Affordable Mixing & Mastering!

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

A: The current project I am working on (Hip Hop Album) is probably the best quality of work I have achieved to date. Feel free to listen to a sample demo attached to my profile.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am currently working on an album for a Hip Hop artist based in Ireland - Owen Alfred.

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

A: I do not know anyone on SoundBetter.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: The majority of mixing and mastering tasks an be carried out digitally. However, I do like to incorporate analog compressors in my mixing as I feel it adds a certain sound that cannot be otherwise achieved.

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

A: I promise my clients to be neutral and transparent in the course of working with them, this is both in their and my own interests. For example, if I feel like the client is not getting what they paid for because of poorly recorded vocals they sent me, I will advice the client to not use my mixing services until they have recorded their track properly. I also promise to work with my clients until they are completely satisfied with my work, if they are still not satisfied I will refund their order.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love music and everything to do with it. Everything from listening to music down to the technical specs of a large diaphragm microphone. Being able to make money out of what you love is a great life achievement in my book.

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

A: (1) Q: Why are your rates so low? Is there a catch? A: No catch. My rates are low because I am trying to build a client base and a network within the music industry. (2) Q: What happens after I pay you? A: I will ask you to send me your project with vocal and instrumental stems so I can begin my work. (3) Q: I have an artist on my mind. I want to make my project sounding like them. A: No problem. I will ask you for a reference track. (4)Q: I recorded this track in my bedroom using my iPhone. Can you make my track sound professional? A: No, I cannot.

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

A: That I am a magician with the secret "sauce" that can make anyone sound like Mariah Carey. Simply not true. Many factors are at play here, most important being - your musical talent and the recording setup.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: (1) Were your vocals recorded with a good studio microphone? (2) What style of sound are you aiming for? (3) Do you have a reference track?

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

A: I believe in the importance of musical equipment. One cannot simply create a professional sounding production with mediocre or non studio gear. One should set realistic expectations of what a production would sound like with the equipment they have in order to avoid disappointment. Mixing and Mastering can be very costly. Please DO NOT pay for sound engineering unless you are absolutely aware of the quality of your recordings.

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

A: I would not take music gear with me to a desert island. Firstly it would get damaged by the sand particles, secondly I would probably starve to death. Haha. The must have gear for me as a sound engineer is a powerful laptop with all my software and plugins, active studio monitors and studio headset. That's it.

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

A: My original career path was Finance. I have a BSc in Accounting and MSc in Business Administration. Unfortunately it is not what I want to progress in. I currently focus on sound engineering and creative management for an RnB artist. I am hoping to one day have enough funds to start my own label as I feel like I can guide artists in terms of sound and their image.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Laid back, down to earth and friendly. I am a people pleaser and this reflects tremendously on my work.

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

A: I would love to have a chance to work with DJ Khaled. I am in love with his energy and skill.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: The microphone set up is very important in order to achieve good vocals. You do not need to spend over $1000 to achieve professional sound but find the mic that best suits you vocals and budget.

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

A: I enjoy working with singing vocals present in RnB, Reggaeton and Dancehall. I also enjoy working with Hip Hop vocals.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I have been told by many that I have a gift of "musical hearing". I believe that is an important skill to have as it helps me identify issues with sound very quickly. Most importantly I have strong communication and customer service skills. I treat customers with respect and dignity and adhere to their wants and needs.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: What I am able to bring to a song is something that every good sound engineer should be able to - thick vocal presence, clarity, vibrance, impression of space and competitive loudness.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I typically start with pitch correction, EQ correction, compression and comping of vocal tracks. I follow that by adding delay and reverb effects to create a stereo image. I add special effects to catch the listeners interest to the production. After completing the first draft, me and the client discuss what needs to be changed and I proceed accordingly until full satisfaction is achieved.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My set up includes a fully soundproof studio, an upgraded iMac Pro, Genelec active studio monitors, digital mixer, and an abundance of professional plugins and software. I have everything I need to produce industry standard sound.

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

A: Musically I am inspired my Akon whose voice along with with the hard work of sound engineers create beautifully sounding tracks. Creatively I am inspired by modern RnB and Hip Hop artists such as Drake, Pop Smoke, DaBaby, The Weeknd, Post Malone, etc. I try my best to imitate the vocal sound and effects that are present in these artists' music. Recently I have also been inspired by UK and US drill scene.

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

A: Clients come to me mainly for mixing and mastering. They typically send me recorded vocal and instrumental stems which I process accordingly.