Remote Mastering Engineer

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

A: I recently just finished working on a hip hop album made by someone who has now become a friend and regular client. I am proud of working on this project because I helped the client improve his mixing skills and made sure he was happy with his music before release. If I can help someone improve their technical skills and knowledge when they work with me that makes me very happy.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. This is because I am still on my own journey of learning and analog is something I want to learn about in the future.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I fell in love with the technical side of music and this made me love music even more as a whole. Since I started to learn about music technology my whole perspective of music changed to the point where I can appreciate a song from a technical and emotional standpoint. The thing i love about being an engineer is being involved in the creative process of music whether it be my own or a customers'. I am able to apply skills that the customer doesn't have and help them reach their potential when it comes to creating music, while also helping them to improve their skills, if they are happy, i am happy.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What platform are you releasing your music on? CD? Streaming services? Both? Do you have a deadline for your release? Do you have a preference of style? How do you want your music to sound? Bright? Dark? Are there any artists you want me to reference when mastering your track?

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

A: Be open and honest, be willing to communicate, take criticism and take the engineers advice into account. This will help you to improve in a technical and creative way when it comes to your music.

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

A: I would take a Neumann U87, a high end computer with a DAW installed, monitors, speakers and a vocal booth.

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

A: I have been mixing and mastering for 3 years, mainly my own songs. I studied Music Technology for 2 years at college in the UK and now, in the past year, I have started working with clients and trying to build my own brand as an engineer.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I would describe my style as modern and crisp with a hint of rawness that you would typically hear in dark, underground hip hop music.

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

A: Jam Baxter. This is because he is a big influence for me as an artist and his music always sounds amazing (thanks to Chemo, who is an engineer and producer) to the point where I use a lot of his albums as a reference when I am mixing/mastering music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Mastering and mixing hip hop vocals.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I can clean up a song that may not have the best mix, making it sound crisper and cleaner whilst elevating the loudness of the song, ready for distribution to streaming services. I will also take notes on what I have done and send them to the client in hope they can improve their mixing skills.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually delve straight into a track with my usual methods, however, if i feel like it isn't working, i decide to experiment and try new things to achieve a good sound. I start my mixing or mastering process on headphones and once I have made progress I reference the track on different systems, relying a lot on how it sounds through my laptop speakers and phone speakers. Once I have done this, I take a break and repeat the process until I am happy with the track, then, I might take a break from listening to it for a day or two and eventually work on it some more with fresh ears. I have learned the hard way how ear fatigue can effect how you work on music, so i try to take it seriously. It is always much more efficient if you work on a track with fresh ears.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio setup has come a long way since I started learning how to be an engineer 3 years ago. I have everything i need to mix and master tracks, however, I am still focusing on building and improving my home studio. My favourite thing in my setup is my Neumann TLM 102 microphone. It is the most expensive microphone I have owned so far, costing me around £700, it sounds great with vocals and guitar and will continue to be my main microphone for years to come.

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

A: Eminem, The Four Owls, Jam Baxter, Chemo, NF, Dave Pensado, Butch Vig, Jonathan Wyner

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

A: Mastering their music and making sure they are happy with their music before it is released.

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

A: I promise to communicate with my client and help them achieve the sound they want for their track while providing cheap prices and advice for the future. I want them to be able to communicate with me in a casual way, expressing their thoughts openly and honestly.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I have just finished mastering a project for a client who has become a friend and a regular customer. I am also working on my own project along with a few singles.

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

A: People can confuse a mastering engineer with a producer. There are people who do both but they are very different roles.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Trust your creative process and trust your ears!

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

A: Hip Hop