80s Synth/Keys/Producer/Vox

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

A: Several years back I wrote & recorded a song called "Candice Wore Her Converse." It was early in my production game so I know I could do a better job today, but I wanted to write something that summed up my vibe in life which is "It's ok to be the outcast, the misfit. Just shine & be you!" The lyric follows a girl who shows up by herself to her prom wearing black & white converse hi-tops with her dress. She gets strange looks ect but gets out there on the dance floor by herself & struts her stuff! That's me in a nutshell, a non conformist, a bit of a misfit, always willing to try something new & be true to myself even if it's not widely accepted.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm currently recording lots of original music for my solo project

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

A: Phaius W also known as "Pulsar Glitch" is a synth producer I've worked with & he's awesome

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

A: That I will work my hardest to make sure their vision is realized. I'll work quickly & as a team player who's there to support them & help them create the music that excites their soul.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Creating music is pure joy

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

A: That as producers we just throw a bunch of loops together & instantly have a song. There is sooooo much that goes into creating a great track. It doesn't always have to be a difficult procedure of course, but a lot more thought & care goes into producing a song than most people would ever know.

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

A: Let us know exactly what you're looking for in terms of the final product. Letting us know what artists or songs sound like what you're going for is very helpful too. In the end, we want you to be thrilled about our work together!

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

A: Ensoniq VFX synth, Linn Drum machine, Fairlight CMI, Shure SM7B mic & a nice sounding acoustic guitar.

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

A: I was on stage at age 6 singing in my parents family band. Music has always been my career choice.

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

A: I have a few...Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis would be amazing! Morris Day of the Time would be a hoot! He's so fun & funky & I'd love to produce a party track for him. Charlie Puth would be awesome. We have similar styles & he def knows pop music. And finally Finneas. Even though our styles are very different, I think he's an incredible innovator & songwriter. Sitting in the studio & vibing with that guy would surely bring forth some crazy cool tracks.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Less is more. It's very tempting to go crazy & layer ten thousand things when creating your masterpiece, but every track you record can potentially steal from another. Too many ingredients mess things up. Find the key ingredients that really make the song work, then mix them together until they pop & punch! Meat & potatoes baby....meat & potatoes.

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

A: 80s sounding funk, RnB & soul

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: My gifts are my sense of melody & layering sounds. I'm very soulful & funky, but was also brought up on music like the Beach Boys & The Carpenters so I have the unique ability to marry silky sounds with dirty grooves.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I run everything through Reason 12, Yamaha HS8 monitors, Akai MPK controller boards, Arturia synth plugins among many others & a Korg Prologue analogue synth to round things out.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My sense of melody

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog...love those 70s / 80s vibes.

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

A: How do I get my song to sound like (insert fav artist). My answer is, we can always move in that direction & sometimes it's fun to replicate what you've already heard, but music that stands the test of time is usually fresh & new sounding...and that happens by combining old vibes with new vibes.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I want to make sure I'm the right fit for them, so I ask them who their inspirations are & what they want the song we're working on together to sound like.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Fun, funky, groovy & gorgeous

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Rhythm is one of the most important ingredients in today's music, so I try to find the groove & feel of things first & get a killer beat going. Then I lock the bass line in with the drums & sprinkle the keys on top. My goal is to pull from past inspirations, but always create something new, fresh, funky & beautiful sounding. Once the track is built, I add & layer vocals. I do a lot of fine tuning to make sure those vocals pop, but sit in the mix nicely & compliment the groove.

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

A: Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis are two of my fav music producers! Prince, Michael Jackson, The Time, George Michael, Scritti Politti & Alexander O Neal are among some of my absolute fav artists. Current producers that inspire me are Charlie Puth & Finneas.

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

A: I do a lot of vintage synth work playing chord patterns, solos, bass lines ect. I also produce for artists looking for those 80s vibes in either a full out nostalgic track or one that's more current sounding but with those retro vibes.