Composer & Orchestrator

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

A: I recently worked on a Kickstarter campaign for a graphic novel. I was asked to create a 90 second orchestral track in the style of the authors favourite composer. Having never heard of the person, and with a quick turnaround, it was quite a pressured time of research, composition and mock-up. It came out really well and the author was extremely happy. I also sent him a digital copy of the orchestral score too even though it was requested.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Score study. Never stop learning your craft.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Either. If it sounds good, it doesn't matter

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

A: To always deliver more than is expected

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Helping others create and achieve their vision

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

A: Most are intrigued about the process of going from very little in terms of musical sketches into full orchestral pieces.

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

A: That I sit behind a keyboard and press a few buttons. Music isn't that hard, right?

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I don't normally tend to ask to many as most clients i've worked with have a pretty clear idea of what they want.

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

A: You don't have to know all the musical terminology to converse with composers and orchestrators. We're pretty good at figuring out what you're after.

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

A: My Jackson 'Adrian Smith' signature guitar, iMac, Presonus Studio 68c, Headphones and a cushion to sit on.

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

A: I was made redundant from a job in 2010 and decided that I would take a year off to decide where I wanted to head in life. During that year I met one of the most amazing people I know who I instantly clicked with. We sat around at weekends and began writing songs, something which I had never done before, but with him it was as easy as breathing. After that, I decided that i'd see where music could take me.

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

A: John Williams. If it wasn't for him, we would never have gotten scores such as Star Wars, E.T, Jurassic Park. The list is endless. I would love to just watch his process and take as much information and knowledge as possible.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't wait for inspiration. Write daily and keep EVERYTHING!. You never know when it could get used.

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

A: Normally symphonic orchestral

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Orchestration

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Depends on the job.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I'm currently running a 2017 iMac 27" with 64GB ram. Standard software used is Sibelius, Logic Pro X and Kontakt.

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

A: This is a difficult question but Michael Jackson has to be in the list. After hearing Beat It for the first time, that was it. I wanted to be the next Eddie Van Halen. As my musical tastes evolved, Iron Maiden and John Williams became the main inspirations for the music I compose.

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

A: Short sampled instrument mock-ups for videos on YouTube and Kickstarter campaigns along with production music.