Composer/Arranger-Vocalist

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

A: Some time ago, a client approached me with contemporary classical piano music he had written and performed. He wanted to release an album but had a vision for his performances to have strings added. He was very easy to work with, and although he knew what he wanted, he opted to create it on a more collaborative basis. I was the producer, composer and arranger for this project. I recorded both live strings with one of my colleagues and played strings into the session using my libraries. It was challenging in the way that I had to make sure these three pieces sounded the same despite having a of live and synth strings, but through this, I honed my own technique of building audio and performing the sound digitally into a mix. It really got me into sound design my proxy. And, strangely enough, my studying and development of sound design also strengthened my writing for live instruments. It really was a combination of the clients vision, flexibility - the fact that he was transparent and paid in a very reasonable manner - and maybe the fact that the genre, itself, wasn't what you'd expect.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Weirdly enough... My post-punk band is writing our first LP. My orchestra has requested a religious piece for choir, orchestra and rhythm section. And I'm trying my hand at a micro opera!

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

A: Actually, no. This place is so massive, I gave up trying to keep up with the Joneses, so to say.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: If by analog, we're talking about real instruments, of course I prefer that. Supporting musicians is a massive cause, and if I'm on a project that requires live instrumentation, I will most definitely spread the wealth. Digital is cool mostly for experimental purposes, on my end. But I understand how budgets work. I'd usually combine the two or only use digital unless a client has the resources, then I'd really strongly push for live instrumentation.

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

A: The music will be good.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Hearing about the many projects people put so much of themselves into. Entertainment is such a massive world, and every now and again, taking a step back to just admire the human mind and emotional expression is such a privilege.

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

A: Really, I haven't had customers ask me many questions. I'm very thorough in my offers, and I usually cover everything in my first communication. The only real questions is "Can you do this?" and, well of course, the answer is "Yes." lol

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

A: ...that anything could be done with anything. For example, although my electronic libraries are vast, and they're used in movies, tv and commercials... There are simply too many things to list that make them different from a live recording. We will never get the same production from a music library as a live recording and visa versa.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is this project for? How will it be used? What is your connection to this work? What do you usually like in this genre or in your personal taste? Do you have any references? What is your timeline?

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

A: Say everything you want to say. Be long-winded. And say it in your own way. We're the professionals. Let us help you figure out how to turn "the sound of purple" into EXACTLY what's in your head. Don't worry about doing things the "right way". That's what discussions and communication is all about. You just have to be patient about it.

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

A: Assuming I have no way to generate electricity...lol I'd firstly probably take a recorder - the woodwind instrument? Well because it's super durable, and it is the very first instrument on which I've written music. I could play it indefinitely. lol Looking at it would also give me ideas of how to create more of it without much hassle. A steel drum because I don't know how to play it yet, but I know I'd be able to pick it up quickly. And again, it's something that I would probably learn to make or of. Plus, a steel drum is versatile. I could use it to cook and create clean water. I'm backtracking, but I'd probably take a solar battery pack, if I can cheat. Haha. Because then I'd be able to bring... My laptop, which has been the single greatest asset of my entire life in music creation. My keytar because this instrument is so very versatile and could be use to create and work on so many genre. There you have it. Haha

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

A: My Father is a disciplined Navy Officer who is a major creative (poet, painter, musician). My Mother is very similar as the daughter of an English teacher and a poet herself. I come from an artistic and creative family nurtured by my Father's uncle, who was one of the most respected conductors and pianists in the country. So, my beginnings were already surrounded by an air of discipline and creativity. I began piano lessons since I was 4 years old all the way through to college. I started clarinet in 4th grade and voice in 6th. By 7th grade, I was also writing original music, poetry and short stories and began teaching other students while I was in 9th grade. I took the Trinity College of Music examinations throughout my own studies, joined competitions and festivals as a pianist, singer and clarinetists and toured with the University of The Bahamas (UB) choir before, during and after my matriculation into UB. In the middle of my business studies at UB, an instructor asked the class what we'd do if we knew we wouldn't fail. I admitted that I would pursue music full-time. His support and the support of the UB music department lead me to apply to and becoming a student at Berklee College of Music. I studied there for 4 years while producing several works in classical and contemporary composition and production until I moved to NYC post graduation. It's been a whirlwind of a time as all of this happened very quickly. Without giving out my age, it's been several decades. Haha.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I always call myself an impressionist. That is, everything I do aims at creating an emotional response. So, no matter the production of what role I play, my work seems to be "alive".

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

A: As of today's date (June 24th, 2023), I would like to work with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. My knowledge of traditional music is vast and well-nurtured. But Reznor's use of electronics and synths is mesmerizing. He works with a lot of bands, artists and in film. And it's just a part of my skill I'd really like to develop as of late.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If you can, try to expose yourself to music and instruments in person and in different environments. Hearing a string orchestra live, surrounding yourself in a live rock band venue or turning up the speakers in a living room with some electronica helps train your ear, your mind and your instincts. A lot of what we want is not always brought to fruition in the most typical way. People experience music in many forms, and in production, we have to be ready to compensate for that as much as we can.

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

A: Most of my work is in film, orchestra or rock band. Consequentially, this means I'm working a lot with voice, symphonic instrumentation and live band, but it also involves quite a bit of sound design and synth work.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Management of resources. Because I work with a variety of ensemble, budgets and productions, I've gotten really good at making the most out of a little and making something with substance out of a lot. Maybe I can attribute this to having to share the love between twin brothers. Haha.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Color. Because I experience and am exposed to so many genre, sub-genre and cultures from all over the industry and all over the world in so many languages, I tend to bring a bit of unfamiliarity and whimsy to a song. For example, I am in a post-punk band, but I'm also a member of an orchestra where I wrote a Flamenco medley of Don Quixote. Because of this, one of the newer songs for my Post-Punk band was influenced by the dramatic singing in Flamenco as well as the interesting time signatures. But to the audience, it just sounds like something interesting, fun and refreshing.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I spend a lot of time discussing with my clients, getting to know them, their interests and their vision. This involves learning things about their vision/direction for the project, learning about their inspirations and just fully immersing myself into the role as a sort of support to the overall project. During this time, I do a lot of sketching, conceptualizing, recordings, writing and just playing a lot of music before pitching ideas in words. Depending on time and requirements, I would create short demos of the ideas before moving forward. Then, I usually sketch and score everything because it gives me a deeper understanding of what we're working on and what I'm about to do. After scoring is done, I move forward with live recording and/or sequencing. After that is done, I do some quick production before sending the first draft. After some feedback, I make adjustments and send another draft to get some final edits in. And during this time, I begin listening to similar projects produced in film or streaming radio to compare the industry standard for what we want to do with the project. I continuously make adjustments, if need be. After this, I work on a bit of mastering, package everything and send the completed project to the client. This whole process may have more or less things involved depending on time, budget and overall requirements. For example, a live recording may require me leading a band rehearsal beforehand, or sequencing may require more time if it is a full orchestra with a theremin versus a piano and strings.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I actually have several studio setups depending on the requirements of my project. Primarily, at home, it's just me, my piano and synths, a scarlet 2i2, macbook pro, SM7B, SM58, Logic Pro X and a ton of plugins and libraries from all over. Really, with each project, I either purchase or upgrade my equipment. So, this is all ever-changing. And as for my earlier comment about there being other setups, I have a larger studio with a live recording set up for a rock band, access to a production studio and so on considering the options of my musical network.

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

A: Originally, the answer to this question was pages long because I just have so many influences from songwriting to mixing and mastering. But if I really were to compress everything, here are some artists I enjoy, the abridged version: Queen, L'arc en Ciel, Beyonce, Serpentwithfeet, Kendric Lamar, Björk, Bahamen (Junkanoo Album), Buika of Spain, Mina of Italy, Sondheim, Dillenger Escape Plan, Nirvana, Yoko Kanno, System of a Down, Big Bang of South Korea, Nicki Minaj, Debussy, Ravel, Aretha Franklyn and Stevie Wonder. Ok ok. I'll stop there! Utada Hikaru. Okay, I'm done.

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

A: Most commonly, I'm writing for film. It's certainly not what I expected, my mix of genre and specialized instruments (vocals, strings, percussion), my multicultural experiences and just the fact that any type of music I write has a splash of impressionism in it brought me here. I'm not mad about it, but it would also be nice to flex my other skills with contemporary artists just a bit more.