Indie Pop Production & Mixing

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

A: I released my own self produced album last year, called Night terrors, which was a culmination of everything I'd learned in the studio over the last 10 years or so. I wrote all of it, performed most of it and even mixed a few of the songs. One of the singles, Who Do You Trust, did quite well on the radio too

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm doing quite a bit of writing at the moment, a little bit more stripped back and acoustic which is a nice change. And lots of singing :)

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

A: Yes, I've worked with a few people on here. Shelley Harland is a great female vocalist who I've written and recorded with a number of times. Joe Lambert is also a AAA Mastering engineer. Ears of gold!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I use both but ultimately it doesn't matter. Good ears and taste are more important that any of that stuff, imho. If the writing and performance are top notch, then the rest will only ever be icing on the cake. A great analog compressor never turned a bad song into a hit!

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

A: That I will bring my A game to whatever they bring to the table

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the creative process, when I am part of writing what I know is a good song, it is just extraordinarily fulfilling. I also enjoy recording, particularly vocals and guitars. I can get into a real flow state doing that stuff that is incredibly fun. I'm also enjoying mixing and mastering more and more. It's really fun and can be super creative also.

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

A: How long will it take? I usually try and turn things around within a few days but as with everything, it depends how much is on at that particular moment in time.

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

A: That it's soooo glamorous! Haha. Somehow the studio carries an aura of mystic, that probably comes from a time when the tools and access weren't as ubiquitous as they are now. The studio is not the magic. The magic happens in your imagination and the studio is there to make it a reality. It's a workplace, but often a very fun one ;)

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Mostly, I'm trying to get inside their head to understand what their music sounds like to them. References help a lot. If they have demo'd something, I always like to hear that. I also want to know what they like and don't like about their own demo's. Who do they aspire to sound like and what do they like about that artist so much. The more info I can get upfront, the easier it will be to understand what they are going for. .

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

A: Try to make sure you find someone who gets what YOU are trying to do. And has the ability and knowledge to then help you make it a reality.

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

A: A guitar. My Martin acoustic. My laptop and rode microphone so I could keep recording. My Audeze headphones (man, they're soo good!) and probably my Tegeler Schwerkraftsmaschine. That would keep me pretty happy!

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

A: I've been writing, recording and performing since I was a teenager. I wrote songs and played in bands where I grew up in Scotland, however it wasn't till I moved to Australia and went full time with my music that I started to get serious recognition. I got signed to Albert Music in 2009 and it was kind of a dream come true. I write a lot for them and recorded and released under the artist name Wires. About 2014 I started to focus more on studio work, recording for others, writing and arranging and eventually mixing and mastering. There is not one facet of the music production process that doesn't interest me. I don't perform so much anymore, but it doesn't really matter as I love the studio time so much more anyway.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Pretty easy going. Enthusiastic. A good motivator and fun (I hope!) to work with. I can focus pretty intensely when I need to, like when editing or mixing, where concentration is key. I like music to feel natural and expressive though, not too perfect because then it starts to lose the human touch. And a sense of humour is pretty important!

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

A: I'd love to work with Mark Morriss from the Bluetones. They've been a huge influence for me, growing up with Britpop, and I've always been a huge fan of his musical aesthetic, wit and charm.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Demo everything as simply and as quickly as you can, then walk away from them for a while. That way, when you come to picking which tracks to take further, your ear will be fresh and you'll be able to compare tracks on the most important merits - which are melody, rhythm and message.

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

A: I tend to work on guitar based music, so either indie pop or rock, singer songwriter or folk styles. I like mixing it up though and tend to introduce lots of sonic flavours into the things I work on to keep them fresh and interesting.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I think probably listening. For every musician that should be the number one thing. It helps make me a good singer, lets me be critical and creative in terms of arrangements, melodies and also to hear what clients and listeners actually want!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I think my vocals generally sound very honest and warm, quite personable and intimate. In terms of songwriting, I'm such a sucker for a good melody and lyrics that actually say something. Your telling a story and you around 3 minutes to do that, so it takes quite a bit of thought to get it right. In terms of production, I think I am pretty creative with keeping an arrangement fresh, interesting and contemporary and making sure the listener is engaged from start to finish.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Depends on the job. For vocals, I need to get to know the song and the intention behind the lyric. It's very important to get into the right mindset for a performance, understand what the writer wants and try to give them a really solid base and some other options. For writing, again intention is keen - what's your vision, how does it sound in your head and how can I help get it there or better. Communication, sharing references and discussing each step is really key.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a collection of ace guitars, such as an American Telecaster, a Martin acoustic and a Les Paul. These all just sound fantastic. For a mic I tend to use the Rode tube NTK, which really suits my voice. I've spent a lot of time on the room to make it as acoustically neutral as possible. I use lots of Universal Audio plugins when mixing but my outboard pride and job is my Tegeler tube mastering compressor. Everything just sounds better through this thing!

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

A: I'm inspired by artists like Travis, Snow Patrol, Ball Park Music, The Bluetones, The Killers, Courtney Barnett, Elbow, Frightened Rabbit, Gomez, Ladyhawke....the list goes on!

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

A: I most often provide vocals and guitars as well as assist with songwriting and arrangements for clients. I've done a lot of mixing and mastering for my own projects and am keen to help others on this front too.