Production & Engineering Srvcs

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

A: Definitely all instruments...Yamaha C7 piano, Hammond B3 organ w/ Leslie 122, Sequential Prophet synthesizer (undecided on which model), Sequential Pro-3 synthesizer, and my buddy Jesse to play drums

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: That's very difficult to answer. My musical tastes tend toward funk, soul, pop & gospel. My credits point toward country, hip-hop and CCM. I've really had to be a stylistic chameleon throughout my career.

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

A: Kimbra - Hands down my favorite pop artist of the past 10 years or so. Incredible artistic talent, phenomenal vocalist, and I love her stylistic and production sensibilities. Harry Connick, Jr. - I've been a huge fan of HCJr since college. I've seen him live about 6 times, each show having entirely different instrumentation and musical atmosphere.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Consider that the gear you use has been designed and engineered to provide an expansive dynamic range - up to 139dB in some world class converters. 32 bit floating point audio provides the greatest resolution we've ever experienced in digital audio. So if dynamic range and resolution are such desirable attributes in our tools, consider using/exploring the subtleties and nuances of musical dynamics in the music you create. The use of softer dynamics allows for greater impact by stronger dynamics when needed, and our tools have never been more capable of accurately capturing and reproducing these nuances and depths of expression.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The people I meet and work with.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Analog because it's familiar, comfortable and idiosyncratic. Digital because it's efficient and I'm not interested in pulling all-nighters to print mixes anymore. A quick myth buster: analog gear doesn't "sound better" than digital just because it's analog. There are brilliant designers involved in the development of digital hardware and software-based tools just like there are genius analog designers. There is also a vast spectrum of quality in the marketplace among analog audio gear, and the performance of one processor impacts and is impacted by the preceding and subsequent pieces in the analog chain. (E.g. your $10K mastering equalizer won't fix crappy sound from cheap AD/DA converters.) Likewise, the skill and understanding of the user can't be overstated. A great engineer can usually get excellent results regardless of the tools he/she is using. Having a some level of understanding of music theory, acoustics, audio signal flow, electronics, computer science, digital marketing and the music business value chain are all skills that are just as, if not more important, for producing commercial music in the 2020's.

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

A: • Full Sail, Recording Arts Program • Producer Apprentice • Production Assistant/Assistant Engineer • A&R Administrator, Provident Label Artist Development Team • Studio Manager/Producer/Engineer, Provident Music Publishing Creative Team • Freelance Producer/Engineer • Post-Production Manager, Word Records A&R Administration & Production Team • Audio Engineer & Manager, Warner Elektra Atlantic Studio Services Team • Sr. Manager Studio Operations, Warner Elektra Atlantic Global Asset Management & Engineering Team • 25 years & counting...

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I think about it more like what does this song want to bring out of me? I have 41 years of musicianship & 25 years of audio engineering experience to draw from, but it's not about showcasing me or my gear. If the song needs something from me, I feel like my job is to find whatever that is in my tool bag, whether it's adding, removing, enhancing or reducing something, with appropriate strength or subtlety. If I can't do that, then I'm not the right guy for that song.

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

A: Country, pop and hip-hop most often. But I love doing jazz, funk, gospel and soul styles when I can.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Compassion. I care about the people I work with.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: It's a bit eclectic and unusual due to the variety of roles I fulfill. • 6x computer workstations (3x PC, 3x Mac) • DAW and analysis tools by Merging Technologies, Avid, Dolby, Adobe, EclipseSuite, Stillwell Audio, iZotope and Flux • Loads of virtual instruments and processor plugins • Interfacing and AD/DA conversion by Merging Technologies, Avid, RME, Benchmark and Dangerous Music • Analog mastering processing by Manley and SPL • Monitoring System by Dangerous Music, PMC Speakers and Grado Labs • Mogami cabling, Switchcraft patchbays, Neutrik connectors • Synths, MIDI controllers, electric & acoustic guitars, drums, ukulele, vintage violin and mandolin in need of restoration

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

A: As part of the professional music community in Nashville, I'm privileged to call many world-class engineers and music makers my friends. I'm inspired by many of them, often in many ways. I'm particularly inspired by David, King of Israel (1010-970 BC), who was one of the most prolific and enduring composers in history, and also a renaissance man in terms of the development and integration of musical instruments within the context of religious worship, which became the leader of worldwide cultural development for several millennia.

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

A: Audio mastering, asset management and quality assurance. I did a lot of track arrangement & producing in the '90s-early '00s, and occasionally now. I also play keyboards live and overdubs.