Music Producer, Mixer

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: A mix of both. Analog synths have a warmth to them, but digital mixing is so much faster and efficient. And with how good emulation plugins have become, the value tradeoff is hard to beat.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Drums and writing melodies

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Fairly minimalist. I run off a Macbook Pro (connected to a cinema display) through a UAD Apollo Twin. I have a pair of KRK 8's for monitoring. For vocal recording I use a Shure SM7b. I have a Moog Sub Phatty I love, and a full size 81 key controller, which I find easier to write melodies on. Most of my sound design these days is happening in Serum, which is hands down my favorite synth. I still reach for NI stuff quite a bit (especially Massive and FM8).

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

A: Tons. Right now I've been listening to a lot of indie stuff, like Chet Faker, Banks, Made in Heights, Flume, The Japanese House. On the hip-hop side, I'm really digging these guys Falcons, and I've been getting back into Jay Z Magna Carta, especially the Timbaland stuff. In electronic music, I really like what Deadmau5 has been doing the last few years, and I'm always impressed by what Skrillex is doing. Both of those guys are doing really interesting stuff musically, but from a mixing perspective, I think they're putting out the best-sounding stuff of anyone right now.

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

A: The work I enjoy most is collaborating with other artists to create something unique, born of mutual creativity. Making beats is fun, but it's much more rewarding to create an entire piece at once. You can realize all the elements coming together immediately, and that creative process changes how you write, producing something unique.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Personal tracks, various collaborations with vocalists.

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

A: Laptop, headphones, midi keyboard.

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

A: I've been a drummer my whole life, and I've been producing for a year and a half.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Set constraints, but don't be afraid to break them when inspiration springs.

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

A: Various "electronic" genres -- progressive house, electro house, etc, as well as darker indie stuff (think: Banks).