Mixing/Mastering Engineer

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

A: Revolvers - I had the experience of assisting in on the sessions in London, it was memorable to say the least and I got a first hand look at how studios operate outside of university.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Working on personal music and with clients. Trying to learn piano simultaneously.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. AKA Hybrid. This is a large topic, so to keep it simple I can only say that it's great to combine both worlds and the results are a warm clash of analog depth with the advanced technology of digitalised music production. A-D and D-A is another thing but I won't get into that this very moment. This is just my personal opinion, I love using both.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: It is what I love and what I'm passionate about most in life, and I'm always learning more and more!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you want your track to sound like? What are your reference tracks? What is your budget? When do you need your track by? Are you interested in both mixing and mastering or one or the other? How many tracks are you looking to get mixed and/or mastered?

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

A: Look for what you can afford and what you trust will provide you the ultimate service. Hopefully that's me! In all seriousness, it is crucial you walk away with something you're happy with, hence why dialogue is so important between a producer and his/her client. So be open minded but remember what you set out for.

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

A: U67 Microphone Martin D-28 Guitar AMS Neve 1073SPX Preamp Chandler Limited EMI TG 12345 Curve Bender 1176 Compressor

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

A: I am 22 and have just completed my masters in music production at university (class of 2020). Prior to my masters course, I did a bachelors in music production at the same university, (University of West London) from 2016-2019. After years of being an avid music lover and musician, I had decided I wanted to go into music production and audio engineering as a teenager. I will be moving to Australia in 2021 to further excel in my career. I hope to work in recording studios for the foreseeable future, learning the ropes and taking in as much knowledge as I can while climbing up the career ladder. One day, as mentioned above, I would like to run and operate my own recording studio at home. Travelling and meeting as many people in the industry as possible is also another goal of mine. Tomorrow never knows!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Passionate, organised and diligent. Always listening, taking notes and accomplishing set targets for myself and my clients.

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

A: Keith Richards.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If it sounds good, IT IS good.

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

A: Mainly guitar-orientated indie/rock and alternative music. This is my speciality and my ears work best within this soundscape. However I am happy and keen to expand into other genres.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Pushing buttons and twiddling knobs so a pre-recorded track can come out sounding like a newly polished car.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I like to think I can give a client's track a professional touch with some colouring to make the song the best it can be. I work in total favour of the client's ideas for the track as well as what the track deserves, not overstepping on what I think it needs - that doesn't necessarily matter. However, I do believe in dialogue, and I like to throw suggestions at my clients for potential mixing ideas that can be done on my end. At the end of the day, it is the client's call on what he/she wants the track to come out sounding like. When I mix or master, the devil is in the detail - that is very important in my opinion.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I like to make sure my clients have their tracks to them at a predetermined deadline. I am flexible on turn-arounds and can adhere to timelines requested by clients. The way I work on a track for either mixing or mastering is very structured and focused such as starting with drums then onto bass then mixing guitars etc. The most important thing is that my clients have their mixed/mastered tracks to them when they need it.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I currently operate from my home studio utilising a hybrid setup of both digital and analog. I primarily use Pro Tools for all my mixing/mastering work, can work on other DAWs if necessary. I have a range of gear from my Avid Artist Mix to my Fractal Audio Axe-FX XL Effects Processor to an Apollo Twin X interface taking advantage of Universal Audio's world class plugins. Over the years I plan to expand on my home studio to eventually have a home-based recording facility utilising analog hardware and digital softwares - where clients can come in and record their music.

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

A: Producers: George Martin, Brian Eno, Jacquire King, Joe Chiccarelli, Dangermouse, Nigel Godrich, Al Schmidt, Rob Schnapf, Jack Joseph Puig, Eddie Kramer, Andrew Wells, Tony Visconti, Eric Valentine, Daniel Lanois, Steve Lillywhite the list goes on! Musicians: Versatile range spanning multiple genres

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

A: Mixing and mastering their tracks for public releasability. Making sure they are content with their mixed/mastered tracks is a top priority I endeavour to maintain.

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

A: You'll walk away with a track that's been treated in your favour with your creative ideas in mind, ready for release and promotion to fans and the industry!