Music Producer, Songwriting

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

A: TME MCHNE, with R&B Singer Songwriter DAJ and Producer Akira Shelton. We were singers and writers for the project. We had an excellent EP that came out a decade years ago, and although the group was short lived, the project still holds up.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: We are working on a few projects with people from Soundbetter which we're really excited about. Also wrapping up and album and conceptualizing some music videos for it.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are some references for your vision? What specifically makes up the music you want to create? What are the moods and underlying feelings that hold up your vision? The more references/information we get, the better we can make your vision a reality.

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

A: Do your due diligence and talk to at least a few producers. Find someone who has time to listen to you and understand what you want. When we were starting out as artists we made the mistake of hiring producers who had credits and expertise who essentially put us through their factory line... the end product was not what we were looking for. Find someone who loves and is a specialist in the genre you want.

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

A: Computer w/ Logic X, OB6 (or Strat), Apollo Twin, good cans, solid microphone.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Mood first, groove second. Strong melody choices come easy, thank God. Concept and lyrics write themselves once the first few steps are completed.

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

A: Paris Strothers - I think she is an absolute beast. King Krule - his approach and sound palette are so unique. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in his workspace. Big thief is a songwriting genius; Tirzah is breaking all the right rules.

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

A: Mostly stuff in the indie-pop/alt pop/alt r&b vein. With today's hyper-overlapping of genres, its hard to say while adhering to popular lexicons.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Top-lining; secondly, bizarre yet addicting pop grooves

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: We have a unique feel for instruments and groove. As vocalists, we approach production differently than most producers do, having a more keen sense for how arrangements are interacting with the top line. We also usually utilize stylized background vocal arrangement techniques, which clients have given us great feedback on.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: We work with pretty modest set-up. We use very high end plug-ins and run an apollo interface with a vintage 80's AKG-414 XLS that handles vocal tracking. Also have done some contracts acoustic proofing rooms and churches so we build our own acoustic paneling.

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

A: Jai Paul, D'angelo, Little Dragon, Big Thief, Tirzah, Jazmine Sullivan, Toro y Moi, Dijon, Benja 1010 SL

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

A: TORNA music - Ronnie DiSimone! https://soundbetter.com/profiles/239126-torna Great friend and collaborator, I can't recommend him enough. Truly incredible.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: It just depends on what your aim is. I've learned that certain approaches are appropriate for certain tracks - for example, if a live recorded grand piano already exists in the track, I won't want to record my guitar in DI. I'll probably want to mic the amp, run it through some analog processing, etc. However, if a production is made entirely in the box and I'm tasked with adding to that, software synthesizers and DI instruments will oftentimes sound better than the analog.

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

A: I will always go above and beyond to help you achieve your goals.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love meeting new people and learning about what it is that motivates them or drives them. This work has taught me so much and I have learned something valuable from everyone that I've ever worked with.

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

A: That clients are paying for the amount of time that I work on something - in reality, they are paying for all of the time that I have spent over the years getting as good as I am at what I do.

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

A: I started out playing guitar when I was 10. I went to Berklee and studied vocals there - from there I did a lot of work playing as a keys player, singer, and music producer. I've had an extremely varied and diverse career!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: We will complete 2-3 demos that consist of a verse and chorus. You can choose one of the directions, give feedback, then we can sketch out the rest of the instrumental. From there, once we get the vocal from you we can provide you with a mix and a few revisions- and voila! You're ready to send it off to mastering.

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

A: It is a mix of performance, production, songwriting, and mixing. We usually end up in a jack-of-all trades position while working for our clients.

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

A: Quick turnaround, very easy to communicate with, punctual and reliable.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Minimize your gear and samples, learn how to use what you are working with. Use your limitations creatively to your own advantage.