Authentic Production

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

A: As a mix engineer - I will not make your song loud, that's that's the mastering engineers job. || As a master engineer - I can not fix a bad mix.

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

A: The first song I made that made me feel like an accomplished creative was my 3rd solo release called "Not A Consideration Given" I wrote it in a day and produced it, mixed it, and mastered it over the following 2 months. || I did everything on that track, short of a loose counter-melody that is heard during the chorus. That was added by my dear friend Zyranox.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: When I was in my final month of college, I had a professor who was an analog purist. He had us do reprints of our songs through analog gear to get the "warmth". Now don't get me wrong, analog totally has a warmth to it, it has a certain character. That's just physics. || But, after we had done those analog prints of the song, I listened to the print in our special mastering rooms. All imperfections shine though in those rooms so it's hard to hide your failures. And I had a failure, my kick was WAY too loud. Mr. Analog said this would be the file we would use for the final project, but I couldn't stand for that. || Over that weekend, I took the song home to my completely digital studio. Ran a unique chain which had a short plate, Eiosis' Air EQ, and some saturation. mixed in at different levels. I got it sounding about how I wanted it to sound in my shoddy studio, but I trusted my ears enough to know what I had was good. || The next day, me and my classmate present 7 mixes to Mr. Analog, 5 analog, 2 digital. But he was under the impression all of them were analog. || Taking a listen to the first 3 analog passes, he found his favorite quickly. #3, a pass that he suggested himself when we were originally printing them. I knew it was good, frankly it was the best of the analog passes. He listened to #4&5 and decided they weren't good enough. He had his mind set on 3. My classmate asked him to take a listen to #6, the first digital file. || He hated it, he said it sounded considerably worse than #3 and questioned whether it was even analog. My hands were cold, I thought I could pull the wool over his eyes, but I was mistaken. Again, my classmate insisted it was and asked him to check out #7. || The wonders of #7 are still sung at Full Sail to this day. Mr. Analog looked astonished at how good it sounded compared to #3, and we never even bothered to tell him it was digital. That was a win I kept to myself...until now ;) || Digital forever.

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

A: You WILL be satisfied, or I won't take your money.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: What do I like most? This is what I love, this is what I want to do for a long time. I like that a lot.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How many audio tracks are in this project? || How long is the song? || What are some influences/inspirations for the song.

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

A: Communicate. The end product will be as good as the effort we both put into it. If you don't tell me how you're feeling about the direction of the project, we will both come away disappointed.

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

A: Well if I'm on an island I'm not gonna be releasing or making much music. But I want my laptop(and iLok), headphones and these 3 books: The Mixing Engineer's Handbook - Bobby Owsinski || Mastering Audio - Bob Katz || Zen and the Art of Mixing - Mixerman

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

A: I have been studying audio since 2019, making music since 2017, singing since, 2015, and literally just vibing since 2001. || From here, the only way to go is up, I'm broke but I have a dream and head, and what else could I ask for.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Unique, i wasn't brought up on the records many people were. I was mostly musically sheltered until I went to recording school, but since I've begun my journey of learning my goal has always been to be a little different in everything I do.

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

A: Jacob Collier, because he perplexes me. I have no clue how to blend so many completely different elements together and make it listenable. I feel I could learn a lot from him.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: COMMIT YOUR MIDI TRACKS || first of all, I don't ever want to receive a MIDI file as a deliverable, but in your own projects, committing your MIDI to audio gives you so much more versatility and control over the sound of that instrument.

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

A: When it's not a clients, it's my own. My work is multifaceted, but I typically stay in the singer/songwriter-alternative genre.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Guiding emotion, when it comes to sound. I am always learning how to make people feel more deeply what the song is trying to convey.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: The unfettered attention to detail that only an audiophile could bring. I want every second of your song to be worth the listen.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My workflow is still being developed given how young I am. I typically start a mixing session with a 30 minute meditation (don't worry I won't charge you for that time) I try to consider the different goals both the client and I have come up with to move the song forward and deduce methods by which I can complete these goals.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I recently moved into my own personal studio, it's a room acoustically well suited to be a mix studio, with half-vaulted ceilings and a diffusive back wall. My current gear setup is limited, but gear is made to compensate where your mind falls short. Rest assured, a lack of gear will not translate to a lack of emotion in your music.

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

A: Bob Katz is a mastering engineer who has really challenged my way of thinking about sound. Darren Schneider was a teacher and mentor of mine, he taught me to seek the "x factor" in the artists I work with. Dark Side of the Moon has been possibly once of the most influential records I've listened to, I also deeply enjoy The Beatles' "Revolver" and "Rubber Soul"

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

A: Whole song mixing - My client and I discuss the goal of a particular project, choose some reference tracks, then we ring out the problems through revisions.