Bass guitarist, Producer

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Songwriting, learning songs for a tour and completing a yacht rock project with some friends.

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

A: Jimmy Sims is great.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Why can't I have both?

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

A: The clearer you can communicate with me the better the end product will be.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The creativity and the joy when the artist is happy.

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

A: I tend to get asked about the differences between different basses. I'm a bit of a nerd about that stuff so I'll talk for hours about it.

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

A: That it's easy.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I'll ask what they've been listening to firstly. Trying to come to the work with a knowledge of the artists perspective is key.

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

A: Communication is key. If you have questions that you think are dumb, ask them. If you have reference tracks, send them. If something is not right, bring it up straight away. Clear communication is always the best way.

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

A: My 1966 Ampeg Portaflex, one of my P-basses and one Jazz bass. Probably a fretless and maybe my double bass for some shade?

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

A: I've been a touring bass player for the past 15 years and worked in bar bands for years before that. I write songs for other artists which led me to have a small studio setup which I can now open up to remote recording.

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

A: I've always wanted to work for Mark Mothersbaugh. I've alwasy been a big Devo fan but then his soundtrack work with Wes Anderson and on the Lego movie are simply mind bending. He seems like a very driven artist.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If you're having to use more than four plugins to get the part to sound right then maybe its not the right part.

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

A: Pop, rock, new wave. I tend to be on the more melodic side of music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Speed and ideas. I can work very fast without compromising quality and I believe I bring creativity with my ideas that set them apart.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Creativity and the ear of a songwriter. My aim is to not get in the way of the song but to also add something that may not have been thought of to each project I take on.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I like to start with references for the song. I want to find out what the headspace of the song is so I can work out how to approach the work. Depending on the song I'll perhaps work out a chart and do some rough takes using a single DI signal but I don't like to learn things too completely so I can maintain a fresh approach and not get stuck in the same ideas. Once I'm comfortable with the song I'll work on a tone with the artist or producer, making suggestions where needed. Usually using three audio signals, I try to send out at least three different full takes which can then be edited together depending on the artist/producers taste.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I'm in a fairly simple room with a few different bass amps mic'd up and DI boxes all going through a Focusrite Clarett interface into a Mac with Protools. I have recently invested in an API512C which has really helped me make the most of my mics.

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

A: I find inspiration in many different places but for my studio work I love learning about the processes of classic bass players like Lee Sklar and Duck Dunn along with songwriters and producers like Jamie Lidell, Mark Mothersbaugh and Jon Brion. If I'm working on a style of music I'm less familiar with I will try to dive into references and find common ground as a jumping off point.

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

A: I record bass, by which I mean bass guitar in various forms, double bass and synth bass. All done remotely from my studio room in leafy West London, UK.