Horns Section, Arranging, Rec

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

A: AOP (as mentioned above) is probably my proudest achievement. It's a new way to look at instrumental jazz music in a way that I think brings pop music production to the instrumental jazz sound. It also is a culmination of ALL the music I listened to as a kid, and draws from video games, movie soundtracks, my extensive background in jazz, rock, electronic, hip hop, EDM, Kung Fu, Chinese Music and more. Please give us a listen at spotify or apple music: The Spice Cabinet, The Adventures of Pie Boy APPLE https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-adventures-of-pie-boy/1542762638 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/0OU48FDSNEsnojkGwCj1u9?si=OCAzvkRbSru3DSz0fzpdlw


Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm currently putting together my third album for my band The Spice Cabinet, a multi-genre instrumental group based in China. If you want to hear our music, please head to Spotify or Apple Music and check out "The Adventures of Pie Boy" by The Spice Cabinet. All songs composed by yours truly.

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

A: Phil Lassiter. He is the best and the OG of home-recording. He's also my teacher and a fantastic human being and all-around consummate professional and creative genius.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital: While I love the analog space, and highly respect those who work in it-- in our day and age, it's not possible to have the precision that's needed for electronic music, or pop music, without a fair amount of editing, especially in the commercial space.

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

A: That with the right references, I can give you great-sounding brass, for the least amount of work on your end.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the idea of being creative within tight constraints-- to think outside the box and bring something in that nobody thought to do because of that box!

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

A: Q: "I don't know how to explain what I want, but I know something needs to be there. Can you figure out what it is?" A: "If you could give me a list of references, I can most certainly get a better idea of what you're looking for and how I can help." Q: "What do I need to give you to get started?" A: "Once we get started, I'll need your track in WAV or MP3 format, tempo information, or a MIDI tempo file if relevant.

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

A: That adding more is always better. Sometimes it's about subtlety-- flute lines or horn pads that may not stick out, but give the song life. Faster and brasher notes don't always sound better-- we write to the song, not to be heard!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Give me three references, what do you like about those references? Give me four adjectives to describe your track. What's your time frame? What's your intended budget for this project? Who's your intended audience?

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

A: Have good references and descriptions. If you can point me in the direction of what you're aiming for in 3 reference tracks, I can almost always get to the core of what a client is looking for.

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

A: Laptop + protools, SSL 2+, Royer R101, mic stand + shock mount, shure SE846 IEMs

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

A: I moved to China in 2012, and spent the majority of my first 2 years as a jazz musician playing trombone in local bands. In 2013 I got my first chance to play in a horn section on the hit Chinese TV show, I Am A Singer》 Since then I've worked on many shows, as section leader, and arranger: The Masked Singer, Super Vocal (S1/S2), and joined several notable tours: Karen Mok's <Ultimate> World Tour, A-Lin 黃麗玲's <Passenger> World Tour, Tia Ray's World Tour and released an album for my band The Spice Cabinet, in December 2020 that has received 5 Golden Melody Nominations and 2 Fresh Music Award nominations.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: An eclectic mix of funk, R&B, jazz harmony, rock 'n roll and classical precision. My horn section is trained to interpret the needs of the track and so we are well-versed in many styles. Mostly, we provide R&B, Rock, symphonic and funk brass in different configurations, from trumpet stacks to 11-piece horn sections. I

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

A: Chicago: as a huge Chicago fan, their catalogue and style-range surpasses that of any other commercial and pop horn section out there. Jimmy Pankow was one of the pioneers of triple-tracking horn sections. I would love to work with Chicago in this regard, to be part of a horn section with such transformative ability.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: You never need as much compression as you think you do. If you have to do significant compression in your signal chain on horns, then you're probably recording them wrong. For a "screaming lead trumpet sound" low gain, medium distance, just under the bell. For classical sound, low-mid gain, far distance, over the bell. For neutral sound, low gain, close distance, directly at the bell.

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

A: I mostly work in commercial pop: symphonic pop music, R&B, funk, rock, and a little bit of jazz.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: As a commercial arranger, I understand how to make brass "fit" within the confines of the music that's already there. My arrangements make your tracks pop even if the track calls for a few notes.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I have access to some of the top session players in Asia and the world. I harness their skills along with creativity of a large-ensemble composer's ear to add professional quality recording to arrangements that add to the vibe and flow of your song: symphonic, funk, pop, jazz, we can match the recording style and feel!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually take your track or demo, track with midi or live horns, print a demo for initial confirmation with the client and then record final stems. Next, I clean up and edit, print stems, as well as a final bus mix with panning and compression based on what I think best fits your track. I will give you both wet and dry stems, along with the bus. I always record and print to 24-bit 48k WAV files, unless you need a particular resolution! Final stems are sent via wetransfer!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I use a home studio set up that's perfect for recording brass and other instruments. I work with protools, and my accessory mics include AT4040, Royer 101, SM57 and AKG C414

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

A: Wayne Bergeron, Jimmy Pankow, Phil Lassiter, Jerry Hey, Doc Severinsen, Michael B Nelson: these folks have redefined the commercial horn section sound over the years, and have always looked to them for inspiration and education.

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

A: I mostly provide horn section arranging (scoring) and studio quality recording and editing services for all provided stems.