Mixing & Mastering Engineer

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

A: I worked with a band called "Chyshuga" from Vancouver, Canada while at Radio Star Studios. I was the recording and mixing engineer, as well as the co-producer with Sylvia Massy. All members of the band were excellent musicians in their own right, and we worked seamlessly together to create the sound and impact that they wanted their music to have. I'm happy to say that they could not have loved their final album any more than what we accomplished together. I love projects where everyone is open to suggestion, and trying new things or ideas that might add some magic to a song. Being prepared to work together for the common goal of making great music is a wonderful thing, and the "Dirtbag Limo" album is a wonderful representation of this idea.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I like to use a hybrid workflow myself when mixing and mastering. The digital world is great for a speedier process, recall, and overall "control" of a mix, but analog equipment plays a big part in creating a soundscape in ways that digital-only can sometimes have trouble replicating. Both the analog and digital domains are very important aspects of a mixing and mastering engineer's work and have their benefits and disadvantages concerning certain aspects. It's my job to recognize those aspects and apply the right domain to your finished product.

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

A: To do my absolute best to make your song(s) sound the best they can in the manner you want. I want to be happy with your mixes just as much as you do. I take the utmost pride in my work and will work tirelessly to meet my customer's expectations.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How was your music recorded (live band, isolation techniques used, what software, recording engineer, studio or home recording, etc.)? What are your specific goals and needs with each track? Do you have any reference mixes or specific sound you are wanting to replicate? Who is the audience you envision listening to your music? How dynamic would you like your tracks to be? What are your expectations of me for your mixes?

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

A: I started my music career playing piano at the age of 9. I then began playing guitar at 17 and eventually discovered in my college-years that I was spending time on recording my own, and others, music more than I was working on my school studies. So, I enrolled in the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe AZ and began my journey into the professional world of audio engineering. I attained an internship at Radio Star Studios owned and operated by famed producer Sylvia Massy, and then I was hired on as a full-time recording and mixing engineer as well as co-producer. I learned an entire 30 years of recording and mixing and producing techniques from Sylvia as we worked side-by-side on most of the projects that came through her four-studio complex. Her mentorship was invaluable. After I left Radio Star studios, I joined the engineering and production staff at Soundfarm Studio in my home state of Iowa, and then I eventually moved to Oslo, Norway where I joined the engineering and production staff at Urban Sound Studios. Now, I work out of my home-studio mixing and mastering and helping bands record and produce their tracks out of local professional studios in the Sacramento area.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Harmonies are everything. Whether it be vocals, keys, horns, guitars, or an entire orchestra; harmonies should be on the mind of every musician as they create their music . Not all songs or genres require a large amount of harmonies, but by playing around with different possibilities, I have found through my time producing that by just working to spend some time on effective harmony tracks, a song can go from "good" to "great".

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring excitement. While many mixing engineers focus on EQ, high-intensity compression, and loudness balance in a mix, I additionally focus on depth, clarity, stereo imaging, and how impactful and dynamic I can make the music hit the listener's ear. I inherently focus on what will do the song the most justice and how to make sure that is brought to the listener. I work diligently to create mixes that keep the listener on the edge of their seat. A song should be a ride with twists and turns that keep the listener engaged and expecting the next ear-perking aspect. Not just a ticket to a movie theatre seat where the flat screen is merely in front of you.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: It all starts with a properly acoustically treated room so that you can hear the true reflection and balance of the music. Without that, even the best equipment and monitors will do you no good. I use Focal monitors in my acoustically treated mixing room to accurately translate the music through my Lynx Hilo mastering converters. I use a wide variety of plugins for EQ, initial compression, and FX to get the song sounding impactful, spacious, and punchy. I have an eclectic blend of outboard analog equipment to run mixes and masters through for finishing touches. Every song is different and needs it's own unique treatment, but I typically find that by using select professional pieces of outboard compression, or by utilizing analog audio transformers on a mix, they often help to improve the sonic characteristics of many of the mixes I create.

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

A: That audio is "easy" or that by hiring a professional mixing engineer a song will automatically be golden. There are many things that can hinder the possibility of creating a great mix; even if you hire a great mix engineer. Good recording technique plays a major role in how the mixing engineer will be able to transform a song into what your expectations are.

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

A: I love creativity and music that makes me perk my head up and say "oooooooh?!" Creativity has never been so abundant than it is right now in the music industry and the bar is constantly being set higher by today's musicians and engineers. I love being a part of that creative process and the inspiration to step up my game with every project.

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

A: I started my career out as a recording engineer mostly recording projects and then having others mix and master them. Gradually over time, I moved to both recording and producing and mixing mastering. Today I commonly conduct all four of these roles.