Mixing/Mastering/Production

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both because you can! There is no better, they are just different and having the best of both worlds is fantastic!

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

A: The most important part for me is for the client to be satisfied and that their vision is realized.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love music and that I can take something and make it come to life! My favourite part is when you hear the mix come together and I turn the volume to 11 and rock out.

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

A: That most consumers wont care about the mix and choices taken at that point.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I always ask for a list of bands/albums they listen to and love the sound of. That allows me to enter their world and really put myself inside the music and style.

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

A: I think its important to choose someone who will treat your music like their own. It shouldn't be about the money, the mixer/producer has to connect and take the work as a challenge to deliver the songs as good as they could be.

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

A: Neve Shelford Channel, U67, 1176, Bricasti M7, Neve MBP

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

A: I started playing drums and guitar at a very young age. I was playing in bands since I was 12 years old and started recording and producing in my teenage years. I graduated college and started working at a studio immediately. So I have been in it for a while.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Music is all about emotions and that comes ahead of everything else. Getting the right emotion out of a track is the most important element and everything else should support that. Go with your feelings and initial instincts and dont be afraid of doing big moves.

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

A: I do alot of Rock/Pop, Indie, Acoustic as well as Film/TV stuff. I really enjoy working on both organic and natural sounding records and also very produced, modern sounding stuff and everything in between.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I am very analytical when it comes to the sound and production of tracks. I can tell right away what is wrong and what needs to be improved and how to go about getting the sound in my head. I am a perfectionist and like to really zone in on the details to bring out the best in any track.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I have worked on hundreds of tracks over the years and worked with all types of musicians. This allows me to be very objective and really get a feel for what the artist is trying to get out of the song. I bring years of experience working on all types of music with different clients from all over the world.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I like to listen to the song a few times and clean up and do all the editing first before I sit down an mix. I usually balance everything out first and do my panning before really digging in. I also set up my Mix Buss after all the initial balancing/panning is done and then I jump in to work on individual tracks. I like to work quickly in the beginning on big moves to get an overall shape and feel for the song, it is more about the creativity at that point. Once I have an overall feel for the track, I go in on specifics and work on much finer details.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a hybrid setup using pro tools as my main DAW. I use Burl conversion and use a Dangerouse summing mixer to bring the best of both worlds. Some of my gear includes Retro 176, Bricasti M7, Fatso, Neve MBP, Silver Bullet, Hammer EQ, Phoenix Audio, Great River and API Preamps. I am monitoring on Barefoot MM27s along with NS10s and a side sony boombox.

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

A: I am a huge fan of Michael Brauer, Tchad Blake, Serban Ghenea, Chris Lorde Alge and many more. I follow their work closely and am always learning so much from them. I have also been fortunate enough to learn directly with some of my favourite engineers like Andy Wallace, Tchad Blake, and Alan Parsons who have pushed me and my work alot further.

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

A: I work directly with bands recording and mixing their albums and bringing it to life. I also do a lot of mixing online with clients all over the world.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I love big sounding punchy records. I like records that capture the energy and performance is king!

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

A: Paul Mccartney would be great!