Mixing | Mastering | ATMOS

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

A: I believe the biggest misconception about being a mixing/ editing engineer is that there is a single preset at our disposal to make any audio sound good almost instantly.

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

A: Before hiring anyone to become a part of your project, try your best to make sure they love what they do and respect what you do. Please research and choose your engineer wisely. If they're mixing rock, they should appreciate rock. If they're mixing rap, they should appreciate rap, etc... For example, I've watched several hip hop artists go to top-notch, gear heavy studios and work with engineers who've been in the biz for 30 years only to end up disappointed because the engineer couldn't provide the energy they were looking for in the mix... Don't be "that guy".

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

A: I volunteer as an audio editor with Gatewave, a radio reading service for the blind/ visually impaired. They play verbatim readings from magazines, newspapers and the web, spoken by skilled voice actors (but not always recorded in professional audio setting) and also find and create special content specifically helpful to people with vision loss. I am proud to be able to use my audio skills to help the compose high quality broadcast material by cleaning up the audio (eq'ing, de-essing, gain automating), removing unwanted dialogue, editing the programs so that they fit into a specific time frame, and choosing appropriate PSA's and commercials.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: -Do you have a budget? (It sounds harsh, but it's really just to get on the same page early on. It lets us both know what we can reasonably expect.) -Are you working on a project, a single, or are we just working to be working? (Either way I'm cool, but I just like to know)

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Oh, you took it there...Digital! Mainly because I grew up in the digital era. I am sooo grateful for those who paved the way in analog, spending hours re-calling settings on the board and outboard gear for simple edits and splicing tape (literally cutting and taping tape together) to do "punch-ins"... but that life isn't for me. I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the beloved warmth and "unduplicatable" tone of analog gear, but for me that's outweighed by the convenience of digital's simplicity, effectiveness and accessibility. P.S: You're allowed to make up words so long as everyone knows what you're talking about.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love being able to witness growth first-hand. Whether it's from recording an artist's very first session to seeing them book their first tour, being there when an artist discovers "their sound", watching a song grow from an idea to a conversation to a rough draft to final mix to mastered record then video, or experiencing my own growth as an engineer. Progression.

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

A: 1- a Tascam DR05 Portable Digital Recorder (If I'm on a desert island, I'm definitely taking advantage of the soundscape) 2- Roland TD25KV V-Tour Electronic Drum Set (my first love) 3- Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Headphones 4- Maschine Production Studio (because I might as well learn how to use it while I'm out there) and I haven't figured out #5 yet.

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

A: I usually work with hip-hop, r&b, pop, reggae and spoken word artists.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Is passion a skill? No, ok then it's patience... no? Fine, listening and paying attention to what artists are asking for and doing it. Whatever that's called, that's what it is. Boom.

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

A: Mixing and self-esteem boosting are my most common services. If you do a great job with the first service, the second one naturally seems to follow.