Mastering is all we do!

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

A: An artist who is organized, committed, and collaborative. Too many artists make great songs but don't have the discipline or planning to make their career happen.

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

A: I work on 300 projects a year and prefer to collaborate with the artist / producer. Although I can expedite communication with people I've worked within the past, I believe the mastering engineer needs to bring the most out of a project, and that is best achieved through understanding the vision and aesthetic of the music.

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

A: Dunlavy Monitors (with power amp and cables), Maselec MTC-1X controller, Prism Converters, Headphone monitoring (Benchmark DAC3 DX and Audio Technica headphones), Maselec MEA-2 mastering equalizer.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I have been known to work on virtually any audio genre as I view myself as a physician first and foremost. Some engineers need to like the music to do their best. There is plenty of time for me, as a fan, to do that once the project is completed to the artist's satisfaction. At this point, the song needs a neutral third-party more than anything.

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

A: Bob Clearmountain developed bold and creative approaches, yet remains humble and approachable to this day. Tony Visconti has juggled composition, production, and therapist responsibilities and makes it appear easy. King Britt decided at age five that he was going to be a force for music in the world, and he's taking over the globe. The late Mike Spitz devoted his entire energy to keeping ATR machines and magnetic tape viable in the modern era. I could keep going. We stand on the shoulders of giants.

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

A: "Can I have this for my release party that I already booked?" Never book release events without the masters in hand. Otherwise there is no time for publicity, generating buzz, or reaction time should the plant have a manufacturing delay.

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

A: I recently did a record with the Portland Cello Project where the artists were on the road and didn't have access to a studio. They needed changes and I used stems to make tweaks that would not have been possible otherwise. They were really happy, which means I was happy.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on a 33 song punk record, a crooning vocalist (with full orchestra), and an industrial club project. (I'm never bored).

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

A: There are like 999 great mixing engineers on SoundBetter. Three that come to mind are Larry Crane, Greg Gordon, and John Siket. Larry's records sound timeless. Greg has a long track record of shaping metal and hard guitar music, and the work John has done with Peter Murphy blows me away.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: YES. Both have strengths. I try to choose the appropriate tool for the situation.

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

A: My policies originate in the dissatisfaction I had with some mastering houses from back when I was in a band and releasing material. I treat the clients as if I were part of the band (in terms of commitment to the project).

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The creativity and talent of independent artists is staggering. After the project goes to the plant I oven listen to records in my personal time. I love so much of what comes across my desk. I'm lucky that way.

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

A: Few people understand what the mastering stage is. Most think the mixing engineer can master. Or some think mastering is not important. Every record an artist competes with will have been mastered. That's what people in law enforcement call a clue.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Are you happy with your mixes? Do you want me to preserve the mix and polish or do you want me to put a new spin on the program?

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For albums I try to determine if there is a keystone song or a climax to the presentation. From there I often work backwards trying to use this as the foundation for the release.

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

A: I started professional engineering in the 1990's but didn't go full time until early 2000's.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My default style is to collaborate with the producer and or artist to determine what their artistic intent is. Of course, I'm happy to provide my opinion, if that is requested. But I believe I work FOR the project not AT the project.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Gain staging is one of the most important things any engineer does. With modern digital workstations it is very easy to accidentally clip or distort at some point in the chain. Optimizing the audio custody is critical to jump to the professional arena.

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

A: I'm blessed to be able to work on a wide variety of music from Rock to Choral to Rap. I am partial to anything with a strong beat or melody. Rhythm and melody do not care about genre. They care about being alive!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: All I do is listen to new songs day-in-day out. Things that have slipped past the mixing team (who have heard a song hundreds of times to get it to me) stick out like a nail on a hardwood floor. Having a fresh perspective from someone who focuses on listening to music is invaluable before releasing in today's market.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: The main studio is about 1000 sq feet with 14 foot ceilings. Dunlavy SC-VI mains with acoustic tuning by John Calder of Acoustic Geometry with additional absorbers from GIK

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

A: We are a dedicated mastering house. We don't do 5 things and mastering. Mastering is all we do.