Mixing Engineer & Producer

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

A: I was the producer, recording engineer, and mixing engineer for "Sweet Talk", an extended play by TonyaJae and me. This was the first time I've created and mixed pop music, along with helping TonyaJae with vocal production. The EP was also mastered by Grammy-Award-winning engineer and Full Sail alumnus, James Auwarter. Everything I've learned in school was brought to the table during the production and the fact that everything done to it was industry-standard and professional sounding is a high for me in my book. This project also was nominated for Best R&B, Funk, or Soul Album in the 31st San Deigo Music Awards.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: The same thing I'm doing right now: expanding my network, connecting with new clients, building my studio, and collecting more gear.

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

A: James Auwarter and Mikhail Kusch

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

A: Coldplay, Maroon 5, Jon Bellion, Justin Timberlake, Blake Shelton, Zach Bryan, there are so many to list.

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

A: Clients commonly ask me to produce or mix a song in a specific style. My answer to that is I love challenging myself and developing new skills for all types of styles and genres. So yes, I can do something different than what I'm used to doing. Plus, I have many great engineers by my side who have worked on a wide variety of styles. So you'll be in great hands.

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

A: I promise my clients high-quality, industry-standard products. Client satisfaction is important to me, which means I want you to receive final deliverables with perfection.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is unique, but still applicable to all genres. I add something that many of my clients enjoy and it comes out exactly how I like it in the mastered version. Other than fullness, balance, and clarity, the mixes I've done have this bounce that gets people moving.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't be afraid to subtract. It may sound cleaner and natural.

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

A: I usually work on Hip-Hop/R&B and Pop music. But I'm always open to working on other genres.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring balance, clarity, fullness, and the artist's vision.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a basic home studio setup since I work in the box majority of the time. I have a Mac Mini and a Macbook Pro running Pro Tools. My monitors are ADAM Audio T5V. I do mix with my Sennheiser HD58X. If I'm at the studio, I'm basically running full analog. As long as there is an LA-2A laying around.

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

A: I do a lot of mixing and vocal production for my clients.

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

A: That I make beats. In reality, I rarely make beats. As a producer, I have the tools around me to bring artists' ideas to life. Those tools can be samples, one-shots, instrumentalists, background vocalists, etc. I want to hear the idea and illustrate the final product. Then I would gather all my tools and use them to get to my goal.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Developing an artist's idea and creativity into an expected product.

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

A: Search up the provider. Try to find credibility somewhere. It could be from social media or AllMusic. Also, pay attention to the details they tell you and how specific they are.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What type of vibe are you looking for and do you have any reference tracks with that same vibe?

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

A: I've been engineering and producing music since 2018. I decided to take a step further and go to Full Sail University to enhance my skill in Recording Arts. Now, I've been working alongside Grammy-Award-winning/nominated engineers from Full Sail and learning what they do to make my mix sound professional and high-quality.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I bounce back and forth. Most of the time, I'm working in the box and mixing digitally. All the tools I have are right in front of me on my computer. However, I still prefer analog whenever I get the chance to. That analog saturation is what I love. It adds that missing color to the sound.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Hearing the process from my perspective from start to finish.

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

A: Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, Eminem, Joyner Lucas, NF, Jon Bellion, AJR, Justin Timberlake. You get the gist.

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

A: My computer, iLok, Headphones, SSD, internet. If not, then why would I be on a desert island.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Having a conversation with my client(s) is an important step. I want to understand their idea of what the project should sound like. Then they can send me their reference tracks to help me justify what path to take while I am working.