Background vocal arrangements

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Do we have a deadline? Any example tracks and what is it about each one that is special and relatable to our project?

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

A: Listen to their audio samples and playlists. Hopefull you can hear their contribution. Decide whether you like what they did in the context of the project. Get in contact if you do!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I like to get the song to a basic starting point first: song key matches the voice, song parts/structure and bpm achieve an acceptable time duration, a quick song chart (chords, structure) in a text file, the lyrics in another text file, and a very quick demo (laptop or phone mic) of the song performed to the click/bpm. Only then do I go into Reaper (DAW) and load up my template. I set the project bpm and create markers for the song parts/structure. I may just use a click or I might program a basic drum track: just something quick to inspire a decent performance. The first performance or two are often scratch. Once the drums/rhythm is great, then voice and guitars may get redone until they're great. From there, I like to record a decent vocal take and an accompanying instrument—for me that's usually guitar. If there are any other inspiring arrangement elements arriving at this point, I'll record/program them; e.g., some vocal harmonies, some synth ideas, some rhythmic elements, a bass line, etc. These are building-block indicators of how the song is shaping up. Next: will there be drums in this song? Then what I have becomes a demo and I go with a drummer to a studio to record the drums. If there's bass guitar or bass synth to be in the song and if it's possible, the bass player comes along and their performance can be recorded along with the drummer. The result is a rhythmic bed for the song. Back to my studio. Now I aim for THE vocal take and THE instrument performances. As well, I solidify the remaining arrangements; for me this almost always includes vocal harmonies. Sometimes I send out to a friend for a keyboard take; I get the midi and will run through my plugins if I'm not loving the audio output of their take. I also try to mix all of this as I go. Ultimately, it's time to finalize the mix. I used to mix first then master after, but now I prefer mastering as I go, in terms of volume and any sonic choices. If I'm working on an EP or album, then I will alternate between all the songs and continually export my mix/masters into a timelined project where I can hear them all in one go. I note what changes are needed and return to the individual tracks to make adjustments. That's generally it!

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

A: I read Daniel Lanois' "Soul Mining: A Musical Life" when it came out and it super-confirmed for me that I could produce music outside of traditional studios. Gregory Alan Isakov's album, This Empty Northern Hemisphere, also around that time, was a big inspiration for me to produce one of my releases.

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

A: For clients, I've been doing mostly mastering. However, as a collaborating artist, I've enjoyed all of: songwriting, melody writing, song structuring or production, harmony/arrangements, guitar playing, singing, recording, and mixing. I have a fledgling "collabs" section one can check out at my website. I mentioned "clients" just two sentences back and, honestly, as of November 2024 I have less than five mastering clients to my credit. And I have less than five artistic collaborations under my belt. I invite you to listen to what I've done and, if you like what you hear, then get in touch. I'm here to provide a service and to make new connections.

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

A: Blake Mills because I love the sounds/spaces he gets. I also love that he adds only what is needed. The guy can run circles around most people on guitar but he doesn't do that. Seems he's there to serve the song and the vision; he's there to facilitate.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Walk away for a bit. Walk away for the rest of the day if there's time. Let your unconscious take a crack at it and come back to it after a rest. Fresh! Otherwise, flow. Say "yes, and then..." keep flowing. But also, question the flow if you can. The first thing that comes to mind can easily be the next thing to do, but it might pay to can challenge it and twist/adjust/morph it... as long as its coming from a place of inspiration, curiosity, adventure, RISK, etc.

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

A: Mostly my own, which is lyrical indie folk. But I love instrumental music, cinematic music, classical music, world music... many many forms of music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I have intuition and I am aware of it. I know when to listen to it and also when to challenge it.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: External ears, and an internal mind's eye... er... ears. Like, I'm listening not just to what is coming out of the speakers, but to what is rising inside of me as a reaction to what I'm physically hearing. I have my own internal filter which i am listening to; that filter is a product of all that I've heard and enjoyed or disliked in my life.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a room treated well enough to get great-sounding takes and to reject outside noise. I know which frequencies are problems in my room at my listening position when I'm mixing/mastering and I work around those. I call my studio Little Bakery Studio because I love baking bread. I have a very cool two-channel EQ/preamp—Phoenix Audio DRS Q4 mk2—that I love to use for most tracking; I have another two channels from a high quality Audient Mico (back when Audient had much smaller market presence—a very well made device). I have a few great LD condensor mics (one is an ETL Edwina), two excellent ribbon mics (one is a cool Brazilian-made Oldbox M4), a mactched pair of great SD condensor mics, and the ol' Shure SM57 which works great for my voice. I am very comfortable working in Reaper on my Mac; I am very accustomed to listening through both my Yamaha HS5 speakers and my Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro 250Ω phones. I once fit a small drum kit and recorded but I won't do that again—since then I've been going to bigger studios for drums. Bass I either record a basisst DI or I can synth one up with my AKAI MPK mini. I use that little device for all my drum programming, too. Mostly, I record voice and acoustic guitar in this studio. I have a Swart AST guitar amp which sound great recorded with my ribbons; I also use high quality amp plugins and OwnHammer cabinet IRs for in-the-box electric guitar tracking. Sounds great!