Remote Mixing & Mastering

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

A: I was an assistant engineer for Jeremih Late Nights mix tape. That was special because that was the first project that I've ever been part of that reached the masses and played on the radio. It was cool sharing that experience with my friends and family.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A 80's retro pop album. Its a ton of fun! Trying to be honest to the 80's while making the songs sound modern if exciting and challenging. It pushes my creativity which is good for the soul.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! I loovvvvveeee the sound of analog and I use analog gear everyday. But digital does offer a level of convince and flexibility that necessary to mix a project in a timely manner.

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

A: Yes! My buddy Jason

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

A: Every song is different so they should sound a little different. But I promise to make each song sound uniquely great.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Hearing new music by far!

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

A: Have you worked with any famous people before?

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

A: That we can take a poorly recorded song and make it sound like a million bucks. Its true, we can do a lot at time to enhance and clean up a poorly recorded song but there are limits.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: The big question is what is your goal for this project? That matters because how you mix a mixtape my vary in some ways from how you mix a hit single for radio. So getting there vision is very import. We also want to make sure the vision is in alignment with the budget.

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

A: I will tell them to be themselves. Don't over think the process. Im very grateful that they chose me and I do not take your business lightly. Give details of want you want. But leave some room for a little creativity on the engineers part.

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

A: My computer, my hd system. my U87, my 1073 preamp/eq and my headphones.

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

A: I started off at chicago recording company. When I left there I opened up a studio in Dallas Tx for a few years. I freelance out of luminous studios here in Dallas Tx. Ive work with big brands, major recording artist, New York times best sellers and more.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is very organic. I like to create mixes that have a lot of separation so all elements have there own space to occupy. Mixing this way usually helps in the mastering stage especially if the artist prefers a lot of compression. It helps maintain the balance of the mix even while being over compressed.

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

A: Justin Timberlake for sure. I think he brings the perfect combination of pop and soul for a male vocalist.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: The biggest tip is also the simplest. When tracking vocals, gain staging properly is so important. Its the difference between having a big open vocal siting perfectly in the sweet spot of a mix. Or having an over compressed vocal that just can't seem to cut through the mix.

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

A: I most commonly work on all forms of popular music to soul and rap. I think thats largely because more people record at home nowadays and those genres are really vocal driven.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill would have to be listening and communicating. Being good at those two things allows me to identify problem and build confidence in my clients.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a detailed relationship to a project. I like to treat each song like it could be the next big song on the radio. I always tell clients that in order to have a consistent sound. You need to build a relationship with and consistently work with the same engineers. The more familiarity we have with our team. The more free head space we will have to be creative.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I always ask the artist to give me notes stating whats important to them because those elements are usually the nonnegotiable. I also ask for an reference song and I share any feedback based on my knowledge and experience. Once the project is in motion I typically start by just listening. While listening I take notes and match my notes with the artist request and then I start making adjustments. I love taking notes because it gives my clients confidence because they can see exactly what I done to the song if they have any question. Its been a great tool in building long term relationships. Balancing levels and getting the proper loudness may very from genre to genre so its important to communicate the difference in loudness to customers if they haven't specified.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My setup was inspired by the studio where I got my start.(Chicago Recording Company) The room I was most familiar with was centered around the SSL 9000 so I gravitated towards the next best thing in my price range was the SSL Sigma. I operate an pro tools ultimate system with the best converters and clocking on the market. I also have loads of analog gears from Neve 1073 eq's, vintage tube gear and ultra fast analog compressors. All in all my setup is close to 100k. I wanted my sound to be as close to a major studio as possible. Many of my clients feel that it is.

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

A: Im inspired by everything Motown. I love 80's 90's and 2k's pop, rock and hip hop. I use to have favorites. Now I just seek out whomever's having the special musical moment when everything seems to come together.

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

A: The most common work I do for clients is mixing and mastering EP's. Clients typically have a collection of 5 songs that all need to sound like a radio ready single. Because everyone has a different idea what there songs should sound like. Its important to get notes and song references from clients before beginning.