyone.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: If I could go back 25 years and slap myself around and tell myself to hold on to every piece of analog gear I get my hands on I would. There is nothing in existence like a reel to reel tape machine for tracking. There are some that come really close, but are still missing that magic. Analog gear was organic, warm and alive. Digital recordings being pressed to vinyl is just as sterile as a CD. Trying to get second hand analog is very expensive, so for the most I, and many others, are stuck with digital emulations.

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

A: How did you record all the instruments into this song by yourself? One at a time, if they're live instruments/track by track if they're virtual instruments.

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

A: That a pile of crap can be polished to high diamond like sheen.

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

A: An acoustic guitar, a MacBook Pro, Solar Energy supply, interface with mic/phones/cables.

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

A: I was a Soldier for 15 years. I've been at this on and off for those fifteen years. In 2015 I started focusing on music production to make it my business.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Driven and focused on the task at hand to completion.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Unless you have a huge budget, work your songs out before booking studio time. Less stress on you, the artist, and the producer/engineer and more time to track and/or make revisions.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Letting my ears dictate what my hands do on the console.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Depends on how much input a client wants. If they want just to record and mix without production input from me, that's what they get. If they want input, then I try to bring out of the musicians everything that needs to come out so I can capture the authenticity of their emotions while tracking.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My work process varies from client to client, song to song. It really depends on what is brought in: if they are raw and unfinished, I typically will want to finish writing process before I open up a PT or Logic session. If they are ready to track with complete tunes sans intro, solos, etc., I'll discuss what they are looking for as far as sound they are after.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a UAD interface to capture live instruments. A Mac running Pro Tools and Logic Pro X. A handful of great condenser, ribbon and dynamic mics. JBL monitors. A nice project studio capable of producing almost anything for almost anyone.

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

A: Quincy Jones and Robert "Mutt" Lang were huge inspirations for me in my younger days.

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

A: Getting recording space ready for tracking live instruments, tracking, editing/comping tracks to create a seamless instrument track, mix down to a stereo track. Import prerecorded stems for editing and final mix down.