Music Production, Mixing

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. In 2023 I don't feel that this is much of a debate anymore. I've only ever been sent files digitally, the client knows I'll be working in that world — especially for things like vocal tuning where the options are almost exclusively digital, that's just what works best for me and keeps turn around time quick!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The satisfaction of the sonic improvements, and the happy artists

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

A: That I make people with no talent sound like talented singers. To be honest, no one can do that. Vocal tuning is a skill, but the talent and emotion of the performance starts with the singer. I'll take a slightly out of tune take that has all of the emotion over a perfectly in tune vocal that feels boring any day.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are your expectations of the project? Can you provide me with 3 references for the sound, style, and genre that you are going for? If this song was on a playlist, what are a few other songs that would be on the same playlist?

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

A: Mac book pro, Slate Virtual Microphone System, Apogee Duet, 1176, Sennheiser HD650 headphones.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Vocal tuning. If you're looking to keep it natural and under the radar, or hard tuned and effected I've got you covered.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: My background in songwriting and arranging help me with all aspects of my job. This is an especially useful skill when tuning vocals because it allows me to fully understand the song and the direction of the melody and harmony in order to make accurate decisions when tuning.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Have a conversation with the client to ensure we both know their expectations and the style and genre they are going for. Once I receive files I get to work. My turn around time will vary depending on the type of project, and other projects I might have ongoing, but I'll always been upfront and honest about that with the client. I'll do a first pass, share with the client expecting notes and feedback, and then move on to a second pass with their notes. I don't have any limit to revisions, but I do bill by the hour and so all revisions are billable. I will never waste the clients time.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I run a modern studio, fully "in the box" on a mac, a great set of Dynaudio studio monitors and Sennheiser HD 650 reference headphones. This set up keeps me mobile, up to date, fast, and efficient.

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

A: Charlie Puth — He has an amazing ear, perfect pitch, and his pop songwriting skills are above all.

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

A: My work has shifted a lot through the years. when I first opened my studio I was very hands on with every element of the production process. Now, I tend to prefer the niche of vocal tuning. I have started a successful YouTube channel teaching Melodyne and Autotune (as well as other music production techniques), and spend my time either working behind the scenes vocal tuning, mixing or mastering, or filming content for my YouTube channel.

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

A: Communication is so important. In all aspects of music from writing, producing, mixing and even mastering there can be many different directions that an engineer can go in. None of the directions may be wrong but its important that the artist and the engineer are moving in the same direction. I encourage notes going into any project before starting and will often send mixes to the artist that I may only consider about 80% done to get even more feedback and make sure that we are on the same page.

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

A: My career plan was to work at a studio as an in house recording engineer. I've been at this for 10 years and have accomplished my goal as an in house engineer at a major studio in NYC. There, I did much more than what I thought the job entitled. I was able to further my skills as a producer and songwriter, and also work on interesting projects outside of music such as voice over recording and editing. I have since left the studio to pursue another personal goal and have started a production company of my own.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Layer! ...and not just to stack things directly on top of each other. You can layer parts up and down the frequency spectrum and split the work load amongst different instruments and sounds that fit the different registers better. For example, I was able to make a rock chorus sound enormous by layering the rhythm guitar chords with a bright synth pad. The guitars are powerful in the midrange but can get harsh in the top end so the synth was able to pick up where the guitars left off. The bass guitar did something similar to the low end and the song sounded huge!

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

A: Pop, Indie Pop, Rock, Metal, EDM, Singer Songwriter