Film & Video Game Music Pro

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm always working on new projects. I have a couple of YouTube channels and my own artist project, as well as several collaborative projects.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Each has its place. Analog has great warmth and vibe, and digital has so much flexibility and space to explore!

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

A: I promise to put my heart and soul into each project. I'm not happy until YOU are happy.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love making art. We are here to create and that's what I love to do!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I like to start by breaking down the demo and feeling out the overall vibe of the song. Then, I'll create a 1st draft of the song and send it to you. Once you send me your notes and overall thoughts, I dive back in and start dialing in the final product.

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

A: Ableton Live Suite, RME UFX, Sure SM7B, Genelec 8040s and a coffee machine.

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

A: At the time of this interview I have been working full time in the music industry for 13 years. Over that time I have progressed from assistant engineer to chief engineer, producer and mixer. I chose this career because music is my passion and I can't even imagine doing anything else. I'm so very grateful to wake up every day and work on music.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Focus on capturing the ideas as fluidly as possible, don't get overly caught up in technical aspects! Learn your tools to the point that they disappear and no longer cause a delay from idea to execution. I use the tools that I use, because they are basically an extension of my brain at this point. Like driving a car, don't think about "turn the wheel, apply brake, now apply gas..." Just DRIVE!

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

A: I work on many different styles of music! I have strong roots in electronic music and EDM, but have spent many years honing my skills in pop, rock, indie, R&B and hip-hop. I even dabble in metal and country with success!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is bringing the absolute best out of a performance. When producing, this means working with the artist to capture the best iteration of the musical vision. When mixing, my attention is on making the mix complement the production and make the song feel special.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Depends on my role in the song. If I am the mixer, I bring my ears and attention to detail. If I am the producer, I bring vibe and perspective. If I'm a songwriter, I bring emotion and story.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is lovingly named The Rave Barn. It's a purpose built studio on my property just outside Nashville, TN. It's a mid sized studio with fantastic control room acoustics and a great vibe for creativity. The setup is custom tailored to my personal workflow using a hybrid setup of analog and digital tools with best in class RME conversion and Genelec monitoring.

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

A: Some of my favorites are Deadmau5, Ian Kirkpatrik, Finneas, Andy Wallace, Oliver, Alex Metric and Imogen Heap, but there are so many more artists that inspire me, I just couldn't list them all!

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

A: The most common types of work I do are production and mixing. I also do a lot of editing, vocal production and mastering.

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

A: A big misconception is that artists blow up over night. Behind every successful artist is countless hours of work, rejection and perseverance.

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

A: Find someone who gets your vision and want's help you achieve it.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Forward, edgy, innovative, indie.