Major Sound for Indie Artists

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

A: I was brought on to work on a debut album for a good friend and local artist in my area called "Schematics". I'm extremely proud of that project because I was brought in as basically an executive producer and mastering engineer.. The project was done for the most part and they wanted my ears and opinion on the mixes and overall arrangement of the album. It was an honor to review each song, make mix notes, make those adjustments, and master the project as a whole.

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

A: It's a toss up between J. Cole and Jon Bellion. I think the conversations I could have with those 2 both musically and overall with life would be monumental for me. I also greatly respect their craft and how serious they take what they do, so to be in a room with people who inspire me and who I model my tenacity after would be a great experience.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Always remain a student. It's easy to get comfortable and think you've learned everything there is to learn, but the greats are the ones who keep that fire to push their skills and acquire knowledge.

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

A: I usually work on Hip-Hop and RnB (Soul, and TrapSoul) material.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I would have to say my strongest skill would be my ability to be selfless and listen. Seems boring lol but at the end of the day my job is to create something that you as the artist loves and that means putting my preferences away to serve the song.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My mixing set-up is acoustically treated with custom made broadband panels and bass traps. I run everything through my Apollo interface that I absolutely love! If I'm tracking I'm recording vocals through my AKG c414 through the Apollo preamps. I monitor through Adam Audio T5V's with Sennheiser 280's as my reference headphones.

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

A: Music as a whole inspires me! If I had to narrow it down though, I'd say from an Engineering standpoint, Young Guru (Jay-Z, Beyoncé) and Mixed by Ali (Kendrick Lamar). From an artistic and production standpoint, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Jon Bellion.

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

A: I typically serve as the head Mix and Mastering Engineer for singles and EP's.

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

A: Assuming there's actual electricity to power everything lol I'd day, my laptop (daw and plugins included, yes I'm breaking the rules), my Apollo Twin, my Headphones, 1 Hard drive, annnnd a dynamic mic so I can go handheld lol.

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

A: I always wanted to do music every since I was in my middle school band. I started writing songs at a young age and after high school took a different route and got into banking which was completely off track lol. During my time in the corporate world was still writing and working on projects for local artists, recording and mixing full albums. I began selling my own productions online and eventually was able to leave my 9-5 to pursue music full time. Altogether I have been dedicated to music for 7 years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I like to think I have balanced mix style. I am definitely a drum guy so I like my low end and drum elements to hit as most hip-hop does, but I'm also a sucker for an expressive musical bed where the instruments can tell a story on their own. So I like to make sure whatever the main element of the record is gets highlighted of course, but a one-sided mix is something I tend to avoid unless style calls for it.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Right now I'm working on a small instrumental project set to release this July.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Digital allowed us to do more with less and get a certain pristine sound that was elusive otherwise. However, analog allows for more "source shaping" and it wasn't until I started tracking with outboard gear (Avalon 737 to be exact) that it made sense for me. I like a hybrid approach, but neither is right or wrong.

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

A: To bring your song to life and help you create something that feels the way you intended.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: For me, mixing allows me to be expressive and a scientist. There's an art to what we do and there's also a nerdy side to geek out over compression ratios and decay times lol

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

A: How long do mixes take? Typically 48-72 hours. Are there revisions? Of course, 2 to be exact. How should I deliver my tracks? Labeled with tempo and key.

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

A: That it's easy lol. Like any other process of song creation we as engineers have to balance our technical skill with our creative selves. Because a song can be technically sound but be boring and bland, but it could also be extremely vibey but have no sense of foundation.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What inspired you to make music? Who inspires you? Who/What inspired this song? What emotions do you want this song to convey?

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: The next hand off of the baton. Perspective and fresh ears. Sometimes you're so involved with a song that you lose sight of the direction, so sending it off or taking a few days away will usually wake your ears up. I like to think of it picking up where the artist left off and adding my skillset to continue the elevation of the record.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I typically start with just playing the song from start to finish a few times just to see what the song is trying to communicate to me as the listener. I go about taking my notes, thinking of approaches both technically and stylistically. Since every song is different the exact process varies but I like to start the same, with a laid back passive approach instead of just jumping in and grabbing faders before I even know what's going on.

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

A: Believe wholeheartedly in your music. At the end of the day your art is your art and sometimes we can get pressured into making something that doesn't do our thoughts or emotions justice. No amount of mixing or mastering can make you love a song you don't believe in. Other than that, don't clip when you record and label your tracks lol