Music Producer, Mixer

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For mixing I talk to the artist or management and get an idea of the direction they want to take from the demo mix . I then send a first pass and from there I do the necessary revisions until everyone is happy. For producing/remixes or instrumentals I also have a conversation and get an idea of the expectations . I then send a first roughly mixed draft and based on the feedback I either go to mixing it or tweaking until its done.

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

A: I started out beginning of 2000's as a lead singer for a pop-rock band in Romania and after trying to get signed, an established producer offered me a job to work with him on songs for pop celebrities . After getting a bunch of radio hits , I quickly realized being in the studio is way more satisfying for me than being in a band. In 2008 I moved to Vancouver , Canada where I was supposed to live for only 2 years while working online with European labels. Soon after, I got my first Europe-wide hit with Disco Romancing. Then, right before getting ready to move back to Romania, I also got a placement for a well known Canadian pop artist, Mia Martina. MIa's song - Burning - which I co-wrote and produced got a Gold certification, #2 Top Canadian Spins and #6 Itunes Japan. This led to a fruitful collaboration with CP Records giving me the opportunity to work with Massari, a well-established name. More hits and gold records with Massari followed: Brand New Day, Shisha feat French Montana and What About The Love feat Mia Martina.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on a pop-urban album that I'm producing, mixing and co-writing for Canadian rapper Absolute as well as a bunch of remixes for a Vancouver based label distributed by Universal Music Canada.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. I love analog summing (and some analog processing , especially on the mixbus) but of course I use a digital platform (Ableton Live) and plugins which sound amazing . In my opinion having a hybrid system gives me the benefits of getting an extra layer of classiness and bigness that only analog summing can offer at the moment, while still keeping things quick and practical due to the digital system.

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

A: The most recent project that I worked on that I am really proud of and will be released soon, is Vancouver singer-songwriter's album Nat Jay. I produced, mixed and mastered all the songs on the album and co-wrote 7 out of the 10 songs. The reason I loved working on this project so much is because as a producer, I smoothly combined elements from different genres while making sure the singer-songwriter vibe is still present. The final result was something original yet very commercial.

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

A: Not yet, I'm new to the platform.

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

A: That the song will sound the best it can and that I always get them to sound like a hit. (either by producing and/or mixing).

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

A: That I only work on major label projects.

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

A: Pop music that has hit-like potential whether it's straight pop or pop with different elements (i.e. trap, edm, singer song-writer). I strive to make hits out of every project I work on.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I make the song sound the best as it can be whether it's producing or mixing.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is located downtown Vancouver. I have a hybrid analog-digital system for mixing with an analog summing device like Dangerous 2BUS + and tons of other analog gear (most of it listed in my profile). My main vocal mic is a Neumann U 67 , but I have many options depending on the job. I also have acoustic and electric guitars that I play on the records I produce if needed as well as an upright piano.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: That I get to work on projects I like , with the people I like, and I get paid to make music while using great gear.

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

A: That would be my Neumann U67, Black Box HG-2, Dangerous 2BUS + summing device , Convert AD+ converter, , Tubetech CL 1B compressor.

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

A: Listen to the work samples and if you think your musical tastes are similar, that means it's probably gonna be a great collaboration.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is the deadline, who makes the musical decisions , what is the set goal for the project.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Classy and commercial . This goes both for mixing and producing.

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

A: My all time favorite producer is Max Martin. On the mixing side I love Manny Marroquin and Jaycen Joshua.

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

A: I mostly get hired to produce and/or to mix songs. I also get hired for doing remixes or instrumentals based on an acapella stem.

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

A: Max Martin . He is a genius.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Less is more.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: The use of my ears and my taste.