Musician, Engineer, & Producer

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. I used to be obsessed with "high end analog" for a while. Then I found that the results I can get with digital are pretty much the same compared to analog. Why do analog when it will cost 10 times as much and take up 100 time s more room, when I can get the job DONE WELL with equipment that fits in a car!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Getting to make great music and have serious "moments" with people!

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

A: That it is just a technical skill... Singing, playing, mixing, etc... it ALL is really about "feel" and "taste" at the end of the day. Training, learning, and expanding technical know-how are certainly needed, but they won't be guaranteed to make heads bob!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your end goal? What do you think you need help with the most? What do you do best?

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

A: I started as a singing bass player leading local bands as a teenager and nearly immediately got pulled into audio production. In my 20's I got suckered into becoming a guitarist leading bands and singing. In my 30's, I have made music my full-time "thing" leading worship, running sound, recording, producing. etc....

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: EVERYTHING, but with an edge

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

A: This may sound cheesy, but Justin Bieber would be one of my first picks. I KNOW... go ahead and hate... but hear me out - I hated him at one point as well! Then, I started to learn more about him and realized the kid has MOUNTAINS of talent as a musician and wasn't just a singer dancing around. Another modern day musical genius I admire is Michael Gungor. His album beautiful things

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Get it right at the source! Mic the best mic, placement, amp, and/or instrument for the song and NAIL the take. Don't think you can just go back and "fix it in the mix" later. If you can "get it right at the source," EVERYONE will be happier with the end result.

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

A: Typically what I work on is in the rock and pop arena, but I have been involved with hip-hop, jazz, country, and big-band stuff

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Patience and an unwavering dedication to excellence. Not perfection, EXCELLENCE! There is a difference.... Being a performer and producer, and knowing where that line is, goes a LONG way.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Aside from the technical ability and the equipment to make it happen, I have DECADES of experience as performer and have musical ability to help make any project come to life. Having the skill to play multiple instruments and sing enables me to see the "bigger picture" than most and I LOVE serving my clients in this way! It's always a better product at the end of the day and we are ALL that much more excited about the project!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I always look to serve the client FIRST AND FOREMOST! This means meeting and getting the most information to be as best prepared and equipped for whatever the situation entails. Then, I do ALL of the prep work WELL ahead of time so when it's time for me to my thing, I am not worried about the processes

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Affordable, comfy, effective, and surprisingly affordable! - Latest version of Protools and Ableton - i7 Mac, 2.3 GHZ, 16 GB RAM, SSD INTERNAL, SSD EXTERNAL, HHD EXTERNAL - PLUGINS BY WAVES, SLATE, PLUGIN ALLIANCE, ETC... - 32 channel interface (w/ REAL TIME MONITORING) with MIDAS pre-amps (high-end and SUPER clean) - 12 channels of SEPERATE monitor mixes so EVERYONE get's there own custom mix - Several dynamic and condenser mics. Even have some multi-pattern tube mics. Anything to track a full band - Touch screen control surface for mixing / editing - 2 sets of quality speakers for monitoring and mixing -

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

A: SO MANY! Here are the STYLES that I am REALLY into: Alternative rock (Pumpkins, Hillsong, Foo Fighters, Delerious, Hum, Failure, etc...), Hard Rock (Red, Chevelle, Deftones, Incubus etc...), Metal (Metallica, For Today, Pantera, Slipknot, etc...) , 70's Rock (Zepplin, Hendrix, Doors, etc...) Indie (Cool Hand Luke, Ascend the hill, The Hives, Fitz and the Tantrums, etc...), HipHop (Dre, Snoop, Outkast, Lecrae, Trip Lee, Tedashii, etc...) EDM (Drum N Bass, Trap, Techno, Beatbox, etc...) Producers that inspire me = Butch Vig, Ken Andrews, Dave Pensado, Graham Cochrane, Chris Lord Alge, Mix by Ali, Dre, Tobymac, Michael Gungor

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

A: Live shows and/or worship services are a majority of what I do. This includes production, song-writing, arranging, singing, and playing guitar - usually ALL for one event. I use Ableton w/ tracks for live performances and do all of my own programming as well. I am contacted to be a bassist or strictly guitarist (acoustic and electric) pretty frequently as well. On the live production side of things, I run sound for companies in the area for various events Those are LONG days, and a lot of HARD work, but I get to work with some really cool bands and always leave them feeling good about working with me. For the studio production side of things, I do it all. Arranging, writing, tracking, editing, and mixing..... even occasional mastering! It first started out of a need to do it for myself and then quickly turned into working with others

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

A: I will ALWAYS give you my best and pull out your best. ALWAYS!