Mixing, recording, producing.

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

A: At the end of 2015 I had the pleasure of engineering a lot of the new album ‘Feathers & Flesh’ by the Swedish metal band Avatar. Sylvia Massy produced it and it was a blast. Every day in the studio was like an adventure and the guys are so good…the album came out really well and is getting great feedback also. Can only recommend checking it out.

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

A: Apart from the project related questions, money and time frame it’s usually how long I’ve been doing this and whether I still make music myself (which I’d like to do but rarely find the time for).

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

A: There aren’t many misconceptions; maybe that it is a quick job thing. Good recordings, mixes, productions take a while and I spend a lot of time making sure everything sounds right, also look at many details (single words, phrases, single notes if needed), just to make sure the artist’s vision comes across and the song is working. Quality over quantity is my motto here.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Fairly simple: I’m here to help you. If I can extend what you’re trying to achieve it doesn’t only make me proud to help you and be a little part of your project it also makes me happy because I love what I do. Don’t be shy and ask and we’ll see what we can do.

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

A: Fairly simple: I’m here to help you. If I can extend what you’re trying to achieve it doesn’t only make me proud to help you and be a little part of your project it also makes me happy because I love what I do. Don’t be shy and ask and we’ll see what we can do.

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

A: My ears, an internet router, my computer, interface and speakers.

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

A: As a child I listened to lots and lots of music (played the recorder awfully) and, when I got older, started to make music on computers and played drums in several bands. As so often, the bands needed demos and so I started recording rehearsals, then demos, then first EPs, albums and people liked what I did, so other artists started to ask whether I could do their records too. That was about 15 years ago. In the meantime I also studied audio engineering in order to get a theoretical understanding of audio, recording, mixing and music production as well and finished that with a degree.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Song oriented and artist focused. At least, I’d like to think that is what I try to do most of the time. I listen to what the song tells me, how that relates to the artist and take it from there. Especially since I enjoy jumping between genres that helps me to concentrate on the main things. I usually focus on bringing out the emotions in a song and try to give each instrument a space, whilst always trying to create big mixes with depth and energy.

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

A: Artists that push forward. I like hearing new stuff that touches me and also music that blows my mind and even better when that’s in combination. There’s so much great new music out there. I’d also love to work with several artists from the past, even if it’s just to learn from their musical and life experience. For example, it’s amazing when you have musicians who’ve been around for a long while play together. The music just comes together as one whole thing and e.g. bringing up faders often sounds like finished record. That’s always amazing!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: I often get songs to mix where artists or producers layer lots of sounds of the same kind. Although it’s true that this can make things sound more ‘fat’ it can also make it more undefined. Therefore, it’s often tricky to get things to glue together to one big sound or to make them more defined and you have to come up with wild solutions. I think it’s better to have one or two sounds that really fill the sonic spectrum where it’s needed to work e.g. around vocals. And that often goes back to the stage before mixing, or even recording - arrangement of a song. You might be lacking a sound in the mids but e.g. the pads you’re stacking mostly fill the low mids, and not the upper where a lot of the definition is. The same applies to stacking drum samples. You don’t need five different kicks when one or two can do it. So you need to learn what’s actually needed, and that comes by listening to a lot of music. It’s all just practise.

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

A: I mostly work for artists and bands with instruments, it can be pop, singer & songwriter, rock or heavy music. Nevertheless, I have also worked with many rap, classical and jazz artists and producers who make music at home on their laptop and I enjoy it just as much.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Mixing, recording and production.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: That just depends on my role. If I’m mixing, I usually follow what the music tells me and enhance what’s there. But if you want me to put additional ideas down and try things you maybe haven’t thought of, of course, I can do that too. If I’m actually producing a song I go very old-school on the music and want to hear it stripped back to it’s core before we even record…let me hear the song as vocals + main harmony instrument. Let’s make sure that works and the key, tempo, lyrics and arrangements are right. From there I like building it up. I can come up with rhythm, drums, and additional instruments etc, put e.g. strings on a pre-production demo. That usually works really well and makes sure that everyone has a clear idea of what’s to come and we don’t have any surprises in the studio where time often means money. As mentioned before, I’m all up for experiments as well though if the main things are clear and on the way.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: If I'm recording, I always make sure everyone is happy and not thinking too much about stressful things that can sometimes come up in a recording studio (such as time pressure or being nervous). I always try to create a relaxed vibe. Of course, preparation is the key for that, especially when I'm producing I make sure it’s all ready. By the time we go in to record I know the songs and structure, same for the musicians, most of the parts will be laid out and arranged and everyone knows what to do. I leave some room for experiments though, you never know. I can also bring pro session players for almost any instrument to the project. When I’m mixing I listen to the song with the faders up and memorise it, make notes, listen for things that get me and for things that might need a little help. When I’m given a rough mix I’ll listen to that a couple of times just to get the idea of what the artists or producer was after. Most songs I start mixing from scratch with just a basic setup of FX and add along whilst mixing. That makes it less similar each time and also more interesting for me. Then it depends on the song what I start with, it can be drums and bass, can be vocals, can be…whatever gets me excited about the song.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I mostly record with analogue gear into Protools, as it's the most common programme in London's studios. I also use Samplitude for mixing whenever I can. It's an incredibly powerful DAW and there's simply more I can do with it compared to any other audio workstation. I also love Logic for coming up with ideas and the pre-production of songs. With regards to recording I normally record at a studio in Central London and also own lots of great gear: mics, outboard, preamps, monitors etc that I can bring to people's houses or rehearsal spaces in case they want an environment they know for e.g. pre-production or even making a record. I’ve also used several other studios in London, the UK and Germany to make records and don’t mind travelling if that makes the record better or simply helps the budget.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm about to finish a fantastic album by singer/songwriter James Broughton. A few final things we need to record, then mixing. I'm also producing this album and very excited about how it's coming along.

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

A: Matty Trump for rap and hip-hop. Great guy and also great mixer/engineer for that.

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

A: Anyone putting their heart and soul into their music I find inspiring. Musicians who try to come up with new things as well. I also love many producers, mixers and engineers for the sounds they get and the way they produce music. I often find new ideas and lots to learn just by listening to new music.

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

A: I mostly mix, record and produce artists and bands. I do a bit of mastering as well and, besides the studio work, I also record and film many gigs across London.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. As much analogue during recording in order to shape the sound as close to the finished thing as possible and digital for mixing, so I get the precision and an easy option to recall the mix if needed. Both sound great and have both advantages and disadvantages. To combine them is the perfect solution in my opinion.

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

A: That I always do my best to get their ideas across and, therefore, the music to sound as good as possible.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: There are so many things I like, for example hearing lots and lots of new music and, especially, when I’m mixing, hearing that come out of the raw tracks for the first time and then slowly turning that into a finished song everyone can hear…a privilege I enjoy a lot.