Bassist, Producer and Mixer

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

A: I'm especially proud of my latest single "Good Morning", available on all streaming platforms. I've played around with that chord progression for the past 10 years and to finally see it all put together and produced is very rewarding. I composed, arranged, mixed and mastered the entire track. Every instrument was played by me.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: For my personal project, I'm currently working on a new Lofi Hip Hop single and Deep House EP. With my band, we are working on new original songs and my production team has a hot new talent we are creating with that has the attention of many record labels at the moment.

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

A: Yes, Mickey Shiloh is an amazing vocalist/songwriter and has written hits with some of the music industry's biggest names.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital audio may have the most media versatility and SNR (Signal to noise ratio) in today's society, but Analog audio quality will always be better due to its unlimited bandwidth, smoother signal curves, and warmth.

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

A: I promise to go above a beyond every time to deliver works tailored to my clients' vision, uphold the highest level of professionalism and communication, keep integrity as the nucleus of my business, and provide outstanding customer service from start to finish.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The process of creating something from nothing, and satisfying my clients.

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

A: Question: What is your turnover rate? Answer: Typically 24 hours, but depends on the amount of detailed work needed. Question: Do you offer discounts? Answer: In exchange for online promotion, yes. Question: If I'm not satisfied, how many revisions are allowed? Answer: As many as it takes to satisfy your vision.

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

A: That my time is free

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your overall vision for this project? What direction do you want to go in a musical sense? What are some current songs that captivate you? What are some older songs? What is your marketing strategy for this project? May I hear your previous work?

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

A: The clearer your vision is, the easier it is for me to create it. I am highly detail-oriented so the more information you have for me beforehand, the better.

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

A: UA Apollo Twin MKII, Warwick Thumb 5 String Neck-Thru bass, Macbook Pro loaded with Ableton and Waves plugins, Akai MPK88, and Yamaha HS8's. That's all I need.

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

A: My career path was always music production, mixing and session bass. I've been doing this 15+ years and have reached a level of skill and knowledge that most don't have the patience to reach.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is very modern, but I like to push the boundaries a tiny bit to create something fresh and distinctive. I love creating music that either puts you in a mood or makes you want to move your body.

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

A: I would love to work with Chick Corea because he still to this day, is one of the greatest and technical musical minds in history. I feel he could share techniques and music theory knowledge that would change my playing forever.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: To keep a more human feel in your production, try to stay away from quantizing every sound in your music. Doing so keeps it extremely robotic and lifeless. Keeping some of your sounds quantized to the grid is okay, but moving some sounds off the grid by a couple of milliseconds gives your sound more of a human feel. Don't overdo it, too much off the grid and now it just sounds off.

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

A: When I am working on my own music it is Lofi Hip Hop, House, or Jazz Fusion.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is definitely music production as it incorporates all of my other skills in one altogether (bass, top lining, mixing, etc). Since I have perfect pitch, I'm able to instantly hear key signatures, tune drums and sounds with ease, and hear what range a particular sound is in for EQing and further processing. Perfect pitch has forever been my secret weapon and advantage.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I focus heavily on tension, release, and dynamics. Being a musician of 15+ years, I love bringing a more "musical" element to my music like colorful chords, syncopated rhythms, and time signature changes. I believe there has to be a balance depending on the genre of music because you want things to sound tasteful. In Pop music, simplicity is key whereas, with Jazz, you can push the limits a lot harder. If you want to make music that has a lasting impression, pushing the boundaries just a little is what you have to do.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Depending on what genre I'm working on, I start by listening to about 10-20 songs in that genre to "tune my ears" to that sound before I begin working. Because I work on so many styles, it helps me focus more on the intricacies of the genre's sound.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: *HARDWARE/SOFTWARE* - 2015 Mac Pro (64gig Ram),  - Universal Audio Satellite 2 Thunderbolt Octo Core  - Pegasus2 R4  - Thunderbolt Drive Bay  - U87 Microphone  - Neve Preamp (1081) - Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ - UREI 1176 - Yamaha NS10 Monitors - Neumann M149 Mic - Tube-Tech CL-1B - Many plug-ins including Waves, Universal Audio, Crane Song *INSTRUMENTS* - Taylor 314 Acoustic - Fender Strat (Clapton Sig)  - Electric PRS Electric - Epiphone Sheraton Electric Fender Jazz Bass - Premier Artist Birch Drums - Alesis Qs8 weighted 88 key keyboard - Nord Lead 2 Keyboard

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

A: Jaco Pastorius, Chick Corea, Michael Jackson, Timbaland, and Pharrell are amongst my top musical inspirations.

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

A: My most common type of work lately has been playing bass on clients' songs, mixing vocals and instrumentals, top lining and creating custom music production. When it comes to music production, I believe the best music is created with the artist in the room from the very beginning.