Remote Mixing & Mastering

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

A: I started off in high school interested in live perfomance and electronic music, getting Ableton for my 15th Birthday and going from there. I went to Full Sail University to study Recording Arts, along with interning at a few small NYC recording studios prior and post graduation. I’ve been engineering for a little over 6 years now.

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

A: One of my proudest projects was my first album done for a client. I recorded, mixed and mastered 12 songs, along with producing 3 beats for it.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I’m working on 2 personal projects, along with nearly a dozen client projects. I’m also developing three artists with my own production.

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

A: My promise is that I will never stop working until my client is satisfied. I want to only provide the best products for those who seek it.

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

A: A Senior Engineer and teacher of mine, Lucius "Lou" Page is a phenomenal mastering engineer.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: It depends. On one hand, nothing digital could sound how real tubes sound, on the other hand, working with tape can at times feel like a nightmare.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the creativity and freedom it brings. No matter how many songs I create, engineer, or produce they will never be the two same pieces nor the two same experiences. The range and diversity of my work keeps me waking up wanting to only do more.

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

A: I think the most common question I get asked is “What is mastering?” Though it could be complex to those without a deeper knowledge of the production process, I highlight that mastering is not intended to correct issues within a mix, rather make a final polish to the work as a whole. In no way should it alter the sound/tone of a track, rather just analytically remove any minor smudges in a track and thoughtfully raise the loudness.

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

A: I think the idea of music being simple or mindless is foolish to me, artists that’re often labelled ‘basic’ by many put countless hours of their lives into the work that many don’t even care to listen to beyond putting on in the background.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your goal with the music you create, and how can I help you achieve that?

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

A: Don’t go for the best engineer, go for the best engineer for your needs. Everybody has their own “signature” to their work, and if that sound appeals to you, then you should go for it.

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

A: Neve 1073, Tube Tech CL1B, Maag EQ4, Chandler Curve Bender, and Thermionic Culture Vulture

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Their style would be best described as Psychedelic Rock with a high energy sound that precedes indie pop.

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

A: MGMT is a dream artist to work with for me, not only for my love of their music, but also their creativity and unique approach to tackling their wild ideas.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: When working on a song with a high density of tracks, it’s important to step back and identify where each element should sit in the mix. Removing unnecessary or destructive frequencies in each track can quickly make a mix fall into place.

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

A: My most common clients are working in the many subgenres within Hip Hop/Rap, along with the styles of R&B/Soul. I tend to work on a lot of projects within the realm of Pop and Electronic as well.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I feel as though my strongest skill comes from a blend of simplicity and perfectionism. I often see engineers talking about EQing like it’s heart surgery, when much of that is entirely unnecessary if the recording was done right in the first place. Making sure to nail every part of the production process of a song is the key to making a great song, and not overcompensating for mistakes made early on.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I would say the greatest element I’ll bring to a song is my ability to understand what a client is looking for, even if they might not fully be able to put it to words. I will see opportunities for effects and stylistic choices and jump on them when appropriate- if the client likes it it’s a big win, if they don’t I have the undo button. Throwing ideas out is one of the simplest and most conducive ways of delivering a great product, and its an important tool to have to be successful as a modern engineer.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: If we talk about my full involvement from start to finish, I’ll usually have a client come in looking for a certain concept or sound. In those cases I find it a breeze to make a beat/instrumental to accompany their vision. From there I will track their vocals or any other elements we may bring outside the digital domain, and then work on a mix. If they are fully satisfied with their mix, I will come back to the project and put the final touches with the mastering process. I will typically deliver the finished track, instrumental, and TV/performance track.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I run an Audient iD44 as my interface, with a 2018 Mac Mini at the center. I also run a Ferrofish Pulse 16 running A/D D/A for my outboard gear. I’m still working on expanding my capacity, but currently my primary outboard gear consists of my Neve 1073, and dbx 560 pairs. For recording I have a Neumann TLM103 for most work, along with an sE Electronics 2200 and a pair of Sennheiser e835’s for whenever I may need them.

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

A: Engineer who also act as producers are my greatest inspirations, the likes of Mike Dean, Mark Needham, Dave Fridmann, and Scott Storch come to mind.

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

A: Recording and Mixing is my most frequent work, as is the nature of a studio, however I work to make a personal connection and help clients not only figure out what they want but go beyond their initial scope.