Recording, Writing, Mixing

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

A: The Death Mama record that I put out earlier this year. I was writer, producer, recording engineer, and mixing engineer on the project. It came out sounding exactly how we all intended for it to sound and I was really happy with the final result. We hope to release more here soon.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on some recording sessions for Qingmu. We live tracked a bunch of stuff a week ago and then they asked me to play guitar and write for on of their newer tracks. I've been working on recording the guitar parts and the production layout of all of it. They're an amazing band and I hope the best for those guys!

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

A: I haven't had time to check out anyone else yet because I've been doing this interview, but I definitely will!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I love both really! And I use both every single day I'm in the studio. I have tape machines but I also have a protools rig. I love the flexibility of digital, but there are just too many options and I've seen bands get trapped in the never ending cycle of "options". They end up never committing to anything and their record never gets done or it gets done a year later when it would take me a week to do it. That's where analog comes in for me, it can really fatten up sounds and its a fun way for everyone to get involved and make the recording process fun by being hands on with all of the analog equipment. I love committing to the tone and moving onto the next thing.

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

A: My promise is that you'll love what you get back. I have been doing this for a long time and I work extremely hard at what I do. I try to be the best I can be every day, for every project.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love that I'm able to make music and help others make music. I love the idea of creating something out of nothing and doing that for a living. Its a beautiful thing.

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

A: How long does ____ take? And my answer is usually about a day... I should be able to do anything in just about a day. Obviously I can't record 10 songs in a day... well actually maybe I could if the band was the right kind of band... and the songs weren't super long.

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

A: That it takes months to make a record. It almost always never takes that long. The writing process can obviously take a long time, but once you have all the songs you're recording it shouldn't take longer than a month of hard work to put together an album.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I ask them about their demos or about the writing process. I tell them how I generally like to approach the recording and mixing process and we go from there.

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

A: Do your homework when hiring. There are some amazing talented people out there who have no idea how to produce or record an album. Make sure the fit is right.

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

A: My Trident Console, Monitors, Tape Machine or Protools Rig My Custom SG Goodsell Amp

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

A: I obsessed over music in high school so much that I wanted to learn how to make it. I played guitar everyday and listened to records as often as I could. I quickly became obsessed with the process of making music and began writing, producing and, recording at age 16. I eventually went to Art Institute of Atlanta for music production but quickly realized I knew more than they could teach me. I transferred to Atlanta Institute of Music and got a degree in Music Production and even taught the Analog class while I attended there because my teacher didn’t know how to run the console and outboard gear. I’ve been professionally working in music for 13+ years and everyday I’m learning! You can’t stop learning if you want to be great at this.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is laid back and quick. I like to try lots of things, but only if it makes sense time-wise - Otherwise I do have certain setups that I know can be amazing for certain genres or certain types of songs. I'm definitely not a commander type in the studio. I wanted to avoid that from day one, cause I've been through it. I want the artist to make their album... not me tell them how to make my album. I want the artist to be excited about their music. It is theirs after all, I'm just guiding them into the record making process.

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

A: Jack White would probably be up there for me. I feel like he likes to work very fast and commit to things so that the magic of the song or vibe isn't lost and ultimately that's how I love to work.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't edit the life and feel out of a song. This happens way too often nowadays.

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

A: Rock'n'roll mostly. I do have experience in Indie, Pop, Indie Pop, and even Hip Hop.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Problem Solving. Whether its when writing a song or mixing one. I generally know how to attack the situation and this saves my clients time and money and I know that at the end of the day they're going to love what we have finished.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I have lots of songwriting experience. I can definitely help an artist craft a song. I also listen to a lot of music and study different tones and have a pretty wide variety of sounds available for my artists.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I like to get the demos, or ideas ahead of time and spend a little bit of time listening to them. If we're recording full band I set up what I think would be best for the scenario and have it ready to go before anyone gets there. We then get strapped in and listen to some sounds and get inspired and adjust our tones. We typically lay down a few takes and then listen down to what we have. Make sure everything is vibing. Then we try to get the main take. Then we can do overdubs. After we spend time producing some overdubs and getting the song to where we need it, I'll sneak the vocals in and lay down some vocals. If all goes according to plan, I should be able to record 2 full songs (overdubs and final vocals included) in a day if the band is really locking it in. Sometimes it takes a couple days to get one track. It just depends on the band and the song. Mixing typically takes me a day to get a mix on a song. Then I send it out for revisions and we go from there.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I set up my studio so that musicians can be at arms length to the recording gear. I never liked studios that were separated by walls. I want to be able to play guitar with a full band and easily reach the recording equipment. It lends itself to experimentation and is actually must faster then going from room to room. I love the commitment factor in my recording process. I like forcing myself to make decisions on the spot so that the recording or mix can get to somewhere special, rather than sit in never-ending-options-land. I can record 24 inputs simultaneously. I mix and record with lots of analog equipment. Digital is great but it can be very brittle and harsh sounding, so having all of this equipment that lends itself to finding other tones is what I'm all about.

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

A: Musicians that inspire me: The Beatles Jack White Cage the Elephant Iggy Pop and The Stooges MC5 Led Zeppelin Jimi Hendrix Queens of The Stoneage Music Production Professionals that inspire me: Vance Powell Geoff Emerick Michael Brauer Joe Chicarelli Tom Elmhirst Eric Valentine Sylvia Massey Brendan O’brien Tom Dowd Joe Meek Tchad Blake

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

A: I do a lot of writing, recording and mixing for most of my clients. I record full band, guitars, bass, vocals, and drums frequently and most of my other time is spent mixing.