Live Sound/Recording Engineer

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Currently use Studio One 5 Professional, and a Studio Live 64S mixers for tracking and mixing. I use their Eris 5 for editing, and Fluid FX80's for final mixing. I also use Audio Technica ATH-M50X for reference.

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

A: The Kickback song I have posted. That was project where a cover band wrote a song and wanted to promote it. They asked me to be involved because they had been happy with my live mixes. But this was a track that I had to be involved in from start to finish. The 1st night of tracking was completely scraped. We retracked piece by piece, and I demanded some parts that i heard that were not originally written. Lots of learning, lots of input from the band...but we arrived at a product i think matches up with industry quality at a fraction of the cost. I'm usually my own worst critic...but this track really ended up great.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. Analog has it's merits, but for me, I like options. There's no one magic bullet. Some guys insist on this set up, or that chain...and that one way might work perfectly sometimes or even most of the time. But I like having the flexibility to adapt to whatever the project throws at me. With analog...you can be pigeon holed. If you get the sound you want...great. IIf the sound isn't right at the initial tracking...you're stuck. What I like about digital...and especially Presonus pres...is that what you play is what I record. Then I can mix accordingly. With other pres...they color the sound. If I don't like that change...oh well, I'm stuck with it. But with digital...I want a completely accurate representation...and then I'll do what I need on the backend to make it work.

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

A: That it's as simple as sitting in front of the computer and moving some faders. In today's market, engineers need to focus on the rest of the industry. If my mix doesn't compare to what people are hearing on Spotify...then I've failed. And I know those artists have a much higher budget...but i need to work to that goal. If i think an artist has written a song that is worthy of distribution, then I'm going to invest the time it takes to get the song to that level.

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

A: Make sure they get your vision. The mix isn't gonna click unless you and your engineer are on the same page. Take the time to find the right person to work with.

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

A: Tough...but give me my board, laptop, M50's, FX80's, and if I'm cheating, a pair of AKGC1000s. I should be able to get the job with that.

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

A: This is it. I've been working around sound and music for all of my professional life. I've only done that because I care. I've met some engineers that just do it for the paycheck, and their work shows it. I continue to work on music because it's a passion of mine. Thus, I'm willing to put in the time to get the end product where some others just might pull the plug before getting the best from the artist.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Get. The. Take. There's been a bit of a trend for clients to assume I can fix it in post. I, however, run by the motto: garbage in, garbage out. Editing has it's place, but there's no recreating the magic of the right take on the right song.

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

A: While rock is my primary genre....Indie, Heavy, Punk, acoustic... it's not my only focus. I have also worked with other genres, like jazz and hip-hop, and enjoy those as well.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My biggest strength is honesty. I don't like wasting my time or my clients, and I don't like settling for less than their best. If I think there's a better take, I don't mind working until we get it. Or if we need to revisit the project after some more rehearsal, that's fine too.

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

A: Most of my clients have been in the live sound arena. I appreciate how every job offers a unique set of obstacles.