Recording, Mixing, Mastering

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

A: I really like working with Screwtape out of Windsor, Ontario Canada on their full length Album "Can't Outrun The Bullet". They gave me co-production rights so i could give my input and suggestions which is how I love to work. I recorded 80% of the songs and mixed the entire project and the master was sent off to Joe Bozzi in Los Angeles. I think the quality and vibe of that record turned out fantastic!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A live-off-the floor Bluegrass record! It's mean, it's raw, it's fast, it's awesome!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both if practical! It's nice to be able to use some choice pieces of analog gear on the way in when tracking, so you can butter up the raw signal before it hits digital. It makes for a much easier time mixing later and makes the tracks have more gel together and more character. But for mixing and editing? Digital all the way. Faster, cheaper, easeirr, way more options and tons of awesome sounding plugins these days.

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

A: I won't rest until you're happy. So let's talk about your goals first. I promise I will be honest with you about my work, timeline and my opinion (if welcome), every step of the way.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: It's fun! The dayI can't find joy in music production anymore is the day I stop doing it. Plain and simple!

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

A: - What's my rate? It depends. What do you want to do and how soon do you want it? - How do I like to work? I like to work in a way that makes you the most comfortable. I will adapt if it means getting the best sounding results out of you. - How soon can you finish the mix? Give me a deadline and I will let you know beforehand whether or not it is possible

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

A: - Not everything can be fixed in the mix - I can't make you sound that much better than you actually are. You need to be well-rehearsed, have well-tuned, good sounding instruments, and you need to have the passion in your performance - I can't fake any of those for you as well as getting the real deal.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What type of project, how large? What sort of music do you like? What do you want your final product to sound like? Actual Examples? How do you like to work?

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

A: Find someone you get along with and that you think you'd gel well with creatively. Don't go to someone just because they win the popularity contest and don't just compare based on price.

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

A: The gear i own that I'd take would be: - Of course a computer - Of course an interface - Ashly Blueface SC-50 Compressor - 1073 pre-amps - Handful of mics from my locker - a ribbon, a U87 style large diaphragm condenser, a couple 57's and a ribbon

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

A: I'm a musician and I've been recording my own projects and other bands since about 1999. In 2012 is when I really took it up a notch and it's been up from there ever since. This is not my day job, as I have a completely different job to pay the bills...for now. I'd love to be a full time producer or recording/mixing engineer!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Modern-polsihed radio-ready sound but still sounding "real", with a touch (or a heap) of old-style character and colour. I'm not sure how, but I inject my own sort of sound into what I do and people tend to like it. I can't replicate the sterile super-polished sounds of today where they all sound like the same artist or studio, because I just can't - nor do I want to!

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

A: If I were ever so lucky, I'd love to work with the band, Clutch! I love their groove and raw energy and their tunes are just consistently unreal!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Listen with your ears and create from your heart.

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

A: I love working on rock or indie style productions, but I also love Blues, Country, folk, you name it!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My ears and my overall ear for how I think music should sound, audio-wise. Also, my Open-minded creativity.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I try to make the song sound like the actual band, but make it as exciting or as moving as it can be. If parts of the song are lacking or the flow just isn't right or is too boring or predictable, I will politely offer some ideas of ways to take the song to the next level and be a joy to listen to from beginning to end.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My workflow normally works in the following order... 1) Pre-production meeting with the band to discuss the direction of the project and the anticipated final outcome 2) Recording scratch tracks (which sometimes get used in the final production if they work for certain things) 3) Recording. This can be done via overdubs one-at-a-time or live off the floor - whatever the artist prefers. 3) Editing and Pre-Mixing 4) Mixing 5) Car Test before sending to client 6) Send to client, up to 2 mix revisions if necessary 7) Prepare file for being sent to a Mastering Engineer or Mmaster it in-house if requested

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have an analog/digital hybrid setyp. Everything I record ends up in Pro Tools and gets mixed in Pro Tools. However, I use high quality analog equipment when the recording the sounds on the way into the computer, so the raw tracks already have a more analog "expensive" 3D sound with lots of character. Mind you, if something calls to be super clean and sterile, I can do that too. Then, while mixing, I use choice pieces of analog gear routed in real time through Pro Tools so I can use a combination of the best of both worlds: digital plugins as well as real analog outboard compressors and eq's.

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

A: I love listening to older classic rock records that started it all, like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, and the list goes on. I just love the groove, vibe and textures that records had years ago. However, I have a great respect and amiration for the sheer quality of productions that are done today. It's so satifying to hear a perfeclty polished production where nothing was overlooked. So I kind of fall in between the two: I like to capture real groove and vibe and character but I like to give it a modern feel if that's what the song/record calls for. Producers/engineers I admire: Geoff Emerick, Eddie Kramer, Bruce Swedian, Chris Lord Alge, Manny Marroquin, Andrew Scheps, Machine!

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

A: When given authority from the client, I like to offer myself as a producer, so I can take their vision as a whole and make it come to life in a way that will be enjoyable for all to listen to, on any medium. I love playing the role of recording engineer and I also love mixing what I've tracked. I've even mixed tracks that were recorded elsewhere, where the artist was unsatisfied with the original mixes done elsewhere and I can come in to save the day.