Mixing your wildest ideas

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

A: I started work on Damn Right Amigos as a session drummer and recordist. I liked the music so much that i quickly started pouring new ideas on top of the songs. The band enjoyed my work so much, that they wanted to hire me as their drummer, and now we've been producing music together.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I have a whole bunch of documentaries in the edit, and a bunch of singles i've produced slowly finding their ways to the streams

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

A: I haven't sifted through the freelancers on soundbetter as of yet, i will update this part asap!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: A tool for every trade. There's no need to split hairs on the issue. We can all agree that there are situations where digital audio shines through with the ease of processing, and places where a garden hose might give the effect that 5 different plugins combined could. You wouldn't eat soup with a fork, but you wouldnt hold a steak with a spoon either.

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

A: You'll get what you want, and then some!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The variety and the constant changing of styles. The artistry! I like to pick an idea that i came up with while mixing reggae and try to implement it on a War Metal recording. And most of all, the lovely clients!

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

A: "Can you make a living out of mixing music?" To which i answer "If you have the right mind for it!"

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

A: That i just put the tracks together and set their levels. I'm an artist too!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Have you recorded music before? Have you mixed music with a technician before? What kind of music do you want to make? What kind of music do you like?

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

A: Come with a positive attitude, open up your expectations and have fun while creating beautiful sounds!

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

A: My computer, a Sound devices 788t with the necessary peripherals for recording, a sm57, my oktava mkII set, and a flare gun to signal people to come and listen to my newest song.

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

A: I've always written music and played in bands. I started dabbling with audio recording somewhere around 2012 through a two channel mixer and a laptop. I took a few courses on sound, which ultimately led me to the Helsinki Vocational College, where i spent 3 years with my face glued to pro tools for days on end. The studying paid off, and i spent six months as a studio assistant on Finnvox, the oldest studio in my country, who then has hired me for various jobs afterwards.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is to have fun. I have a firm belief in the fact that a good mood can be heard in the production. If the music stems from a place where any idea can be given a place to grow, then the outcome is bound to be more vibrant and eloquent.

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

A: I would like to work with somebody who melds genres to form the distinct style that they personally favor. This combined with my teenage metalhead roots push me towards artists and bands like "Ulver", "Thy Catafalque", "Sigh" and "Solefald"

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Always write up even the wildest ideas in some way or form. That way you'll have a back catalogue of different ideas for whenever you need them!

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

A: The majority of my clients are musicians that play acoustic instruments. I have done my bit of electronic music, but i've found my knack with "old" band setups. Always ready to shake it up though!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My imagination. I always overdo every project i work on, so that i can tone it down from 125% to the 100% that the client wants.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I'd like to think that i bring a brand new set of ideas to a song. Why not sidechain a field recording of birds to your piano, so that the powerful strokes on the beginning of each part let out some natural beauty? What if we take this spiritual mantra and add it to your brit-rock sleaze, but not without giving it a g-funk synth and some vocoder magic first?

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: We record music on top of a demo that the client has made by themselves. After that we track the instruments professionally, either track by track or simultaneously. After that we take a moment to think about if the song wants something "extra" like synth layers or vocal dubs and special sound effects. Following that, i mix the song and add in a little extra flair to my own liking, listen to the feedback of my client, change things if needed, and then we're done.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have one practice room for bands, one medium sized recording booth, with 32 inputs to Pro Tools. I have a decent selection of amps and cabinets of varying sizes, including a kemper modeler and a few orange tube amps. I have one monitoring room mainly for audio, and one room for film/tv post production with a projector and screen. Both monitoring/editing rooms are 5.1, and i have 5.1 audio plugins like altiverb and the fabfilter set on hand for multichannel audio processing. I have two hammond organs that most definitely get a kick out of people.

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

A: Anybody who goes beyond their own comfort zone and tries to create something new.

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

A: I usually mix music, with the slightest magic touch beside the general mixing.