Mixing•Mastering•Production

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. There are pros and cons to both. I use both on a regular basis.

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

A: Can you make this louder than ____________ by ____________? Answer: Sure; how much do you want it to sound like music?

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

A: There's two misconceptions in my opinion. First, it isn't magic, and mixing/mastering engineers don't wave their wand... poof, it sounds great and is a hit record. It has to be a good song, with talented artists, and recorded well. Second, and to add on to the first misconception.. Making records, mixing and mastering them, or even playing music on a major tour, is not learnable in school. It takes tens of thousands of hours of real world, hands on experience to perfect these crafts, and a lot of "borrowing" from the greats before us. And that's after the talent. Beyond that, it takes an incredible amount of humility.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I usually ask clients what artist or recording inspired them or the track. Do they want or hope the finished product to sound like a particular production? What is the budget? What platforms will the song be delivered to?

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

A: Listen to the work, don't just read names. Just because someone has worked for "so and so", doesn't necessarily mean they are good, or even a good fit for you. That includes me. Let your ears be the judge.

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

A: I'd have to think really hard about it, but right off the top of my head.. a Yamaha Motif, a Sony C-800, a laptop, a set of Beyerdynamic DT770s, and an Apollo Twin (loaded with every UA plugin, of course!)

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

A: My career path begin as an afternoon FM radio personality, followed by touring keyboard player, and then music director, before starting my own production company. I've been in the business, professionally, for about 20 years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: A little bit of everything.. Even though I know that's cliche to say.

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

A: Marc Desisto. Look him up.

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

A: I did a project with one of my brothers that was tracked entirely on 2 inch tape, where we used zero pitch correcting software, and just let the players play their hearts out. The result was music! It was so gratifying. You can hear some of that project on my website, Lunaverse Records. Look for the song "Peace of Mind". My role in the album was producer, mixing engineer, and mastering engineer. I also did most of the arrangements and keyboard playing.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm perpetually working on Wax Jelly. It's a mix of whatever we come up with! 70s/80s sounding tracks with wacky videos. It's a lot of fun! Currently, we have a relationship with Universal Studios, where they put our songs and videos in a regular rotation on the big screen, and radio station at City Walk. Look/listen for it, and Shazam us!

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

A: I would love to work with Phil Collins. He has made some unbelievable and strange arrangement/production choices over the course of his career, and I'd just like to see that magic live in the room!

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

A: I usually work on contemporary or pop music, though I have a strong country background as well. All genres are welcome though, as I have a wide range of musical obsession and experience.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I usually like to say that "special character" you can't quite describe.

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

A: The most common type of work I do for my clients is a combo mix & master.

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

A: I'm not done until it's perfect!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Listen! Listen! Listen!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Making music that makes people move, or emotionally react in some form.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My typical work process starts with listening. To me, songs and productions will reveal their path if you let them. Additionally, there are many conversations with the client before any work is ever started. I like to have a very clear picture of where our destination is. For tracking projects, I usually track to 2 inch tape, using a Studer A820. After meticulously being transferred to Pro Tools, I take the files to my home studio, where I migrate them into Sonar Producer X3 for overdubs, editing and mixing. Why Sonar, you ask? To me, I hear a difference in DAWs. And Sonar, sounds softer on the ear. For mixing & mastering, I use a combo of analog and digital, usually with the final limiter being digital, typically from the Izotope Ozone Advanced suite. If the project will be delivered to Apple, the very last part of my process is the Mastered for iTunes protocol.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I utilize two facilities for projects. One is a larger tracking facility where I usually track to 2 inch tape through vintage pres, compressors, and a custom console. For mixing and mastering, I work from my own studio which is an analog/digital hybrid with mastering grade converters. My outboard consists of Neve, SSL, Manley, Cranesong, Dangerous, UA and more. Software is Pro Tools, Sonar, UAD MKII, Melodyne.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I believe listening is my strongest skill. Songs will reveal their production needs to you if you simply listen.

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

A: Quincy Jones, David Foster, Bruce Swedien, Max Martin