Remote Mixing & Mastering

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I have my final masters thesis, which is an EP with a Singapore-based artist, to finish things up. That keeps me busy, particularly with Covid restrictions and most studios shut. But I'm also mastering some tech-house work for a few different artists and labels. I am also working on new mix versions of previously released works. Candlebox just gave me the go-ahead to mix and master four of their previous tracks and use that as portfolio material for potential clients. I'm also in discussions with a few labels, most back home in Australia, about getting connected in to their pipeline of new artists.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Por que no las dos? Seriously, it's all personal preference. I usually send all my mixes through my Burl B2 Bomber ADC at the end of the chain so it get some analogue "vibe".

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

A: I will work as hard as any other mixing or mastering engineer. But I'll also be very honest - I will be clear if there are limitations in what I think I can do with the project. Nothing comes out perfect so it's best to be open about it. Also, if there is audio repair involved I will be very clear if there are issues I can't fix and we will have to live with.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I LOVE music. I love the process. I love the impact. I love that music is something that lives on long after we have moved on. It can be timeless. People can be talking about what we create decades, and even centuries, from now.

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

A: Why can't I do this myself. My answer is, "see above".

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

A: Three things. One, that anyone can just watch some Youtube videos and suddenly can be an effective mix engineer. You can certainly learn heaps that way but there are too many varying opinions to begin to decide who to trust and who to learn from. The second, that just because an artist can create a workable mix of their own work that, given the automated "assistants" in tools like iZotope's Ozone platform, they should also master that work. It may be easy to have a crack at it but that doesn't mean the end result will be the best it can be. Third, that it has to be insanely expensive! Let's chat. Sometimes I take a project on just because I can see its potential. Sometimes I am keen to get a mixing or mastering credit in that genre and am happy to be very reasonable on fees.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Where are you at in your process? What's the goal for this project? Do you have previous work that we can use as an introduction? Do you have reference tracks to guide where you want this work to go?

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

A: You focus on your music. It's your passion and your art. Ultimately, your name will be on the final product. That said, be open to new ideas and new thoughts on where the sonic result could go. And hire someone who is properly trained. While education only means so much, it means a lot that someone has studied under some of the most successful industry people across the globe.

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

A: I've been in some pretty remote places. If I had my Macbook Pro, Sennheiser headphones, portable audio interface, a small MIDI keyboard, and my Maschine control surface I could survive for eternity.

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

A: This is my fourth year in this career. My previous career was leading technology teams in various industries - but always had a strong passion and love for music. When I moved to Singapore I began learning from some of the world class DJs and musicians here and then decided to turn my passion into a career.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I'm not a trained musician but I am a passionate lover of music. While I love the technical aspects of what I do, I ultimately listen to my mixes and masters like any other listener. A song can be technically world-class but if it doesn't connect with listeners then there is no point.

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

A: Well, this clearly is remote but I'd love to work with Tool. Danny Carey's drum work would be amazing to mix. More reasonably, if Karnivool ever put out another album I'd love to work on that.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I like to get a feel for the music first. In mixing, ideally the client will already have a rough mix or at least a clear idea of where they would like the songs to go. But giving everything a listen, understanding the intended emotional impact, and the background to the tracks is very important to my process. It also helps if there are reference tracks that the artist can describe to help the process.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is here in Singapore so, like most spaces here, it's smaller than I would like. But it's a great space for mixing and mastering and I use a combination of plug-ins (mostly) and a bit of outboard gear for my mixing and mastering projects.

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

A: There are many musicians who inspire me. Dave Grohl has always had a special place in my list as he was the odd-man out in Nirvana but persevered and created a band that millions love and admire. There are many others. But some production professionals that inspire me... David Bendeth, Sean Slade, Prince Charles Alexander, Butch Vig, Chris Lord-Alge, Tom Lord-Alge, and others.

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

A: Generally rock, pop, and house-based genres. But these days, genres are blurred so if the music is crafted with passion, energy, and care I'm very keen to be involved.

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

A: I do a combination of mixing and mastering for clients. Mixing is usually focused on demos or EPs for up-and-coming bands or artists and mastering focused on house-based tracks. Sometimes there is already a vision and a rough mix in place and sometimes it's a rescue mission. But it's always interesting and I really enjoy bringing musical visions to life.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Develop your ears. EQ listening and training tools are always very helpful.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is attention to detail and a background working in a wide variety of genres and global artists.