Dark Pop Production

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

A: I'd say the project that I am most proud of is "Sinner" by Shaya Zamora. I really tried to lock in creatively on that, and it seemed to resonate with a lot of people.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am currently focusing a few artists (Shaya Zamora/Noah Baker) along with keeping up with my Beatstars and freelance client work

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

A: My promise is to work hard to get you exactly what you're hearing in your head. I want to make sure you walk away with a polished, well written song that you're proud of.

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

A: Most of the time, I am asking most of the questions. I really want to get a true understanding of who you are as an artist/company and how I can best help make your project successful

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

A: That we as producers only make the music. A good producer does so much more than just adding music. We are responsible for guiding song writing, creating the track, arrangement, vocal comping/producing and much more.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are your goals? Are you a hobbyist or are you wanting to make music a career? What obstacles do you face when creating music? Have you every worked with a producer before?

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

A: You get what you pay for. There are a lot of amazing providers in this website, and as you’ll see most of them may cost quite a bit, me included. However, the final product will always be well worth it. Invest in yourself if you want to be successful! I would also say look for people who are clear, concise and professional. It will make your life much easier.

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

A: I have been making music for a while, a little over 10 years. I started with my own artistry, HARLOR, and chased that with a little bit. After some of the deals went sour, I was forced back into the 9-5 life. I then started a BeatStars page, which led me to meeting Shaya Zamora. I currently produce and write with him, all the while starting up my freelance work.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Organic with a dark feel.

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

A: I love working in a large variety of sounds. My main focus is that dark pop/folk sound. I also really enjoy country and indie production. I do have experience in main stream pop and pop rock/pop punk as well.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I'd say my strongest skill is arrangement.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a home studio set up. I run out of a Volt 276 with either the Slate ML-1 or SD-1. I use Adam TV5 speakers and VSX headphones for the final stage of mixing

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

A: My main artist inspiration would be David Kushner. I currently am the main producer for Shaya Zamora, who has a similar sound. I personally just like to create and let the song take me where it wants to go

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

A: Brent Kolatalo for mixing and Nick Bianco for songwriting! I work with both of them and they’re incredible at what they do

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I personally use digital because that’s all I have access to. However, I have some great analog emulations that get you extremely close to the real thing!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Just being able to do what I love everyday! Creating music and having fun in the process

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

A: I would take an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, a keyboard, my laptop and a usb pre amp! That would be all I would need

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

A: I would say, at the moment, David Kushner. His and my sound are very similar and I feel like I could create him a great sounding record

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Keep it simple! Most of the time, less is more, as long as your picking sounds that work best for the song

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I feel like I can bring a song from sounding like a demo to a completed, professional sounding record.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I typically will start with the songwriting with the artist, as that's the most important part. After we get it to a great spot, I will then start the production. Typically from there, we will do vocal comping and then get into producing the vocal. We then will add final touches and get everything ready for the mixing/mastering stage.

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

A: The most common type of work I do is the full production of a song (Songwriting, instrumental, vocal production, mixing & mastering). I also do song/production finalizing and instrumental only