Full service Producer

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Preparing for Rock and Roll Fantasy camp in Florida with Joe Perry and Vernon Reid and working on a side project with Tommy Stewart original drummer for Godsmack, Fuel, and others. More to come.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I have to admit I wish all music was in the analog realm again but the genie is out of the bottle and digital has a huge benefit in the mix-down process. Using computers to do complex automation across a mix is far more efficient than the analog way of doing it but the wave forms are much different. Rupert Neve was the godfather of modern recording who invented most of the mix consoles and outboard gear of recording studios said in an interview decades ago that the move to a digital format could have consequences for society. This was in the late 70s and people were talking about the new compact Disc format CDs. He said that the digital waveform when analyzed has dominant harmonics in intervals of 2nds, 4ths, 6ths 8ths etc. while analog waveform dominant harmonics are 3rds, 5ths, 7ths, 9ths etc. well if you go to a piano and play a C note and it's second (a D) together it sounds awful while a C and it's major 3rd (an E) or even it's minor 3rd (an Eb) sound pleasing to the human ear. He theorized back then that a world a wash in digital music would be more anxious and edgy and after the last year I am convinced he's right. So I do hope the vinyl resurgence keeps going as a respite from all the digital noise but unfortunately I don't see digital going away so hopefully the conversion plugins and other technology will slowly fix this technical issue. So I regretfully have to deal with BOTH but I do as much analog as I can.

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

A: I promise to do my absolute best to bring YOUR musical vision to reality and not my passive best but my utmost best! I always seek what I call "God off the mountain". The worlds full of mediocrity. Let's do something great!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I make music and help people realize their potential, what's NOT to like?

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

A: That it's easy! Unfortunately a lot of the mystique of music has been eroded by track acts and computers. A lot of modern music is all done on a computer keyboard and a single mic and a lot of very young people are making a lot of money doing it but there is a very special and amazing magic that happens in a studio with real musicians. But it's a lot more work and it takes a lot more time so people will continue to do what's quick and easy but that doesn't necessarily make it good. I mean a cake mix from a box is fine and it's quick and easy but a cake made by a master pastry chef will knock you out because it's a difficult thing to make a perfect cake from scratch but as soon as you taste it you realize just how much better it is. Music is like cake and to do it REALLY well is hard work...or you can just make it on a computer box....

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What they envision doing with this song or songs and what level they feel they are at musically. I want to know if they need my input creatively or if they have a well defined plan and just need me to give them a strong performance as they direct. If I'm working with an experienced producer, he or she may have a thorough plan for the song and my job would be to create what they already have well in mind whereas if it's a younger or less experienced songwriter doing their own recording I may offer more suggestions about arrangement or even chord structure if I notice a problem. The big thing is to define the boundaries so I know what the client needs and to be sure I don't inject unwanted ideas that alter their vision in a way that's unsatisfying.

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

A: I would look for a person with a wide range of experience. My ability to call on a wide range of experiences makes it more likely that I can find the musical vibe you're looking for as a songwriter or producer. Talent is necessary but talent WITH experience is everything.

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

A: LOL well aside from food and water I guess 1-my laptop 2-my Audio interface 3-a Shure KSM32 mic (a good all around mic) 4-my Les Paul 5-Fender Deluxe Then I could make all kinds of music on the laptop for the people who someday find my skeleton with the Les Paul in my lap!

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

A: 43 years, I started in the back up band of a Southern Gospel Quartet when I was 13 went on from there playing Southern rock, then hard rock, toured all over the world through the 80s and 90's doing Metal then decided to go back to my roots and have been doing Blues, Southern Rock since 2004 . All through these periods I was a studio musician on staff at several studios in the Detroit area and did film scores for several indie movies. I still tour occasionally and am now based in Florida and am a Rock star counselor for the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp organization.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I am a chameleon. I'm very good at adapting to whatever the client is looking for but if I was playing for myself probably a bluesy southern rock with lots of vocal harmony would be my preference. Sort of Stevie Ray Vaughn playing with the Molly Hatchet and Allman Brothers band with Crosby, Still & Nash out front singing! LOL! Now wouldn't THAT be an interesting concert!

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

A: All of them! No really. The exchange of ideas between artistic people is one of the best experiences you can have in life. Put away the ego and just listen and express the things that come to you. If you hear something that strikes an idea put it out there and see where it leads. Sometimes it doesn't pan out and you just shrug it off and try something else until that beautiful spark of inspiration strikes and then it's all magic!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Most guitarists want to record with way too much gain in the studio. They do that live because it sounds big and has more sustain but all that extra white noise added into the track will just make the transients of the picking sound soft and it will muddy the track overall. Dial the gain down on the amp or your pedal if you are using one and cut the same track twice. In fact play two of the same part with less gain but change guitars for each track or alter the EQ on the amp for each one with more mids and the other with more treble. Then do a hard L, R pan and balance the two tracks. You will suddenly have a guitar that's a mile wide but still sounds as powerful as you do live but without all that extra sssshhhhzzzz going through it. It will make for a much punchier and more articulated guitar tone.

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

A: A lot of guitar driven stuff, Blues, Southern Rock, Country, Metal, Hard rock, Pop stuff but I have been involved with some experimental stuff in the EDM genre as well as some RAP and Hip Hop hybrid stuff where they wanted some live take stuff that they could loop or use as samples. I don't really have any boundaries and I like to experiment so contact me even if you do Klezmer music! I'm interested LOL!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I feel I know how to play to the music NOT overshadow it. Sometimes you hear a song and notice one thing sticking out like a guitar solo or a drum part and you'll go "hmm that guitar player is good or that drummer is wild" etc.but 5 minutes later you can't remember the chorus or the melody of the song. Then you'll hear a song that makes you think "Wow, I like this SONG". Sure I can shred when I need to but I prefer to make a great SONG you remember than just a guitar part that flies right out of your head 10 minutes later.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: 43 years of performance and recording experience. I've been involved in the music biz since the 70s (I was on a tour bus playing in southern gospel band at 13!) I've been on lots of records and have 7 of my own out there. Made #5 on the Billboard Blues chart and was named among the top 5 albums of 2015 (The other guys were Jeff Beck, Joe Bonamassa, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Sonny Landreth!) I have a strong sense of melody and harmony and I believe in creating a great song by following where the song wants to go. Sometimes that's a lot of wild playing sometimes it's just 3 chords and a beautiful vocal or vocals and I have the skills to know which road to follow when.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I start by charting the current arrangement I receive from the client. Usually if they are looking for full song creation I'll get a simple demo with guitar and vocal. After that I'll build the session in my DAW with a tempo map and markers at the bar for verse, pre chorus, chorus, bridge etc. however the arrangement is fleshed out. Then I lay down drums to a click (I use V-drums tied into my V.I. library and capture both the audio and the midi performance. This way it has a live drum feel but I have options later in mixing if I feel the drum sound needs to be adjusted. My V.I. drum library has thousands of drum sounds from all the best live kits and sampled in great studios. This hybrid way of doing drums is now fairly standard. 90% of what you hear today is from live drummers routed through a VI drum library) After a solid drum performance I go back and do live bass and guitars through live amps. I have many to choose from but those too can be subject to re amping from amp modeling plug ins so there really are no limits to the sonic possibilities. If I'm doing vocals those are usually last and once again I will pick the proper mic for that songs tone then do multiple takes so I have the option of making a comp from the best sections. Once the client is happy I export the individual tracks as WAV files in the format requested (I usually work in 48k 24bit but can do whatever is requested) They just line the wav files up at zero in their DAW and can go to work mixing or adding more tracks.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Working in a small but efficient space. I have my drum station, guitar and bass stations. I use live amps in sealed amp closets a lot so I can get a big but tight sound but I often experiment so anything goes when I'm looking for textures. (including shooting sounds down a 10 ft drain pipe with a mic at the end! It really worked for the song) I work more on PC because I grew up on them and can tweek a lot of systems to the extreme but I have experience with Pro Tools and Digital performer on Mac as well. I have a wide range of mics and mic pre's as well as a mountain of outboard gear on the analog side as well as an army of plug ins. Whatever you're looking for I can find it and make it happen.

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

A: Just about everyone! Seriously, I listen to a lot of things in the market to see what people are into. I may be a bit more guitar focused but you can learn from everyone and then see what they are doing and sometimes mold it into something that can help you find new musical ground.

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

A: I generally help songwriters bring their melodies and arrangements to a finished retail ready sound. Sometimes it's me playing all the instruments at a pro level sometimes it's adding to or re arranging things to be a more effective song. Every project is a little different but my main purpose is to bring the clients creative vision to life in a way that lives up to his or her expectations. I'm here for them.