Recording / Mixing / Producer

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I was very happy to work with a Bossa Nova Artist ‘Luis Barros’ who recorded some Beatles covers. It was a bit outside my genre, but it was very fun to do and we came out with some great material. I recorded, Mixed, and Mastered the songs, which we were very happy with.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I am 95% digital in the box music production. The tools available these days are too many to count at a fraction of the cost. In the Analog world, settings and recalls can KILL momentum. Working digitally can speed things along so everyone stays focused on the music, not the technicalities. If it sounds good, It IS GOOD.

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

A: My promise is this, I will make it my mission to work with you in making YOUR music become a reality you are PROUD of.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I get to turn people’s passion and music into a reality at some point in the process, and that’s pretty special!

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

A: “When will you have the mixes ready?” My answer is, ‘typically within a week.’

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

A: That I take a piece of poorly recorded audio and magically make it sound like the Metallica Black Album. It needs to be a good performance and good recording first. You can’t make a great steak with ground hotdogs.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your favourite band? What song do you want to sound like? Do you like coffee or tea? When can we start recording?

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

A: Read this interview to get a feeling whether I’d be a good person to work with, then listen to my audio examples to decide if you like what you hear. If it’s all good, please contact me to work with you.

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

A: My laptop, 2i2 interface, headphones, Akai MPK mini and my Acoustic guitar.

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

A: I started playing Tuba in High School band, then bass guitar in Junior stage band. After I picked up an electric guitar and learned Metallica Garage Days EP, I was hooked and had to keep playing music. After many bands and recording sessions later (20 years later) I am recording others in my own home studio and bringing their work to life.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I like to create an emotional connection for the listener. If I’m not bobbing my head or tapping my feet to a mix I’ve worked on, it’s not ready yet.

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

A: I would love to work with Maynard James Keenan, He has great vision but also doesn’t over complicate things and get lost. He knows when to stop adding to a track. He’s very articulate, and creative at the same time, that’s rare.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: make the song breathe by using volume automation at specific parts in the song to engage the listener and cause emotional reactions.

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

A: I usually work on Hard Rock and Metal.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I think it’s my willingness to make the artist happy with what we are making. It’s a process that can leave people unsure with everything involved. I try to make it easy.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I like to think I have good ideas to make the song have life for the listener, so I will often make suggestions with my clients to see what they feel, and we work it together. I play a few instruments as well, so I can help get the music recorded faster if needed.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Typically, I like to have a conversation with the artist first to get an idea what sound they are after. then I’ll get some scratch tracks recorded with them if they don’t already have a decent demo recorded. After that, we can start working on arrangement and produce a song structure to record for the official release. I’ll take a week to mix the song(s) and send out a couple mixes for the artists to hear and get their feedback for any revisions if needed. I work closely with them at that point to get their vision put into their music for release.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My Setup is small, in my home, but it has 2 rooms, one for tracking instruments, and the other for the mixing area and clients hang out. I mix in the box 95% and will use slight compression going in to level the sound out if needed. Digital is too close to analog these days to not want to use all the tools available now.

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

A: Pink Floyd has always been one of my main musical influences, I admire what Jordan Valeriote and Jens Bogren do for hard rock and metal, Warren Huart for Rock. Great productions to listen to with a good set of headphones.

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

A: I do mainly mixing projects, but have recently been doing more recording of all instruments as well, being a part of the project through to Mastering.