Mixing and Mastering Audio

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

A: I did about a month ago a mix for Marcu Rares, who's a Romanian artist. A friend of mine recommended me to him and I accepted it, as his compositions were great, but sound wise, they could've been improved, for sure, as there were always some phasing issues, lack of compression, and mixing in general could've been better. I used all my knowledge, it took around 3 days of work, as you can't really rely on a mix that you've been working on for so many hours and you need to go back at it the next day, with fresh ears, but it resulted into a great sounding track and he thanked me, saying that it sounds fantastic. It gave me great joy to contribute to that and to receive nice feedback as well. It's never about the money, really. That helps you to keep doing what you love, of course, but the reaction and the final results, those are the true rewards.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: On my music, mostly, but I also have a few podcast editing requests from a client in China so that keeps me busy as well.

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

A: Honestly, being quite new on this platform, I do not know anyone yet.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. I own analog equipment and I also use digital software. They're both great, analog arguably sounds warmer, but at the same time it's more difficult to process, but there are a lot of digital plug-ins that sound fantastic nowadays as well, plus they're way cheaper and you don't have to dust them or worry that the cat would chew the cables. Can't really beat that! So, in conclusion, try to make best out of both worlds. If you can afford analog gear, go for it, if not, there are a lot of viable options in the digital world as well.

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

A: A mix of value, knowledge and experience.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Working with audio, for sure. It's never the same. There can be splendid recordings that I can polish just a bit and then it sounds great, but there can also be really difficult ones where you have to put a lot of effort into it and still make it sound natural, so to speak. So, you never know what to expect, that's what I like.

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

A: They usually ask about the completion time. It depends on how busy I am and on the size of the project. It's not a typical answer.

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

A: In electronic music maybe there's this common belief that we're not actually musicians, and on a small level let's say it's true, because most of us aren't trained musicians or have any studies, but that actually makes it even more difficult to make a good track, because as I like to say, it's like trying to go somewhere you've never been before and all that without having a map.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Well, first would be what is the platform where the audio would be streamed or played, so I can have an idea about what does it need to sound like, and second, if they have any reference work that they can send, so I can have a better understanding of what they need.

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

A: My advice would be not to hesitate, as I have lots of experience and I can provide samples of my work, to strengthen their belief in me.

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

A: Focal Trio 6be, MFB Tanzbar, Elektron Octatrack, RME Fireface and Roland Jupiter X.

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

A: I fell in love with electronic music since I was 12. Of course, I didn't really understand a lot of it back then, but there was something about those repetitive beats that made me so curious about it. When I was 17 I started to dj in local clubs from my hometown and after 3 years, when I was 20, I decided that I want to explore the production realms as well, therefore I took a pause from dj-ing. It took about 5 years, now being 25, the first 3 years being mostly learning, trying all sort of techniques and also trying to deal with a lot of frustration since I wasn't seeing any sunlight at all. After that, I slowly started to get a bit better, and this year (2020) I went at it on full speed and I made around 30 tracks, a few of them being released on respected labels, I also made a lot of contacts and next year I will have a few releases as well, including a vinyl one. All in all, it definitely was hard and it still is, as I have a lot to learn, but things seem to be on the right path now. I decided to go in the audio freelancing world, since working with audio is what I'm doing best and it would be amazing if I could also make a living out of it.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Minimalistic, trying to do more with less.

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

A: Honestly, I don't have a favorite artist to work with. Everyone is unique in their own way.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Sure, try to focus first on the sound design and the composition itself, and leave the arrangement and mixing for later on. This way, you can concentrate 100% on the sounds and the direction you would like your track to go to.

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

A: Usually minimal, micro-house, house.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: That would be definitely production.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a plus of knowledge and experience of working with audio and I can make it sound just the way you would like.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually work in Ableton LIVE 10, this being perfect for audio editing, production, mixing and mastering.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have an RME Fireface soundcard, a pair of Focal Alpha 65, a Nord Drum, an Electribe MX, an Elektron Octatrack and a MIDI keyboard.

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

A: Ricardo Villalobos, Luciano, Nils Frahm, Carl Craig, Rhadoo, Raresh, Petre Inspirescu.

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

A: Mixing, Mastering, Editing Audio and also music production.