Mix & Master Your Music

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Firstly I listen to everything I work on with detail to analyse every single sound and the way everything fits the track. After I analyse everything I group all the components of the track into their specific group (i.g. kick snare in drum group, lead vocal and back vocals in vocal group). The next thing I do is ''clean up'' the track from unnecessary frequencies after cleaning up comes compression which all starts with the drums and the bass to find the best way to fit them all together. After this comes compression of the main instruments (guitar, synth, piano..) and the, depending on the style or genre of the track, I do a vocal compression. After all this comes the equalisation so that every part, instrument, vocal perfectly fits into the mix. Lastly I follow up with sound effects like reverb or delay to give the song the ''cherry on top''. Also I can do a bit of editing if any part of the song is out of pitch or if it's necessary. Also if necessary I make correction in sound design and if it needs I can add parallel compression or parallel saturation.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Right now I don't own my own studio but it is a goal of mine to own one. As of right now I'm working as an assistent in a professional studio which I always have access to (studio gear I work on is: Audient, Allen & Heat consoles, LA 1176 compressors, dbx limiters, SSL strip channel EQ and master bus, PMC, Yamaha NS10, Auratone 5C and Dynaudio Acoustics LYD 48 speakers, UAD 4-710 D preamp and similar)

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

A: I'd say the most recent song I made. I produced, sound designed, wrote music and lyrics, sang the lyrics, arranged, mixed completely analog and mastered the whole track myself.

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

A: A great inspiration for me has always been 70' & 80' music, specifically musicians like AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Prince, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie. Regarding newer production professionals i look up to Paul Kalkbrenner, Solomun, Laurent Garnier and Deadmau5.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Right now I'm writing my own song :)

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

A: No, I'm new to the site but would like to make friends and good business relationships on here.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog because it has a specific feel to it and there's a lot of possibility for bringing out the emotion of that hardware.

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

A: Satisfaction and quality.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love how freeing and how thrilling it is to work in an industry like this.

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

A: They always ask about the price of my work and I answer that the price depends on the quantity of work and the quality of the production.

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

A: I think people feel (with the current media exposure) that audio engineering is easier then it actually is because I feel it takes a lot of experience and education to know how to approach a track, find the problems and their respective solutions and make a quality final product that can satisfy all the modern music standards.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I always ask my clients about time restrictions and specific details about the project, and I always ask about the emotions and energy they wish me to bring out in the song.

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

A: Just communicate and be specific and detailed about what you're looking for in the final product.

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

A: I would definitely take my saxophone Yamaha YAS32, Shure SM7B, Apollo twin interface, my laptop and Hammond B3 organs.

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

A: I have been involved with music since I was seven, my musical career began in 2004, I enrolled in music subject saxophone, music theory and harmony. Along with music school I attended several seminars for better training of my musical education. The electronic and house music I started as a freelance instrumentalist to accompany DJ - ing. Through this experience, that was providing much greater improvisational freedom The last five and a half years of my work have been fully focused on further education in the field of music production by attending several seminars as part of the "Open University for audio and video production EMI" in Zagreb. In 2018 I enrolled in an audio engineering course. As part of my studies, I have acquired the necessary knowledge and skills in the field of arranging, producing, recording, mixing and mastering different genres of music (from pop, rock and jazz music to electronic music). The main focus of the study was the practical work on the production of music in the digital and analogue domain. As part of this, I was taught to work in a variety of software: Cubase, Logic Abelton, and various details of virtual instruments, and how to use different plugins. I also have experience in the analog area where I am familiar with various hardware processors and effects and analog consoles where I have spent many hours working on various mixes. Also, I have good knowledge of psychoacoustics and room acoustics. I also know the different types of microphones and their uses, ways of positioning and using them. In terms of creative expression, I am experienced in writing, composing and designing sound and music.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I would say my work is unique because I always put my all into my work and always try to better myself at what I do with the way I approach my work because i don't fear of making mistakes in the searching of something new and exciting.

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

A: I would love to work with Paul Kalkbrenner because of the simplicity of his work witch leads to a great emotional impact on people.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Always be humble and always search for ways to create new and exciting sounds. Listen to the music your heart is playing to you and never doubt it.

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

A: I have dabbled in most of the popular genres and I always like to work on music that is ''outside of the box'' but I'm most experienced in: Electronic music, EDM, techno, indie pop, house/deep house...

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I would say approachability, honesty and professionalism. I love music and music making so I enjoy the work I do and put out.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I always try to bring out any emotion that the producer/song writer put into the song through individual approach with all of my clients satisfying all their needs and expectations.

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

A: I mostly work on mixing and mastering but it all depends on the clients wishes which I make sure I fulfil through detailing any song or project we are working on. I require my clients to be vocal and communicate with detail about their need or wishes so I can do the best job possible.