Producer @ Straight Up Records

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

A: The single Liberty by STR8WYZ. I produced that track from start to finish, recording it in the studio in Kingston Jamaica with Sly & Robbie and then again in Ibiza with STR8WYZ adding the vocals and finally mixing and mastering it in my studio in Los Angeles. It was a real marathon production and worth every moment.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: LA artist ¥ANG's second single.

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

A: I'm not sure, I'll have to look.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital because it's the present and the future. Arguably even the digital emulations of the classic analogue gear are starting to sound better than the original gear.

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

A: I promise to do my utmost to make your track sound as good as I possibly can. That's all I can do.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I'm doing what I love - working with music 24/7.

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

A: How long will this take? This will take time so be patient.

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

A: That I can create something out of nothing. The artist has to provide me with solid material I can work with. Then I will do my best to make good great.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How do they want their mix to sound?

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

A: Music is all about the vibe so just go with the producer or engineer who's vibe you like the most.

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

A: The latest MacBook Pro, an Apollo Twin quadcore Uninversal Audio interface, a three octave USB keyboard, the latest version of Pro Tools and a pair of Genelec studio monitors.

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

A: I've been in the music business for over 20 years. I started off playing in bands and songwriting and got into producing via my own music. After having produced scores of singles for the likes of Sly & Robbie, STR8WYZ and Big Youth I feel I can offer my services to others.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My mixes have a tight, punchy sound with a lot of clarity and heavy bass.

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

A: Chuck D, cos he's my hero.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Less is more. You can easily kill a track with too much production.

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

A: Indie Rock, Reggae and Electronica

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Probably getting the 'right' sound. Of course that's my idea of the 'right' sound. But I think I'm right.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: My ears, my sense of musicality and above all my sense of art.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I switch on my gear and dive in!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a Mac Pro / Pro Tools / Universal Audio set up with a large amount of software and hardware plugins including the much sought after Tube Tech CL 1B and Teletronix LA2A compressors.

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

A: Dr Dre, Quincy Jones, Henry Sarmiento, Yoad Nevo, Tony Visconti to name but a few.

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

A: Mixing tracks from scratch, tidying up and editing, pitch correction. Full production ie delivering a finished, mastered track ready for distribution. The only thing I don't do is tracking. The client has to send me already tracked material and I'll edit and mix it for them.