Producer, Mix Engineer, Piano

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. That's the world we live in and there's beauty in both.

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

A: Andres Mayo, Fred Miller, Kyle May

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

A: I promise that I will always give you my best, that I will always deliver the highest quality of work, that I will do whatever it takes to "get it right", that I will always be timely and communicative, that I will always value quality and your satisfaction above money and time, and that you will never be in the dark on a project.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love working with people. There is no better feeling than playing a client their song and seeing a smile run across their face. I have had so many clients walk in the studio as a client and leave as a friend. What is not to love about doing something creative alongside talented artists? I see the role of producer as someone who gets to serve people by helping them to put their best foot forward musically.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: 1. What is your background in music? 2. What type of music are you passionate about? 3. How can we pair together our strengths to make something we are both proud of?

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

A: 1. Neve 1073 Preamp 2. My Gibson ES-335 3. My Martin Guitar 4. My Laptop and Interface so I could record 5. The Piano I grew up with

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

A: I started piano when I was 7 years old. I took formal lessons all the way until I was 20, studying jazz at Berklee College of Music. When I was in High School, I started a band and began singing more and more often. It was at this time that writing music became of interest to me as well. Music has been a lifelong endeavor.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I love anything that grooves. Whether that be a hard-hitting hip-hop track, an emotional pop country tune, or a smooth lofi neo-soul track, my main concern is that whoever is listening is bobbing their head or stomping their foot. I see production as a puzzle. You have to find the right pieces, and when you do, you can feel it in your bones.

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

A: My dream artist would be Stevie Wonder. In my opinion, Stevie typifies what it means to be a musician. He can play any instrument. The way his melodies dance throughout his chord changes on any given tune is a master class on songwriting. He can change keys 5 times in the course of a song, but the way he weaves the melody throughout, you hardly know he left home base. He has one of the greatest voices of all time. If you think of R&B, you think of Stevie Wonder. To work with Stevie would be to work with the man who inspired me to start playing, to start singing, and to start creating music in general.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: One of the best pieces of advice I have for producers is to step away. Our ears can only handle so much physically, as well as psychologically. It is easy to hit a wall in a song. Something just isn't clicking. You can't find the element that's missing to make the song really groove. Maybe it's the drums that are off. Or maybe it needs a funky little guitar line. You try both, but it still feels...flat. In a moment like this, it is easy to get frustrated and keep plugging random elements in. However, I have found that the best strategy in this scenario is simply to step away. It can be for 30 minutes, an hour, a day, a week. Often times, when I then revisit a song with fresh ears, I can almost immediately identify what needs to be changed, what element is missing, and in some cases, what needs to be omitted. Take a deep breath, rest your ears, and come back fresh.

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

A: Pop, R&B, Country, Christian, Rock, etc.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My ear and musicianship.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I have a phenomenal ear. I know what to add when a song needs to push for a moment, and I know what to take away when a song needs to sit back. I can hear parts that serve the song very quickly, and I am a skilled composer, and often offer melodic/harmonic revisions that make the song shine that extra 10%.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I always want to get to know the artist first. Getting to a know a little about the artist's personal life, their background, and where their vision lies is so important, and a part of the process that many producers overlook. If I don't understand you as a person, how can I understand you as an artist? Once I get a proper feel for where this artist wants to go, only then can I begin to translate into music. The process is fairly straightforward after that. We record vocals first because the main vocal is the focal point of any song. This allows me to build the track around the vocal and only add elements insofar as they highlight the melody of the song. After building the track, we move into mixing, and then finally, mastering.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a fully-treated studio in Nashville, TN. All the walls are treated with absorption panels and diffusers. The quality starts at the source with my Neve 1073 Preamp (my ultimate baby). From there, we move to my top-of-the-line Neumann microphones. A Gibson ES-335 or Fender Strat creates the vibe or rips the solo, while my Nord Stage 2 featuring Keyscape and Omnisphere sounds fills out the rest of the track.

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

A: John Mayer, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Kendrick Lamar, Brad Paisley, Zac Brown Band, Anything Motown, Mac Miller, Mac Ayres, Daniel Caesar, H.E.R, Maverick City Music, Brandon Lake, Drake.

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

A: The most common work I am doing is production. Production can be a broad term, so to break it down, I specialize in casting a creative vision for a song alongside an artist. The reason I am passionate about production is because it encompasses almost every area of music: songwriting, audio engineering, performing, mixing, arrangement, and the list goes on and on. All of these areas are interests of mine, as I am a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and singer. I find production to be the jackpot when it comes to enjoying so many different sides of the music industry.