FJD on SoundBetter

Based in Milan, I write, produce, and mix songs for artists and for Film/TV. I'm well versed in different genre, check the audio samples. I pride myself in "quality over quantity," meaning I spend the necessary time to get the exact sound that I'm/you're looking for and I'm extremely passionate about my job: I'm only satisfied when you are too.

I sing and play guitar, piano and bass but my strongest skill is programming and producing tracks from scratch.

I specialise in Pop and EDM but have also produced a lot of soundtracks.
I produced several metal, folk, modern country, reggae, techno, trap and rock tracks.

I put a lot of attention into Artist development, which is too often overlooked. When working with an artist we really focus on finding the sound/emotion and defining the artist's identity. We also need to figure out how to release/promote and market, which is so important. I can bring guidance to help find distribution, digital marketing, Spotify playlisting and social media strategy. It's an exciting time to be making music!

Background:
I'm a graduated sound engineer (Politecnico di Milano), I have a Master degree in Sonicarts (Roma Tor Vergata) and a master degree in Music composition for Movies and Videogames (Comics Roma).

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above!

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Credits

Languages

English
German
Italian
Spanish

5 Reviews

Endorse FJD

by Davide Perico
"Working with James was a great pleasure. He is not only professional but a true creative talent. He went above and beyond to help me make my song great."
by Olivia Thissen
I had the pleasure to meet and work with James. In just one day we were able to write and record a song together. Probably just the beginning of a long collaboration hopefully!
by Gary McDowall
I have known Francesco for almost 5 years, I have worked with him on various projects from live gigs to various recording sessions. His passion for music and recording as well as his efficiency in the studio makes him a joy to work with.
by Davi Sillage
The joy of working with Francesco James Dini is that I can trust his implicitly to create the perfect marriage of music production to the final song. His music instinct is impeccable and he knows the rules. Last but not least: he's extremely fast in ProTools!
by davide perico
"Working with James was a great pleasure. He is not only professional but a true creative talent. He went above and beyond to help me make my song great."

Interview with FJD

Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: I definitely say both! The analog world is like a romantic passionate lover full of warm and colourful sound The digital one is, despite his bright flavour, very very comfortable and smart. I usually work with the two combined.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I recently took part of the latest release of Roby Facchinetti "rinascerò rinascerai" which is helping Italy raising funds to fight the CoronaVirus. The song is currently n1 in the iTunes Italian chart.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been producing music for 12 years while I started playing guitar in the late 1996
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Smashy/warm
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I'd like to work with Josh Homme, because I think he's very human.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: My fav motto is: "the ultimate guide is your ears"
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Soundtracks, urban beats, electronic, edm, pop and alt-rock.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Tension/release if needed and a professional modern sound.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Depending on the project the usual workflow is: 1 preproduction 2 production 3 mix 4 master The pre-production phase is crucial and maybe the most creative. After a listen of the rough idea (could be a melody, a quick demo or a more detailed song) I do a detailed creative discussion with the artist and together while benchmarking, we find a collection of sound/instruments we wanna use. Sometimes is a huge list, sometimes is just a little one. Then I carefully focus my attention on the song structure on tension/release and hooklines, always calibrating the balance between mainstream radio catchiness and quality of the composition. I produce a demo that we use to consolidate the structure after a week of “sedimentation”. This helps a lot and gives the artist the time to dive into the song. Usually I try different keys and bpms in order to find the perfect dress to the artist. Depending on the project I also may ask for the help of professional musicians and arrangers I trust especially in terms of orchestra. I do love work with other people. Having a good demo the following phases are mostly about recording the song as best as possible. Mix and master are in my opinion equally important.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I’m working in a very comfortable control room with an high quality acoustic treatment that I consider mandatory if you mix with monitors. In terms of monitors I kinda love using the Dynaudio Air15, but also Focal Sm9 and Yamaha Hs5. My main DAW is Pro Tools Hdx but I’m also an Ableton user (which is vey very good especially for electronic music). My live room looks like an eclectic music shop with a huge assortment of vintage and modern instruments (electric guitars, tube amps, acoustic guitars, basses, drums and a lovely Rhodes in the control room B, Roli keyboards and controls) I use a cool D&R cinemix console as well as analog outboard (1176 Urei, SSL buss compressor, Retro Sta-Level, Dbx 160SL) and my favourite two Neve 1073 preamps with Neve eq. I have a really extensive library of virtual instruments, and I love to combine digital (Uad, Slate, FabFilter, Waves) and analog when projects call for it.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: My favorite producers are George Martin, Pharrell Williams, Trent Reznor, Butch Vig, Nile Rodgers, Rick Rubin, Phil Ramone, Berry Gordy, Timbaland, Nigel Godrich, Fabio Trentini, Jack Antonoff, Glyn Johns, Quincy Jones, Bob Power, Jeff Bhasker and Kanye West. Even if I listen to music from all different times / genres, and am especially excited about new music and where things are headed my favourite band is the Beatles.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I work in all different styles helping artists communicate their vision and I do a detailed creative discussion and tailor the music to support the song. I first focus my attention on the song structure on tension/release and hooklines, always calibrating the balance between mainstream radio catchiness and quality of the composition.