Music Producer, Beatmaker

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

A: I worked with a friend on his album and mixed/mastered all of the tracks for him.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on my own EP (about 5 songs) which hopefully can be released under my artist profile on all platforms (Lil Duende)

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

A: N/A

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both, digital and analog gear have their own respective sounds and uses in today's music industry and it can be fun to incorporate both into a sound.

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

A: I promise that I will work to the best of my ability to give you a product that you love, and if for some reason it is not what you expected we can renegotiate the terms of our work no questions asked.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like being able to start an idea with a beat that an artist can work with and change to make something of their own. It is fun to be part of the creative process in general.

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

A: How much do you charge per beat? Answer: mp3's are typically $20, wav with mp3 is $30, and wav with mp3 and trackouts is $50.

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

A: I do not master tracks as mastering is different from the mixing process, and also mixing is not my main focus because I am still working on learning more about it

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your timeframe? What are your expectations? What are your expectations (sonically only)? What is it you think I can do for you?

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

A: Contact me and get to know me as best as you can! I believe music is about chemistry and its important to have a good working relationship because it shows in the music.

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

A: An acoustic guitar, a cajon, a ukulele, an acoustic bass, and a shaker.

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

A: My career path is currently Music Business with production emphasis. I am currently at Belmont University working on my degree.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Hard-hitting, ambient, wavey, and eery. Sometimes all at the same time.

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

A: I want to work with Cousin Stizz because he has been a big inspiration for my work to date.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: saturation is a great tool to use in many different parts of the mix if you want to get a brighter sound out of a track.

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

A: Hip-hop and R&B

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is playing guitar, and it is often incorporated into my beats.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a unique hard-hitting, but ambient, style of beat production. As well as a clean mix ready for mastering.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: When making beats I like to work on the chords and melody first, then I come in with the drums and add transitions last. If mixing I always start with gain staging, and then make adjustments as needed by ear; but I make adjustments by using the basics of audio engineering as well. At the end of the day if it sounds good it sounds good.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work with Maudio av32's, a Komplete Kontrol A49, an Akai mpk mini, a MacBook Pro 2017 with touch-bar, a focusrite 4i4, and shure headphones.

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

A: Dr. Dre, Scott Storch, Mike Dean, Noah (40) Shebib

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

A: Hip-hop/Trap beats that are hard hitting or melodic and ambient. Aside from producing beats, I have also done mixing work for artists in the same genres as well as R&B.