Music Producer/Keys/Trumpet

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

A: I've done lots of work with Raheem Devaughn. I've placed 8 songs on 3 of his albums( "A Place Called Love Land", "The Love and War Masterpeace" and "Love Sex Passion" . I'm proud of that work because people keep telling me that certain songs that I produced were favorites of there's and that they wished some of the interludes I made were complete songs. I also enjoyed working with Raheem because he loves Marvin Gaye like I do and that influence permeates his music.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: At the moment I'm producing a 3 song EP that's a tribute to the late Civil Rights Leader John Lewis. It has some Reggae, Rock & Soul Vibes mixed in.

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

A: Absolutely! I have lots of Talented friends on SoundBetter. Ken Barnum is a talented producer/engineer that I've had the pleasure of working with on several Rock/Folk music Albums. Matvei Sigalov is an incredible Guitarist, Violinist and Producer who I've worked with on a few Pop, Jazz and EDM projects.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Place the music over your ego. Sometimes as producers we get trapped into adding the entire kitchen sink to a song just because we can. At that point ya gotta stop and ask: Who am I serving at this point? the song? or myself?

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I would say Digital only because I create and do rough mixes of my work on my computer. I enjoy the flexibility, the great emulations of Compressors and EQs that are available, the portability and the friendly prices of certain plug-ins and ease of use.

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

A: I promise to do my absolute best to craft music that meets and hopefully exceeds your expectations. I promise to be as honest and timely as possible and to deliver the same amount of effort and respect regardless of where you are in your musical journey.

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

A: A common question I've gotten from all my clients on SoundBetter is: How long is this going to take? LOL I typically tell them that I have a turnaround time of 48 hours. But the time it takes in most cases is usually dependent on how well we communicate with each other from the start. As long as we are on the same page, great results usually don't take very long.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Typically, I get with the Artist to get a since of what vibe they're looking for. Maybe I'll listen to some tunes they already have recorded just to get a since of the musical landscape they come from. From that point, I begin crafting ideas around existing vocals provided by the Artist. Or in some cases I begin coming of with tracks from scratch based off of the vibes I heard from the Artist.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love to be my own Boss. I love the creative aspect of music. Just to start with absolutely nothing but an idea and to turn it into something that, hopefully, people can enjoy.

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

A: The biggest misconception is that it's easy. It may appear that way from the other side but it has taken decades of practice, failure, experimentation, listening and performing to be able to deliver quality musical expression.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I ask them what they want the project to sound like. I ask for 3 musical examples. And from there we're usually off to the races ..

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

A: I would say have a good idea of what it is that you want. You don't have to have a complete understanding of it, per se ...just have a few musical examples to point to that will give direction. That makes things faster and easier for both parties.

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

A: I would take a Piano so that I could compose. I would bring some Music Manuscript paper so that I could write out what I had just written. I'd bring my computer to record; a Wi-Fi Router so that the world could hear what I was working on and I'd bring my trumpet.

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

A: I've been a musician for 35 years. I started playing the trumpet at 9 years old. I played in various classical ensembles until high-school when I got into Jazz music. This led me to college where I majored in Jazz Studies and also discovered a love for the studio. After college I began making a living as a professional musician in a variety of groups: R&B, Open-Mics, Soul, Motown, Cover Bands, Go-Go Bands, Funk Bands, Hip-Hop Bands, 80s Bands, Wedding Bands, as well as Jazz Big Bands and Small Jazz ensembles.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I'd like to think that my style is "musical"; meaning that it pairs well with multiple genres because of the wide range of music that I've been exposed to and participated in making.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I believe I bring a soulfulness to each project I work on. I have a wide palate of tastes as it relates to music, so I'm able to cover a lot of musical ground and sound authentic in each genre.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My Studio setup is pretty simple. I run everything off of the latest Apple Mac Mini. My DAW of choice is Logic Pro X and my favorite Plugins are all the Native Instruments Stuff: Kontakt, Massive, Maschine etc. I also have recently fell in love with Arcade by Output and Splice.

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

A: I'm inspired by so many great musicians and producers; anyone who has dedicated themselves to this endless pursuit of creative expression. I'll name a few though: Quincy Jones, David Foster, BabyFace, Pete Rock, Avicii, Zedd, DJ Premiere, NO I.D., Oak Felder and so many more

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

A: I typically get calls to produce R&B/Soul and Hip-Hop music. I also am a solid keyboardist and so I will get calls to play over other people's tracks of the same genres. Lastly, I get calls to play trumpet on Jazz, R&B, Soul and Gospel records.

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

A: I'd love to work with H.E.R.. Her music is soulful and honest and yet has widespread appeal.

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

A: I usually work on lots of R&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz and Gospel. But I've also worked on several Country music and Folk music projects.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is adaptability. I take pride in being able to take on the vision of the Artists that I work with so that I can deliver cohesive results.