Producer/Songwriter + Studio

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

A: I don't know anyone on SoundBetter quite yet.

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

A: Customers most commonly ask 'can you make something that sounds like this...?' And the answer is yes :)

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Transformative and confident.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio setup is bright with a floor to ceiling window that overlooks a garden from the third floor. It's simple and tidy but has everything I need to be creative within reach of the stool. Turn one way, pick up the bass guitar. Turn the other, suddenly you're at the drums. Turn back to the middle, and you're ready to play keys or make edits on the monitors.

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

A: The most common type of work I do for clients is either playing an instrument on their track, or producing an original track that sounds like a combination of 'song x' and 'song y'.

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

A: Sick Kids VS - I got to be part of a team that made a product that looked and sounded like it had the budget of a Transformers movie but was really just done by top notch professionals who believed in the cause.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A large-scale score for an expansion to a popular fantasy game series.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! They each have a unique magic that at some point the other can't quite accomplish.

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

A: If I don't think I'll do a good job at it, I'll find you someone who will.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love it enough to work it long hours and not feel tired.

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

A: That producers and musicians are two separate roles.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Would you provide me with some examples of what you're looking for in the final product? Youtube links are fine!

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

A: Don't be afraid to ask questions - it's free!

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

A: A good tent, a LifeStraw, headphones, a big solar panel and a MacBook Pro.

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

A: My career path has been in commercial performance since high school. I started with performing/playing music and eventually found myself expanding my knowledge and training into producing music as well.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My ear training. It allows me to pick out buried elements of songs and to emulate sounds and rhythms with greater ease. It also allows me to quickly figure out how to play almost any instrument.

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

A: I'd like to work with Clean Bandit - I'm curious about their process and how they collaborate.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Pick 2 or 3 'references' before you begin! They will keep you from moving in too many directions when working on a track.

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

A: I usually work on music that is intended for the stage or screen. Pop music for the performer, pop-inspired music for video.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: The heart of a songwriter/composer with the execution of a commercial music producer.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually begin with audio references - two or three pre-existing ideas - and begin identifying what makes them distinct. I then play with emulating those distinctions in a new session and suddenly a moment will occur when inspiration strikes and builds momentum within the framework of the references or inspirations.

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

A: Tom Misch, Pharrell, John Legend, Clean Bandit.