Compose, Produce, Mix & Master

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

A: Recently, I worked on a song by an artist that I can't disclose as of now. I did almost everything on the song, from composition, to the master. The only thing that I didn't do were the vocals, and the lyrics. I'm proud of the song because when the song came to me, it was a very different thing than what the artist wanted, and he wasn't happy with it. By the time we finished the song, the artist was very happy, and couldn't believe that his song could sound the way it sounded.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on adding more work to my portfolio, and polishing my skills, and learning more everyday.

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

A: Abhishek Pillay. He will help you get to where you need to, in regards to your songs.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. Analog people complained about about analog gear before digital came. Analog gear has been romanticised, even with the flows that would probably ruin modern productions. Its time move on from the past.

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

A: That I would give my 200% to them everytime. There are no comprises that I would settle on from my end.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: What I like the most about my job is that I'm doing something I absolutely love for my living. Most people can't say that for themselves.

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

A: Most customers ask me questions regarding prices. Can't be very creative with those answers.

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

A: That a mix makes or breaks a song. If a song is good, a bad mix won't make much of a difference in it being good or bad. A good mix obviously takes things to another level, but its not a determining factor in how successful a song is. Mix and master are not magical processes that make the song a chart-topper. The song is the most important thing.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Their vision for the song! Not what do they want to sound like, but how do they want to sound. Its not a question of examples, but more of what adjectives would they use to describe their creative direction. Everyone can sound like XYZ band, but it takes a lot more effort to sound like yourself. Examples are always welcome, but there needs to a direction in mind.

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

A: Find someone who's musical vision is in sync with your own. If you and your engineer/producer are always in disagreement, then that relationship isn't working out and you should look for someone else. Also, artists should be open to constructive criticism from the people they are working with. Most of the times, the critique can help you.

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

A: A laptop, a RME Babyface Pro, a guitar, a mic, and a midi keyboard.

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

A: I started when I was in high school. I've probably worked every music related job, from being a session musician, to writing about local music, to being a live sound engineer, to having multiple bands of my own, and to being a recording engineer. I've also been an artist manager for a very short period. I would say that I've been working as a studio engineer for 2 years now, atleast seriously.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Heavy, punchy, and aiming for uniqueness.

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

A: Car Bomb! They are super weird, and extremely heavy, and every time I listen to their songs, I just can't stop myself from being amazed. Other than them, Deftones, for sure.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Choose sounds that work with each other, instead of fighting a losing battle during the mix process. And every sound/instrument should have a purpose. There is nothing worse than an overcrowded production.

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

A: Mostly I prefer working working on metal music, with sub genres like, metalcore, groove metal, deathcore, alternative metal, nu-metal, progressive metal, death metal, tech-death, etc. That being said, I've worked on country songs, chill-pop, regional techno, singer-songwriter, and acoustic sessions.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill would probably be my dedication to make everything seem like a part of the same picture. Like, if I'm working on a song, I want my guitars to sound like they are being played in the same room as the drums. Everything should sound like it belongs in the song.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I want every song I work on to hit the listener right in the chest. I specialise in working on heavier songs, and as such I prefer for my work to be on point, and have a lot of character. I don't aim to make my work sound like anybody else, and I'm always trying to find ways to make my productions, and my mixes to sound unique.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My typical work process begins with a proper session management, which includes labelling, color coding, gain staging (after the fact), creating busses/aux channels, creating effects, etc. After all of this is in place, the I start working on a mix, typically starting with vocals, or drums

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: We have two studios that we work from, one is a home studio, which is mostly just for non-recording activities like editing, tuning, even mixes and masters. The other is a proper facility that we work out of when we need to use a proper live and control room. The bigger studio is equiped with RME, Focusrite and Audient interfaces. The control surface is an Allen&Heath SQ6. There are thee pairs of monitors controlled by an Audient Nero, namely ATC SCM12 Pro, Presonus Sceptre S8, and Yamaha NS-10M (non-reconned). The facility has a TAMA Star Maple with Meinl Byzance, and Paiste Signature cymbals, and DW 9000 and Axis Longboard pedals. There is a Ritmuller walnut piano available for recordings. There are close to 40 guitars available for recording, ranging from Ibanez, Schecters, Strandberg, Aristedes, Taylor, Cort, etc. The systems are custom built with rock solid configurations like Intel i9s, Nvidia RTX 3070, 32GB RAM, etc.

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

A: Professionals like Terry Date, Andy Wallace, Machine, Will Putney, Brendan O'Brien, Bob Clearmountain, Josh Wilbur, etc, inspire us towards our productions, and mixes.

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

A: Most common type of work that we do is mixing for artists.