Mix Engineer & Production

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

A: The biggest misconceptions for mixing is "I'm gonna have my engineer work on it" or "I can do it myself at home". The mix is what everyone hears but has no clue of its importance -- they just know they like it or hate it. If its wrong, no one can tell you how to fix it, but they just simply reject it! It takes a trained ear to understand what's required to make it right. Typically, you need a separate set of ears to give you a new perspective on the project. Every person that mixes will give you a different one, especially when its compared to the writer or the recording engineer. Most of the time you are absolutely amazed at what you get from a mix engineer's ears!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: High Pass everything! This is the simplest way to clear the mud from your mixes. You will see me do that a lot on your tracks. Just wait till you hear the difference it makes! This along side the numerous other tips and tricks I know will amaze you!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I am a classically trained musician and engineer. When it comes to mixing, my trained ears will bring clarity to your mixes. I know how to use the simplest of tools to get your mix to sound clear with no muddy moments. As a musician I play several instruments including violin, viola, bass, drums, and I'm a vocalist. As a songwriter I bring creativity to your songs when needed. At the very least I can add additional instrumentation to help fill out your mixes, but I can also help create along side of you if you prefer.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For mixing I like to receive all studio files as separate waves. Thsi way I ensure I can surgically clean up any muddy spots and make your performance stand out. I also like to get a reference track from you so I know what style you are looking to perfect. I am extremely creative, so I will ask you how creative do you want me to be. Typically, mixing is simply the job of bringing out the best in what is there. But every now and again I get customers that want it to sound different than what is there. So you should know that I can accommodate such requests. My engineering style is to make you stand out for how you sound on the song we are recording. I have a technique that gets the sound on "tape" as you intended it, which makes mixing very simple. I prefer to use less processing as possible during the mix process by getting the cleanest signal from the start during recording. This involves choosing the best mic and input settings.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a top of the line digital mixing and recording facility. My setup includes a high end Mac system with Logic Pro X. I have just about every plugin you can imagine and I technically know the BEST choices to make your project stand out... Melodyne for vocal surgery. Auto tune for vocal FX. Ozone 6 for occasional sweetening. All Universal Audio analog emulations of top gear including compressors and sound board emulations. Much much more.. For recording I have several microphone preamps that deliver excellent clean and quiet sound. I have a very large microphone cabinet of high end microphones including ribbon, condenser, dynamic, and tube mics. Brands include AKG, Audio Technica, Neumann, RCA vintage, Avantone, Rode, and much much more... Some ask why I have so many microphones? It's because no one mic and pre, covers every scenario. I offer the first recording hour free just to find your sound for each song. For music production I have well over 200gb of samples and synths. Yes, I have whatever you need to make it sound amazing!

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

A: I am inspired by many producers and mix engineers. I have been trained by Fab Dupont for digital engineering, and classically trained as an engineer / producer at James Madisoin University on analog systems. I listen to current pop productions as a baseline for modern mixing techniques. But as a classical musician, (I play violin in orchestras, am a classically trained vocalist for opera as a high tenor, and theatre performer) I know well what an acoustic performance should feel and sound like. So I can mix a very wide range of styles.

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

A: I am a mix engineer. I help clients bring out the best sound from their studio sessions. If given all separated tracks, I will typically the tune and time vocals to ensure they sit well in the track and groove perfectly. I am known for making live instruments sound balanced and clean. When I am done you will find your tracks sound punchy and radio ready!