Recording, Mixing, Mastering,

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

A: Stereo League is an ongoing project that I have a heavy hand in, we started with a few songs that we build up with a lot of overdubs and production work. That eventually turned into their first album. Then we did an EP that was more band based. Were currently in the middle of another full length that brings together everything we've learned and tooled over the last few years and it's really going to be great offering.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Currently finishing a couple projects. One is a really unique hip hop record, the other is a reggae record, and the third is music for short film/art project.

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

A: I don't know anyone on here, haven't looked around. Im sure there is though.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both? I prefer to do most of my mixing processing like compression using outboard gear because it just sounds better and I can get what I want much faster than futzing around with plugins. But I print it back into pro tools to maintain the flexibility and advanced routing that mixing in a daw can provide.

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

A: I do not half-ass things. Any work I do, I do with a lot of intention.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The satisfaction of seeing someones vision come to fruition.

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

A: People tend to have unrealistic expectations of what can happen in mixing/mastering. How something was recorded makes the biggest impact of its sound. For instance, if you recorded your reggae band in a modern studio using modern microphones, there is no way I can mix it to make it sound like 1960's Bob Marley.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Whats the scope of the project? Whats your budget? Whats your experience? How do you envision it sounding? Whats your ideal workflow? Whats the timeline?

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

A: Neumann u67, an 1176, a pultec eqp-1A, neve 1073, and an sm57.

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

A: Been into some form of music since the third grade, from being classically trained to playing in punk bands to doing hip hop production and spending hours going through old soul vinyls and the record store. It all led me to studio work and audio technology because I got into the idea of building sounds. I guess I've been doing this since high school, hard to put a time on it. 10+ years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Colored and detailed. I like to push boundaries on some so

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

A: St Vincent or Damon Albarn, due to the diversity and quality of their musical offerings.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: A good vocal sound starts with a good recording, and a good recording is a combination of mic technique, confidence and microphone choice. I mean, there are thousands of little tips but getting a good vocal sound starts with those thing and if you don't have em, nothing in post is gonna make it work.

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

A: Indie rock/indie pop and hip hop more the most part.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My patience and laidback nature. I do not butt heads in a studio environment and can easily read when my input is wanted and when it isn't.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I typically like to have my influence on the sonic characteristics of a song. Whether its crafting interesting guitar tones, getting a unique drum sound, or giving a new perspective on vocals. I often hear little melody changes and ways to make chord progressions more interesting, as well as harmonies and adding in small sounds to fill out a production.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Whats typical? Depends on the artist and the music. I suppose you have to zoom out a bit, but generally its best to make sure the song in its most basic form is hitting all the aspects it needs to before we get into recording. During recording, its making sure we are getting the sound we want and spending time making sure its as good as it can be - I am not a fan of trying to work around a poorly captured sounds in post. If you spend the time in the recording stage, then mixing and finalization is a breeze.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a couple spaces to work out of, my homebase is at Spice House Sound. It is an immaculately designed space where we have curated a nice selection of vintage and modern gear as well as top of the line conversion and wiring. Tracking in here is a joy, because I know the space so well and its designed with efficiency in mind there is a lot less time spent on set up than other places. My other spot is a small production studio I built with a partner after college, its a great little room for vocals or overdubs and we keep a high quality signal chain to maintain a high standard. I also do sessions out of the Boom Room.

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

A: I am a big fan of Jon Congleton and Rob Schnapf as both producers and mix engineers, but really I enjoy music and records that push boundaries and have a unique sonic aesthetic.

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

A: I mostly do recording and mixing, and sprinkle in production when asked.