DJ x Production x Mixing

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

A: The Audio Plaza is 100% dedicated to the role of sound custodian. Nothing leaves the hard drives with inadequate sonic quality. From recording quality, vocal performance, or mix. Critique and suggestion will be offered in order to bring about the best final product.

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

A: Dj - 18 years Engineer & Producing (professionally) - 10 years Artist Consultation - 4 years

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

A: As many independent artists as possible. It would be great to work with people that have inspired for years, but I'd rather be involved in creating new stars. Plus, who wants to deal with attitudes?!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: At the moment, The Audio Plaza is collaborating with Slim Johnson of Filthy Mogul in the capacity of creative direction, production, engineering and executive production. Should be pretty interesting if you are fan of a certain cult classic film.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Over-delivering. Being able to make things happen that were way beyond expectations. Reaffirming that a client made the right choice by delivering a product they can take to the press and social media immediately on top of providing some insight

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

A: Be sure they are in the music business more for the music than the business. Be wary of those that attempt to pressure you into doing business with them.

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

A: That the journey with The Audio Plaza is over once the finished product is delivered. Each song mixed and certainly produced are vital for building an extensive credits list. So, assisting in getting that music heard is just as important making sure it sounds perfect...more importantly actually...

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

A: HipHop and R&B are most frequently worked on. On top of urban music being the most popular kind of music there is, it's the easiest to be picked up by new artists. You don't need a band, you don't need a lot of equipment and you don't need a lot of space. However, Rock music can be produced much like HipHop and R&B, or Pop thanks to great software.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Experimental but always jazzy. If not jazzy, then funky. If not funky, then something that knocks and nods heads. Low lows and high highs - gargantuan-ly wide, clever sequences and mixes.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: A focus on what happens after the music is created and well polished takes precedent. What kind of fan base is being targeted? After the music we're working on is sounding the best it can within the time allotted, where will it be placed?. If marketing has been planned out then the concern will be placed on individual songs and how they will sound. This is to make sure money and time isn't going to waste and to make sure you,as a client, get optimum results from the exertion of both.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Creating moments that can enjoyed over and over again is our goal when making music. That's what separates hits and classics from just good or decent songs. Recognition and implementation of this is not a unique trait, but it does appear to go over the heads of a lot of aspiring artists. This should be the number one thing in mind when creating.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Use Your Money Efficiently! There are terabytes of tips and tutorials out there, but here, the best advice is to know that using minimum requirements winning resultIf its for s. A big fancy studio is overrated. You don't have to spend anymore than $150 on a mic. You don't need need ProTools and other expensive DAW's.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: An extremely high standard of quality and low threshold on corny/cheesiness detection. Music supposed to be innovative. The way the climate is now, it makes it easy for someone to steal attention just by being different. There are great records out there that sound like dozens of other songs, still, no match for a song that is born of innovative thinking.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Right now, there are two different rooms. The primary room is where things like recording, production, and mixing take place. The second room is designed more for "live" sessions such as Djing and live programming of sequences.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: With an exponential advancement of technology the only ones that can tell the difference are the people producing the sounds. Of course, if you have the resources, you want live instrumentation - if that's what we're talking about. If we are talking DJing...definitely, definitely digital.

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

A: Trent Reznor for thinking outside the box in order to win his fans over. Jimmy Douglass for his attitude about being a perfectionist and not fretting over little things. Wil.i,am and Ryan Leslie for their involvement and perpetuation of technology.

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

A: Most frequently, requests come from independent artists that record from home. They usually need help with either their stem or two track mixes. Those artists also usually want tracks and production which receive a great deal of more time, but still represent a considerable amount of jobs received.

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

A: MouseQuake