Mixing, Mastering, Production

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

A: I did a record called "Sailors Talk" with Rick Gray. He's an amazing musician and songwriter. We recorded the album way out in the middle of nowhere, in a big church that the town let us use during the day. I played drums, recorded and mixed the entire album. He would show me the song, we'd rehearse it maybe once, then hit record. Most all of the reverb and sound of that record comes from the big empty church. The album also won an award for "Best Americana Album."

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I just finished up two records for a couple of Christian artists, and just got back from a 2 month tour out west. Currently involved in a couple of commercial projects, and two new albums, one for myself and one for a duo group.

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

A: Not yet, I'm a bit new to SoundBetter (not to my career). But hoping to make friends quick!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. I love the sound, workflow and feel of analog. But I love the recall, flexibility and precision of digital. I use both, and I don't worry about that stuff too much. It gets in the way of making a really great record. If I'm involved, you'll have a healthy mixture of both all over your record.

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

A: I promise to put everything I have into your music. I promise to not stop until we are both completely happy. Music is art, there is no right or wrong. However, you know what you want and I want to get you there. I promise the experience will be fun, easy going, and together we will get to where you want to go.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Everything. I love getting to take an idea, or a collection of sounds and then paint a sonic picture with it. I love taking sounds, and turning them into an emotion, an experience, a message. Nothing is better.

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

A: Usually how much I charge. And the answer depends. Also how quick I can get stuff done. Again, depends but usually pretty quick. They also ask how much coffee I drink per day. The answer is a lot.

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

A: The amount of time I put into a project, is probably 5x more than what you think.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I try to figure out their goals for the project, their influences, their budget, their background and where they are going. Basically, I want to become friends and learn about the band/artist so I can connect with them musically. The more we are on the same page, the better the project will turn out.

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

A: Everyone is doing studio work now. It's a tough market. Find somebody that you click with. Somebody you can work easily with and who gets your music. It doesn't matter how good someone is, if they suck as a human it won't be fun. Find someone who is great at what they do, and who is also great at being a human being.

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

A: My guitar, a notepad/pen, a Laptop, a solar powered generator, and a microphone. I could write songs, make records, and never run out of power :)

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

A: I've been recording and mixing for over 15 years. I played in bands growing up, then decided to go to school for Audio Production where I got a Bachelor Degree. I worked in a studio for a bit, I've worked in a commercial video production company for a few years, did live sound for 5 years, and have always owned my own studio or mix room. Currently, I split my time between studio/production work and touring the country playing music.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My production and mixing style is probably somewhere between Michael Brauer, Andrew Scheps, Chris Lord Alge, with a hint of Serban. If you don't know who they are, I basically love my mixes to first and foremost bring out the emotion of a song (Brauer)...but I also love a little edge and grit (Scheps), big punch epic sounds (Lord Alge) all while sounding polished, pristine and modern (Serban). :)

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

A: Currently I'd love to work with James Bay. He has everything I find inspiring as an artist today. He's a great guitar player, has a rock side, but also is great with pop melodies and knows how to sing with absolute passion. I'd love to make more of a rock/pop record with him, more in line with his debut album "Chaos and the Calm."

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: 1. Don't try to make it perfect, perfection is boring 2. Music that sounds good is boring, make it sound like a record.

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

A: Typically popular music (rock, pop, americana, folk, country, Christian etc.) But I've worked on just about everything from metal to bluegrass, to blues and reggae music

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I'm extremely easy to work with, very laid back and easy going, and love to push myself.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a fresh perspective, an ear for melody and catchy sounds that stick to the listener, and a passion to really discover the heart and soul of every song I work on. I'm not sitting around with a few stock plugins trying to make everything sound technical and perfect. I'm mixing with emotion, feel, guts, and passion. I'm trying to bring out something special in the music.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Depending on the project, I'm typically trying to work quickly to stay fresh, and constantly evolve with the ever changing music scene. I'm always trying new things, but also know what I like and what works in most situations.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I'm currently using a hybrid setup in my mix/production room. My studio is based around Pro Tools on a Mac, with Antelope Audio Orion HD Studio conversion. I use analog summing with a Phoenix Nicerizer 16, and outboard pieces including SSL 611EQ's (x2), SSL 611DYN (x2), Heritage Audio HA-73 EQX2, Heritage Audio HA-609A, Audioscape Audio 1176 Blue Stripe, Pulse Techniques 500X (Pultec EQ's), Effects units from Yamaha, and T.C. Electronics. Monitoring is done with Yamaha NS-10's, Focal CMS 50's, KRK S4 V8's, the Slate VSX headphone system, Focal Studio Pros, and AKG k141 headphones. As for plugins, I have tons from UAD, Acustica Audio, Slate, Waves, Plugin Alliance, etc.

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

A: Mixing and Production wise, I'm a huge fan of Michael Brauer, Andrew Scheps, Andy Wallace, Serban Ghenea, Chris Lord Alge, Tom Elmhirst, etc. Musically I'm inspired by so many. I love anything that moves me, be it pop, rock, blues, americana, etc. Some of my favorite artists range from James Bay to Kaleo to Chris Staplton to Tyler Childers, etc. I love the classics as well such as Rush, Zeppelin, Hendrix...list goes on and on.

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

A: Anything from mixing and mastering, to full song production (I'm a multi-instrumentalist), to editing and audio restoration. I focus mostly on music production and mixing, however, I do a lot of post commercial work as well.