Session Guitarist/Producer

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love being a part of a creative process, I don't think there's anything more satisfying than having an idea and bringing it to life in the form music. Nothing makes you feel, the way music makes you feel.

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

A: Ask as many questions as possible. Communication is so important and you need to be on the same page in order to get the best results.

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

A: Laptop, Apogee Duet, Acoustic Guitar, Cables and some solar power for it all to charge!

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

A: I studied music as university and then studied a masters in audio production. I've been performing and recording artists for well over 12 years and I also work as an audio DSP programmer. The fact i make a living from doing things I love and studied so hard for is a dream.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Take regular breaks every 15 to 20 minutes to avoid brain-fry and cloth-ears, especially when mixing. This will save your ears, give you more perspective and boost your output.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I try to understand the needs and requirements of each client and ensure that they receive the best quality product possible. I believe communication is the key to success!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I believe I am good at giving each song a unique identity. On guitar I can provide a catchy melody or solo when called up on, but I know when to just provide the foundation of the song and accommodate other instruments and vocals. As a producer and mix engineer, I ensure that the track is as big and impactful as it needs to be.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For guitar, I tend to listen to ask what the tone of the song will be and what their plans are for a general arrangement. I'll then get to composing the guitar part and once i have a few ideas i'll send some options for the client to review, pick their favorite one and if they have any suggestions for adjustments. If the client is happy with the part, I will compress the files and post them in Dropbox and forward the link! As a producer and mix engineer, the situation varies between clients. Generally speaking, i will ask the client what the ideal style of the song is and request some references via a Spotify playlist. If the client has a demo, this is great as it will get the ball rolling much faster. I'll then ask for the stems and get to mixing! Once I have a general mix made, I'll send it over and ask for some feedback and make more adjustments based on the feedback provided. After this I'll provide 3 revisions if this is needed.

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

A: The most common type of work I do for clients is creating guitar parts for their tracks, be that acoustic or electric guitar and almost always act as the producer of the song.

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

A: Tom Dupree, follow him on YouTube and is a very successful session drummer.

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

A: I promise to do my best to provide every client with the best service possible. I'll communicate openly during the entire process to ensure the best quality product is made.

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

A: Predictably the most common questions is "how much will it cost?" and "How long will it take?", which are a fair question as budget and timeframe is often key with bands and musicians. My typical cost for a guitar track is $70 and turn around time is (5) business days. For production, it will vary from client to client. It generally best to contact me, and give me a breakdown of everything needed and I can provide an accurate quote and timeframe!

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

A: Being a musician and audio engineer isn't a "real job". I hate this, unfortunately a lot of the population have been brought up being told you have to have an office job. Being a musician and audio engineer is a harder but a much more rewarding career and is most certainly a "real job".

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What musicians/bands do you want your music to sound like, if any. Typically, most musicians have a "sound" they want, based on their influence. I think understanding this is important before I make a start on any recording/mixing.

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

A: During the pandemic, I wanted to create something that involved friends and family as we couldn't see one another. I came up with the idea of collaborating with some friends and recorded a version of 'You've Got A Friend In Me' from Toy Story. We asked friends and family to send videos of what they've been getting up to during lockdown. We had an amazing turnout and it was such a success! The video is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfjLZBDQA5A

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on a few things, a new musical project which is in it's infancy, but we're a very atmospheric indie rock group. I'm part of an acoustic duo and we play various functions, so I'm busy with that too. I'm also working on writing and producing for Beech Fields and Chloebeth regularly.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I love analog, it's so authentic. But I would have to go with digital, purely because it's portable, you can mix anywhere now, you don't have to be in a studio with all the gear anymore.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is somewhere in the middle of Indie Rock. I love atmospheric guitars and songs with a lot of feeling and emotion.

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

A: I'd love to work with Mark Tremonti, as I mentioned, he's the reason i even play guitar, I love the music he makes and i could learn so much from him!

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

A: I prefer to work on music that really interests and excites me. This will typically be Indie, Pop, Rock, Acoustic Alternative.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio set up consists of a Macbook Pro with Logic Pro X connected to an Apogee Duet audio interface. I use KRK Rokit 5 monitors but also do a lot of mixing through headphones. The majority of my mixing and mastering is done "In the box" with plug-ins and VST's such as: WAVES, Fab Filter, Izotope Ozone, Toontrack, XLN Addictive Drums, Output and so many more.

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

A: It was Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge, Creed & Tremonti that first inspired me to pick up a guitar and learn. From then on i grew up in the "Emo," Pop Punk and indie years, so my influences included Blink 182, Sum 41, My Chemical Romance, A Day To Remember. More recently it's bands like Deaf Havana, NEEDTOBREATHE, The Fray, OneRepublic that continue to inspire my songwriting and production.