Music Producer & Drum Expert

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

A: Maria Z's honest - I helped take the sketch that originally was the track and got to take it to the finish line. It was really fulfilling to see a song get completed and turned into a monster.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Tracks for commercials due out in January, an album for a music library, and placement pitches.

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

A: Maria Z - hands down incredible singer and writer who is amazingly talented and easy to work with.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital - flexibility and future possibilities we have not yet come close to seeing yet. Analog does sound better, though.

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

A: I promise I will communicate with you along the way and that I'll do my best to get your project to the finish line, whether that's with me or with someone else if they're more qualified than myself to do it. My reputation is staked on the quality I provide

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like the creative process and getting caught up in the moment when you can see it happening. Also delivering something to a client that they're extremely excited about is very fulfilling and rewarding. Its fun to see someone enjoy the fruit of your work that only they could've helped you facilitate.

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

A: The most common questions I get from customers are "Can I get this by (X time)?" and "Can you make (Y) type of music?" and the answer is almost always a resounding yes.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: 1.) What is your vision for this song? 2.) What 3 songs would you closest describe your song as being? 3.) What's your budget and timeline Pretty much everything else falls into place once those 3 are clear

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

A: Be as specific as possible about your vision if you can be, otherwise provide some references to what you'd like your song to sound like and there will be no issue dialing it in to be exactly what you want!

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

A: 1.) Macbook Pro 2.) Microphone 3.) Audio Interface / Preamp 4.) Samples / Kontakt Libraries 5.) Human Voice With that combo anything is possible.

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

A: I used to play in metal bands as a drummer, then started writing records and producing, and now I'm producing on a professional level getting commercial placements and label placements.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Very rhythmic, energetic, slightly off center but right on time.

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

A: Pharrell - I'd love to see his process and how he connects dots.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: When you find yourself adding things unnecessarily, stop and take a break with the song and come back later with fresh ears. I always operate on first impressions and it helps me finish strong.

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

A: Pop, Hip-hop, EDM, R&B

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Probably drum production, but I'm good with writing as well and knowing what sonic choices to make.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Magic, sonic cohesion, and objectivity. I know how to put everything together to sit well and groove together.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Every session is different, and every project calls for a different approach - I like to be like water and just adapt to the artist or project.

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

A: Max Martin, Chance the Rapper, Pharrell, Timbaland

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

A: I do a lot of production where I'll take acapellas and create music around that, also studio collaborations where we come up with ideas together and make a cohesive product, mixing, vocal tracking, and custom commercial compositions.

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

A: The biggest misconception is how much (or little) time things take. Some clients have tried to pay less money because they don't think something will take very long and don't understand that what may seem like a simple request to the client actually is very demanding to create. For example, just laying down vocals might seem simple and quick, but processing the voice, removing any mistakes in the takes, aligning up the vocal to be perfectly on time with the track, tuning, and other such things take a lot more time than you'd assume.