#1 Mixing And Mastering

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: It's hard to keep the answer to this up to date, so just let me say that I am usually quite busy with some amazing music!

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

A: Too many to mention, but some of them would be Muse, Green Day, Jack White, Foo Fighters, Bring Me The Horizon, Alter Bridge, Slipknot and many many more.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I am committed to working In The Box these days, although I do mix on the desk occasionally as well. I have a selection of great plug ins that do what I want them to do and a few sets of speakers that reveal everything I need to hear. Mostly I rely on a pair of NS10s and my trusty Neumann KH310s.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like that I work with people from all over the world and many many different genres. I never expected to like middle eastern world music for example, but I have been involved in some wonderful projects that opened my eyes and ears to those cultures and production methods.

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

A: Some people overestimate the power of a mix engineer. Bad performances/productions can not be made into commercial super hits. Also, many times there is a confusion between mixing and producing. Mixing is meant to be a quick process and not a long creative journey. The longer a mix takes, the more likely it is that the client won't be happy with it.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I spend a lot of time preparing the mixes so that I don't have to focus on technicalities once I am in 'mix-mode'. This includes editing out every noise or silent regions that are unnecessary, colour coding the tracks, creating subgroups for instruments/sections that I will be treating as one and generally cleaning up the session so that it is as compact as possible. After studying the rough mix/demo and having a chat with the artist I might start the mix with the drums or the vocals. I mix very quickly and try not to overthink things, relying on my first impressions. I try not to change the recorded sounds, but to enhance them and make them sound like what you would expect to hear on a CD. After a few revisions the mixes are usually approved and I send off the mix in what ever format required.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I believe that I bring clarity, width, depth, punch, dynamics and a professional sound to songs.

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

A: Most of my work consists of mixing singles, EPs and albums as well as recording in various studios as an engineer/producer.

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

A: I have produced a band called The King Lot at the age of 22. I was involved from the early stages of demoing, all the way through recording in the studio and mixing. Even though the band members were all at least ten years older then me, they appreciated my professional input and we made a great album together. Today they are one of the top bands in Scotland. I find it great that such an early project of mine is still going strong and the band are getting more and more attention.

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

A: SSL 4000E channel strip, Neumann KH310 speakers, Distressor, Laptop, Interface.

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

A: I have been passionate about music ever since I started playing guitar as a teenager. After some years of gigging I decided to take my passion one step further and move into Sound Engineering/Production. I studied and worked in some great cities around Europe, such as Vienna, Berlin, Edinburgh until I finally graduated from the School of Audio Engineering in London, holding a degree in Audio Production. After graduating I was given the opportunity to work alongside Yoad Nevo in his London based studio, where I learned the tricks of a commercial mixing and mastering engineer. After some time with him I went freelance and have been working as a freelancer ever since. My career spans about 10 years so far.

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

A: I am very lucky to have worked on a lot of different music styles, ranging from Jazz, Rock to Metal, but also commercial pop and world music.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both are great and valid. I love analogue during the recording stage and digital while mixing.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: - What are you after, do you have a vision for the song? - Is there a rough mix for the song? - What other bands/artists would you compare your music to? - What kind of sound do you have in mind?

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

A: Give as much information as possible when you are looking for a professional and be open to communication. Have a chat with the professionals to find out if you get along and if you share the same vision. Be open for negotiations, the initial offers/proposals can change a lot after a few messages have been exchanged. Once you found the right person, trust him/her that they have your best interest in mind and try to move quickly during the mixing process so you don't get lost in unnecessary details and technicalities. Mostly, enjoy that you are working with music, and release as much of it as you can!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I like clarity, depth and punch in my productions/mixes, but also dynamics and drive.

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

A: Chris Lord Alge for his immaculate mixing approach and technique - and the results. Michael Brauer for his extremely musical and transparent workflow. Andrew Scheps for his very stripped down methods. Matt Bellamy/Muse for pushing the limits of popular and rock music production while staying true to themselves. Too many more to mention...

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Good communication and strong work ethics. Understanding the feel and vibe of the music I am working on. I believe that the technical aspects of recording/mixing/producing have to be second nature so you can focus on the music itself, without getting lost in technicalities.

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

A: I work on my projects until the client is 100% happy. I promise excellent communication and friendly and easy going atmosphere throughout the project. And of course top notch results!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: It's about rhythm and melody. Get them right.