Music Producer

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

A: The track that I have shared on the highlight - Breathe was produced by me. It went on to chart on Vh1 India Top 10 for 3 weeks alongside the biggest names in Pop music. That makes me really proud, even today,

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on putting together an album for my band Cryosis. It's a challenging but deeply satisfying process and I am enjoying every bit of it.

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

A: I am new to SoundBetter. Looking forward to meeting new artists. I shall re-answer this question soon!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. Everything can be created In-The-Box today, especially when it comes to producing music. There are endless possibilities that are available at your dispense when you're producing digitally. Personally, for me, I have my go-to software synths and plugins and know exactly how to work with them to get what I want. I am always on the lookout for the next big leap in music technology and how that would contribute to my creative process.

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

A: My promise is that I will treat each song that I work on as my own. I'll put in my heart and soul just as much as the artist/client has.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Everything. But if I have to pick, being a free soul in my studio, having the liberty to experiment, be challenged, and be truly artistic gives me joy.

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

A: There might be a conception that the process of producing a song doesn't involve in-depth communication and that singer-songwriters don't have much of a say in the production process given that they don't have the technical know-how.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I would ask them which artist inspires them, the story behind the song, what kind of instruments they would like, and if they were to produce the song themselves, how would it sound.

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

A: I believe that every singer-songwriter has a sonic vision for their song. My advice would be to encourage an open conversation where they can express what sounds they hear, the groove they think would be cool, and a holistic idea for how the song should turn out at the end.

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

A: The 5 gears would be: - Laptop - 25 Key MIDI Keyboard - Headphones - Electric Guitar - Native Instruments Maschine for Drums

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

A: I started with producing for my band Cryosis (signed to Brooklyn Fire, NYC) and other artists in India. In the seven years that I have been producing professionally, I have explored genres like Rock, Alternative, EDM and Pop. The next aspired step would be to collaborate with artists all over the world and bring their vision to life,

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: In a few words, I would stay my style is versatile. Being a producer for over 7 years now, I like to produce anyting from cinematic,chill to songs with heavy instrumentation. It all depends on what the song needs to be expressed in its fullest form.

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

A: Mike Shinoda, Ilenium, Melanie Martinez, Halsey and anyone and everyone who wants to make it in the Pop music world like I am.

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

A: I have worked on a lot of different genres - Soundtrack, Orchestral, Alt Rock, Classic Rock, Indie Pop etc. But I enjoy working on RnB, Pop and Dance Music the most.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My understanding of the fact that a song needs to be on par with other songs that make it to Editorial Playlists on Spotify. Sonically it needs to sound crisp, clear, and punchy while production-wise it needs to capture a vibe and make people feel a certain way. I understand these things very well and it gives me great clarity while producing.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: When I get a vocal track to produce on, I generally just listen to it a couple of times on loop just to understand what style of production, grooves, and elements will contribute to bringing the best out of it. Once I have an understanding of that, I would usually go to my piano and work on finding interesting progressions, chord voicings etc. At this stage, the focus is solely on the theoretical side. I tend to keep these processes independent because it gives me great clarity. Once I am on the production table, its all about sounds, compression, EQ and all kinds of nerdy things! What I obtained from the jamming process, I would then take all that to build the foundation of my production. I usually start producing by building a great groove that drives the vocals forward. I might experiment with interesting arrangements too (If the artist is open to that) From that stage onwards, its fairly simple. I would spend hours creating the right vibe for the song. Every sound matters in creating a world where the song is rightly expressed. It could sometimes take a few hours, It could sometimes take a day or two, or more. I like the fluidity and unpredictability of it. Not giving yourself an unrealistic deadline to meet helps me be fully creative and experimental. I love to mess around and see what works. The first idea is never the best one!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: DAW for production is Ableton Live 10 (Its the best!) MIDI instruments used are Native Instrument's Maschine & Komplete Kontrol S49, Roli Seaboard, Novation Launchpad Pro MK3 Musicman by Sterling, Fender Guitars Extensive Software instrument collection for Kontakt, Omnisphere, Serum (these three mostly get my work done) Mixing is usually done with the best analog-modeled plugins from UAD, Slate Digital, Soundtoys etc

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

A: I produce for singers, bands and my band Cryosis. I also do remixes.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: I've usually noticed some of my peers producing a full track and then realizing that it doesn't go very well with the vocals. Over the years I have come to the understanding that Vocals are the main instrument of your song. So like any other instrument will have a groove, vocals should do! When a producer is given a vocal track to produce on, they should spend some time studying it, finding the catchiest parts that they can further enhance and draw the listener's attention to with their instrumentation and treatment. This is probably not a technical music production tip but I feel these things are seldom spoken about and in reality hold more value than anything technical.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A great acapella is 50% of the work already done. The rest is my job. Right from creating a vibe with interesting sounds, to making sure the song sounds radio-ready and has the right energy level, from making sure it's hooky and memorable, to giving it the clarity and depth it needs in mixing. It's an elaborate process with a lot of back and forth. What I bring in is the clarity of how the finished product should sound like. And more often than not, I am on the same page with my clients. So everyone is happy at the end of the day.

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

A: Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park had a big role to play in my musical sensibilities while growing up. Recently sounds of artists like Illenium, Troy Sivan, Halsey, Ariana Grande have inspired me. From a technical side, the engineering work of Dave Pensado, Jaycen Joshua, Manny Marroquin has been truly inspirational.