Remote Mixing Engineer

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

A: It may be a bail out answer, but I am proud to have been apart of any of the projects I have worked on. One thing I really appreciate is the longevity of the relationships I have created with my clients just from working with them. I am pretty proud of that. If I had to pick one project in particular though, I would say it is "Tower Songs" by Drew Crawley. Drew entrusted me with producing, engineering, and mixing his first studio project, and it also became my first real studio project. We tracked everything live in one room, and at that point I was mixing everything out of my apartment. We faced a lot of hurdles during that project on a lot of different fronts, but at the end of it, we had six songs that I knew meant a lot to Drew to have recorded and released. I love looking back on those sessions and seeing how much I have learned since then. It is fun to track what other projects and friends I have made a long the way because of that EP.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I would say both. I was trained on analog gear and feel very comfortable with it. I love being able to use the analog pieces I have in my studio on mixes. I do mix primarily in the box, and love the recall ability of a digital session. I have built my workflow around a digital rig. But, both are great, and having access to both really opens the amount of tools at my disposal. Using both creates more freedom to get a better end result, which I will always advocate for!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The music! Seeing a song take shape, and the reactions from clients as their vision comes to life is always so much fun to be apart of. Getting the chance to be apart of great songs is great. For me, my job allows me to be creative and hopefully bring something new to a track that an artist wasn't thinking of. The whole process is rewarding.

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

A: I have run into people who believe mixing and mastering can save a bad song, bad recording, etc. A bad mix can't be saved by a master. Mixing and editing can't really save a bad performance. I do adhere to the idea that you work with what you have, but a mix isn't really going to change the chemical makeup of a song. It will bring more out of it, and hopefully make the song all that it can be.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I definitely want to know what your vision is and what your goals are. That will help me really narrow down what you want me to do. If you have a certain idea of what you want the song to sound like, I want to know!

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

A: Don't rush it. There is a level of compatibility that should exist between an artist and engineer. Maybe do one song with someone to see if your workflow matches theirs. I do not think anyone in the process wants to get far a long just to really that the professional relationship is not working. Make sure you're happy with the recordings you have, and that you also feel confident going into the mix process with the person you are working with.