Mix Engineer,Producer,Musician

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

A: I will make sure I do everything that's in my power to make sure you're 100% happy with the result.

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

A: I had a conversation about this with a friend recently regarding introductions and how I introduce myself to others. Do I say I am a musician (which I am) or a recording engineer? (which I am) or one of the other many roles that I'll take depending on the situation. That's probably the biggest one, which role do I pick as the "main" one.

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

A: Be as descriptive as possible, have references ready that best describe the direction you want to go in. Communicate.

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

A: Started as a classically trained pianist from the age of 6. Got into jazz and fusion which led me towards synthesisers. Got into recording and studio techniques and finally stared incorporating all of that and my influences into the studio.

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

A: Contemporary jazz, acoustic, fusion, indie.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My ears and my taste in music and sound.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Because of my varied background and influences, I bring all of that experience to the table that is sure to come in handy when working with clients.

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

A: I work as a live sound engineer at a jazz club in Soho, London and we had one of my favourite modern jazz-fusion bands on called Native Dancer consisting of some of the finest UK musicians. I decided to go all out and record the gig which later on by chance got picked up by the PX Records. I ended up recording, mixing and mastering that record which is something that I never could've imagined happening if you asked me even 2 years ago.

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

A: Bassist/Producer Philip van den Brandeler. If you need deep pocket and creamy bass he's your guy. Can also write and produce a wicked banger if needed.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Hybrid! Digital is amazing for problem solving but you still need analogue to record and affect things going in. With todays advancements in technology having hardware with digital control is the way to go which is why we've got pieces from WesAudio and Tegeler Audio.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: When what I hear in my head finally ends up being what I hear from the speakers as well as making the clients proud of what they've written.

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

A: Q: How much do you charge? A: What's your budget? :D

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: When working with songwriters I always ask what the song and the lyrics are about. It's important to understand the back story in order to incorporate as much of the feeling of it into the music. References also help to understand what clients like and are expecting from me.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Never say no and make sure to try anything and everything in order to get new ideas and sounds into productions. The wilder the idea, the wackier the result. Sometimes it won't work but when it does, it will be something that stands out from the rest.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: The studio has recently been converted to a hybrid setup where I am able to incorporate a lot of outboard gear into the workflow for either recording, mixing or mastering. The gear from WesAudio (ngBusComp and stereo Ng76) are stereo analogue compressors that are fully controllable and recallable via software which makes session recall a breeze so the best of both worlds. Other outboard includes units from Heritage Audio (preamps, stereo compressors and EQs), Tegeler Audio Manufaktur (tube preamps, saturators and pultec style EQs) and tube EQs from Gainlab Audio. Neumann monitoring throughout consisting of 2xKH310s monitors and 2xKH750DSP subwoofers which are fully calibrated via the MA1 microphone to ensure an even response which ensures the mixes translate accurately across various playback systems. On the hardware side I use analogue and semi-modular synths from Moog, Dave Smith / Sequential and Oberheim. VA synths provided by Nord, ROLI and Expressive Es Osmose. On the esoteric side we've got synths from Soma such as Pulsar 23, Lyra 8, Enner and Cosmos. To end it all there are around 40 different guitar and effects pedals that are used for processing of audio tracks in productions. Stuff from Chase Bliss, Meris, Moog, Boss etc etc.

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

A: There are way too many to list but Stevie Wonder is a standout influence for his use of technology, writing and composing. Jordan Rakei who is a London based singer-songwriter for his ability to depict places and moods within the way the music is produced and written. I am also a fan of SG Lewis for his use of synthesisers and side-chain compression. On the mixing side I find inspiration from mixers like Nic Hard (Snarky Puppy), Jaycen Joshua, Gregg Wells, Tchad Blake and so many others.

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

A: It can be a range of things, one day it could be vocal production that would include recording, arrangement, layering, editing/cleaning/tuning and finally mixing. Other days it could be mixing and mastering live albums or laying down some synth bass or keys. Finally I could be involved as a producer helping with pre-production, writing, arrangements, playing, recording, mixing and mastering. Quite a range really.