Music production and bassist

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Before any recording is done, I like to know what the *purpose* of the recording is going to be. Are you making a collection of funny songs to give to your mom, or are you preparing a CD release? Obviously I am going to work as hard as I can in either case, but the mental map of how I approach projects is a bit different depending on the desired outcome. Of course I want to know about the style, but I also want to know how open you are to experimenting. Are the songs fleshed out completely? Do you need help with arranging? Do you want me to play bass too? We also have to connect on a personal level. A sense of humor helps, but we probably should also agree that there's an element of work involved that we both have to focus on, and come to the table ready to do that work. Once I agree to a project, we'll meet for coffee or lunch to talk about approach, timeline, etc. From that point, I have pretty high expectations that you will arrive at the designated place *early*, ready to set up, sober. I like working in blocks of 3-4 hrs, depending on the material. It's all about serving the song (or collection of songs), so our approach can change depending on the project. I do a lot of in-the-box stuff, but also love ambient mics, bleed and capturing the energy of a first take. I don't like to run songs into the ground, so if it's not working after a few takes, we'll move on. I'm a fan of documentary recording like the work pioneered by Alan Lomax and others of that ilk. Sometimes a simple two-mic, direct to two track approach is better than complex production.

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

A: In no particular order: Dan Lanois, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, Bjork, Beck, Jai Uttal, Pink Floyd, Rush, Bill Laswell, Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam, Brian Eno, The Talking Heads, David Byrne, Tom Waits. A large portion of the music I listen to is from outside the US, including Turkish, Middle Eastern, Indian and Eastern European music. I like a lot of different types of electro-experimental stuff too.

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

A: My clients seem to fall into a few different categories: Bass playing, coaching, and recordist. The latter category encompasses both engineering and producing, though the amount of each depends on the project. Sometimes folks look to me for audio consulting or DAW coaching, and I enjoy this alot. These can be one on one sessions at someone's home studio, or private lessons elsewhere. In my capacity as a studio owner, I would usually work with performing songwriters who wanted to capture their latest batch of songs. Usually, this involved live recording to get the core of the song, and some overdubs. In some cases we'd record the entire group live, which is something I enjoy. Other times, we might take more of a ground-up approach working from a beat or scratch track. I love recording in any context. As a bass player, I look to serve the song, regardless of the genre. I've played on folk, blues and Americana recordings and enjoy many other styles.

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

A: "55 and Sunny" is a blues/jazz record by Michael Hickey from Central PA. The mix of styles and the playing represent the type of material I like to do probably the most out of anything I've recorded. I wore all of the studio hats (engineer, mix, produce) and also played bass on some of it.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Some of my synth pop material that was delayed due to a move. I had an intern that showed interest in fleshing out some tracks we did. I will likely be mixing a project we just recorded for an improv group. Also preparing tracks for live performance on the electronic scene.

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

A: Dr. Stephen Schrum. He's an excellent director and writer (among other things).

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. It's not about the gear, it's how you use it. But if you need a reason: ease of editing and portability.

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

A: We'll always make progress, even if you're having bad day. Sometimes clients, especially songwriters, get down on themselves if they can't nail something. I try to make every session productive in some way.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Creating something that is hopefully unique in some small way (which is difficult). Also, executing a vision.

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

A: I had a customer ask me "how does the process work?", as if there was one way that it worked for every client. Sure there are basic steps, and I can walk you through those, from preproduction to mastering, to manufacturing, but I think folks should step back and see that each project can be done a variety of ways. Why box it in?

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

A: That it is quick and easy, and that you can just fix it with the computer. Just because I am recording digitally, doesn't mean I am going to allow for sloppiness. It's still extremely helpful to play in time and be on pitch.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: As mentioned above: Why are you doing this? How much time are you willing to put in? Also, how rehearsed are you? Or is this an improv situation where there is less structure on what we're recording. Is this a one-off, or are you building something more around this recording?

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

A: Look past the hype. Our industry is ingrained with a lot of hype... about gear, about techniques, about people. I read TapeOp every month, and enjoy getting the perspective they give because they usually look past the hype. I'd probably pick out a few things from back issued to show them that there are all *kinds* of ways to make records, and no one has a monopoly on how to do it. The good news about recording today is that the gear is relatively cheap and easy to find. The bad news is that the gear is cheap and easy to find. It's the experience of the person behind that gear that matters most.

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

A: Here we go with the gear again. Really, this can be a turn off! Let's see... desert island, so probably no power, so most stuff people would bring wouldn't work, right? Probably a Taylor GS8, a Hang drum, maybe an upright bass. It's likely I'd just look around to see what I could make from materials there too.

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

A: 25+ years, first as an artist, then as a studio owner, now as more freelance.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Hands-off until I see a problem. Also, a problem solver.

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

A: Tom Waits, just for the stories you'd get to hear between takes.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: It's not rocket science, but gain structure is probably the thing that I see most people stumbling on, despite there being so much out there to teach folks about. Don't record in the red (digitally) ever!

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

A: Two main types right now: Americana and electro-experimental. These are two different ends of the spectrum, but each informs the other in strange ways.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Listening to what could be, and serving the song.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: 25+ years of experience as a multi-instrumentalist, singer, writer, and recordist. Open ears from the many non-US and non-mainstream music I've been exposed to over the years.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: To be honest, it sort of bothers me that this is even a question. I record digitally, but not with ProTools. I don't think the gear matters, but rather how you use it. I don't get into discussions of Mac/PC, Analog/Digital, or ProTools vs other DAWS. I have an adequate mix space where I can do basic DI tracking, composition and electronic production. To record a band, I would have to set up on location as I recently relocated and no longer have my 1200 sq ft space. Orion 32+ interface, with a variety of mics, outboard, etc.