Producer Mixing & Mastering

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

A: *This is a long read but value-packed. You can tell I am passionate about this stuff* "If you're well-versed in a lot of areas, you lack expertise in all". I think it's the opposite when done right. I've been doing this for a long time and I dedicated years into each craft my whole life. When I first started as a drummer, I realised learning to play piano made me a better drummer, because I understood the perspectives of other band members. My drumming became more melodic and thoughtful, rather than just making big noises. As you widen your field of knowledge, you start to understand the relationships of each process in music making. - How to sing in a way that can be mixed well later - How understanding fashion and culture influences your producing style - How thoughtful songwriting allows the song to be pushed for loudness in mastering The list goes on and on. Now music making is just ONE process for me rather than separated into writing, producing, mixing, mastering etc. I've had mastering engineers killed the groove of the song by compressing the attack of drums too hard because they don't know how to feel the groove, because they never played the drums. Being good at only one thing, makes you one-dimensional and only technical. This is why I'm so confident in what I do - my versatility allows me to see the big picture when others can't.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: I've heard a lot of times, "Even if it sounds bad individually, that's okay as long as it sounds good in the mix". I think that's a mindset of mediocrity - there's a real cumulative effect where great individual sounds create an amazing mix as opposed to okay sounds creating a good mix. (This applies for production phase, it's different for mixing where some elements can be hi-passed all the way up to 3khz to enhance clarity to the mix, which would sound terrible alone)

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My DAW is my main instrument and where I shine the most. Combined with my deep and wide knowledge of other musical fields, I understand better than anyone what is needed, what is lacking and how to get there.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: All I need is a vision. That could be a reference track (I allow up to 3), rough demo or an established track that needs enhancement. I may ask a few more questions to fully understand the project and once I've gotten a clear picture, I'll go into my zone and update the client with the track. We then may go through revisions if needed.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My sound sonics are often described as lush, melodic, detailed and vibey. My biggest focus is the vibe, that's the emotion and we get there through technical skills and understanding of the vision / culture.