Mixing Engineer + Producer

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

A: I studied a diploma of Audio Engineering back in 2005 and finished finding an industry that was impossible to get work in studios. So I got a remote recording rig and started finding as many bands as possible that would work with me. I worked my way up to getting a job at Park Road Post Production in 2012. From there I had been working in the film industry whilst making the most of the access to the world class recording studio and producing and mixing for bands from all over the country and abroad. I then moved on to the brand new studio complex at Massey University around 2018 and stayed there for 2 years until I went full time Producing and Mixing from my studio Tiny Triumph Recordings.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Exciting. To me everything I do is a natural extension on how I hear the raw song but with added hype and excitement. I want to embellish the song and really try and bring out every inch of emotion in the song!

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

A: It varies but probably most of the work I do is either in the rock, pop, indie or soul genre but I work on everything in between (hip hop, reggae, folk, jazz etc.). Life is too short to paint with one colour!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Depending on if I am Mixing or Producing; this process will look different. With Mixing; the artist will just dropbox or wetransfer me over the files and I get stuck into the mix and deliver it back over using Filepass; where we will continue to refine the mix until the artist is happy. With Producing; this can look like anything from fully arranging their song and playing everything on the track; to the more traditional producing role where I am mostly there to guide performance and feel of the takes and provide insight and feedback into structure and arrangement. No 2 jobs are the same and my approach changes for every single project.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is a well designed acoustically treated studio in Johnsonville, Wellington. My studio is really set up as a boutique Music Production Studio; where every instrument is set up and ready to go at any moment. I have incredible Synths (Juno60, MOOG, Korg Prologue etc.), Multiple Guitars (Les Paul, Strat, Martins etc.) and amps as well as some of the best vocal mics money can buy (Neumann, Flea etc.). It is a super comfortable space and I made it to feel as safe and enjoyable as possible so the artist can relax and let the music come out naturally.

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

A: I am constantly inspired by artists from all over the world in all different genres. I love the works of Valgeir Sigurðsson, Manny Marroquin, Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore, Rick Rubin and many others. I have a deep love of soul because of the incredible feel of the genre and this inspires me to try and bring to life many other genres and performances. On the flip side I also have a deep connection with acoustic folk music and anything in the alternative realm as well as more intense music like punk rock.. Basically; I love music that means something to the artist.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Im working with about 10 different artists on various albums and singles; from reggae artists and soul to pop to rock to hip hop and to orchestral scoring.....Yeah, I like to mix it up!

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

A: A Neumann u47, a Rupert Neve Shelford Channel Strip, a nice Martin Acoustic, a Midi Keyboard and a Pro Tools Rig.

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

A: Probably the first Wolves and Horses record. It was early in my career and I was working with one of the most insanely creative and talented artists I have ever worked with and it was basically him and I in a bach, taking acoustic songs and recording them, then adding to them, then altering and re-recording until we came out with the first full length album that I produced and mixed. The songs changed so much over the period and it made me realise the importance of producing. If I could re-mix it now; I would but the songs remain just as great today as when we first released it.

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

A: Not sure....im new to this.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Because life it too short for rules.

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

A: To deliver them a project that is as good/better than they hoped it would be when they first dreamed up the idea.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the act of making something from nothing. I love having an artist who gets a musical idea in born into their mind and then taking that idea and expanding it into a sonic experience that is tangible.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you want to achieve? Both for this project and in your career.

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

A: Just drop me a line and lets chat about how I can make your track come to life. I am an open and friendly dude and basically spend my days finding ways to help people make their ideas in their head a reality.

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

A: I would love to do a record with someone like Sam Amidon or Bon Iver. I love the way that they can write these incredible folk songs and let the song run wild with imagination. The arrangements that come out of their work is something that constantly blows my mind. The arrangement on "Relief" is possibly one of my favourite works of all time and if I could work on something like that; I would die a very happy man!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Demo! Demo! Demo! Pre production is probably the most important phase of the process as this helps you flesh out the song and really find out what is important when tracking. Times in the past where there hasnt been anytime for pre-production; I have found myself having to re-arrange the song post tracking and the songs never come out as strong as they could if they had been fully thought out before hitting the studio. Demos are key! Dont expect to be able to fix a poor arrangement in the mix; make it right before it gets to that stage to get the best out of the song!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Work ethic. I work around the clock to make these songs exactly how the artist wants it and this involves very long days and very little sleep (plus lots of coffee). I also think my relaxed attitude and lack of ego helps the artists know that their songs are in very safe hands and that I will not be taking their song to a place that they dont want it to go.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I like to believe that I hear things differently to a lot of people. So I always like to come in with ideas for arrangements and sonic textures. But at the end of the day; what I really bring to the song is my promise to the artist that we make this THEIR song. I have no ego when it comes to production and my only ever goal is to make the artists vision of the song come true! That vision usually evolves through the process as we work on serving the song but when the song is in its final form; I am never satisfied unless it is exactly how the artist wants it to be!

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

A: The most common work I do is Producing and Mixing. I work across many genres and really aim to do whatever is needed to make the song exactly like the artist dreamed it work. I also play multiple instruments on many of the records I produce and also do most of the arrangements when im producing. My work is pretty evenly split between Mixing and Producing.