Mixing & Mastering

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work in a comfortable, acoustically treated room. I use 3 different speaker sets (one mono) and headphones to check for various frequencies and balance. I'm an Avid Certified Pro Tools "Operator- Post Production" so I use Pro-Tools HD Native, latest version.

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

A: Besides the sadly deceased John Lennon, David Bowie or Tom Petty, I guess I'd like to work with Katy Perry or Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga or Lorde. I feel all these female pop singers have a great sense of what is going on around them and how to express it. I feel I could bring a lot to the table in terms of sound and vibe that would help them find the sound they are looking for.

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

A: Ask questions. Feel comfortable with who you are giving your "baby", your emotional project to.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on mastering stem mixes for electronic musician/DJ David Marston and mixing a live recording I did celebrating the hits from female vocalists of the 60's and 70's.

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

A: To get it right. There is always a way.

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

A: I started recording my psychedelic/jam/rock band back in high school on a 4 track tape recorder. In 1987 I went to the several month engineering program at the Recording Workshop in OH. Then I got an assisting engineering gig at a small studio in NJ. From there, after cutting my teeth, I got hired at famous Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. Here I quickly moved up from assistant to engineer, to mixing engineer. Sigma sent me to Cleveland, OH to work with the O'Jays and Gerald LeVert. From there I went freelance and moved to New York City in 1998. I worked at various amazing studios around NY recording and mixing for Tricky, Cyndi Lauper, Sean Lennon, Joe, Gerald LeVert, 3LW, Ambulance LTD, Clem Snide etc. etc.

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

A: I work on a variety of styles of music; rock, pop, indie-rock, acoustic, trip-hop, reggae, jazz, R&B, afrobeat and electronic/pop.

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

A: Mixing and mastering. An sometimes what I call "mixtering" which is taking a multi-track mix that a client has pretty far along and tweak it to the next level. I also find that I'm getting great results with stem mastering.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My years of experience, using the right gear for a given task and my ears.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For Mastering: I listen down to the track and can fairly quickly determine what is good or what is lacking in the mix. I then go to work on either adding or subtracting frequencies or concentrating on widening the mix using mid-side techniques. I typically use a minimal amount of compression and a minimal amount of peak limiting to achieve a dynamic enjoyable to listen to track. For Mixing: I listen down to the rough mix of the song and get an idea of the approach. Then I typically start from scratch with the Kick, Snare, Hi Hat and Lead Vocal. This gets me going. Then I'll mute the lead vocal and add in the rest of the drum mics paying close attention to any phase problems, add in the bass and un-mute the vocal again. Then I'll start adding in the instruments. This is about the 1st 2 to 4 hours of mixing where I'll be trying out different things and going down different to roads to find the best energy and emotion for the song. The next few hours is spent honing in that direction I chose with the right reverbs/effects and balances. And the last few hours are preforming all the detailed rides and added effects to fill in the story and make the song shine.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't loose sight of the the original inspiration for the song. Also, don't send out your mix to a mastering engineer with heavy compression or any peak limiting. Send it at a reasonable level about -18 LUFS give or take 2 LUFS.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Energy and clarity.

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

A: I really like Nigel Godrich's work. Radiohead's In Rainbows is an excellent example of recording and mixing perfection.