Songwriter, Mixing/Mastering

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

A: 1. Computer 2. Komplete Kontrol S61 3. Headphones 4. Komplete Ultimate (i mean if I had to choose only one plugin bundle...) 5. Telecaster

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

A: I lived and worked overseas in the Middle East for a number of years. When I moved to Rochester I started doing music full time. I've been working on the audio industry for 10+ years now.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Poppy, synth and guitar driven, with a bit of a dark flair and more reliance on ambience.

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

A: The Flashbulb. Because to me, Benn Jordan is constantly pushing and evolving his style and his work for years. He will never write the same thing twice, and his albums are always full of interesting choices and sound design. I wish someone would hire him for a game.

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

A: ALL genres.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Quick turnover and strong compositional skills. I can usually strip away the excess fat from a song and tell you what you don't need and where you can improve your mix.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A unique voice from my turbulent and diverse background as a Palestinian-American. I've had to make music in some pretty interesting places.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually start out with a melody or a few chords, and build upon that.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a modest home studio that is pretty capable of most jobs short of recording a full orchestra. I've got a couple of vintage synthesizers which are my pride and joy. For my recording rig I am using an iMac and I have a Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 ADC with a pair of Adam A7x's for referencing. For vocals I use an AKG C414, and sometimes a Sennheiser E835.

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

A: Queen, Jacob 2-2, Tomas Dvorak, Disasterpeace, The Flashbulb, Lusine, Thrice, Deftones, Metallica, Misery Signals, Michael Jackson

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

A: I create intricate sonic worlds for my clients. Every piece that I have written for a client is meant to evoke a certain mood or sound quality they're after. From toylike and playful, to brazen synth pop I can cover a big variety of genres.