Production/Mixing/Mastering

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

A: In 2012, I started out as a hobby DJ and it turned out to be something that i couldn't get enough of. After learning the ins and outs of the decks, i started to create my own music which eventually led me to seek an education in audio engineering. I loved everything about it and now I can't imagine doing anything else.

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

A: Armin Van Buuren. He is an industry professional who has been around since the early days of electronic music, and I'm sure he has more than a few good tips, and probably some good stories too.

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

A: This is Always a tough one to answer, but some ongoing artists include Kaskade, Above & Beyond, and Hardwell. All of these artists have mastered the art of creating a track with movement and feeling.

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

A: We are extremely proud of all of our work. We don't like to release anything that we wouldn't be proud to release ourselves. However, we have recently been working with a soundbetter Client Hank T. We were selected by Hank to Mix and Master his up coming album and we also played a little part in the production side of things. We are extremely happy with the collaboration of this project and super happy with the results.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I don't think many people would argue that digital sounds better than analog. However, the digital emulate plugins these days are extremely close sounding to the Analog originals. Plus, a lot of them come with extra benefits like mix knobs or an extra EQ, Side chain compression or EQ that can also function as a multi band compressor. This takes work flow to a whole other level and you simply can't deny that about the digital side of things.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: The style changes depending on the genre of music. What I can say is that we have an organized work flow that is effective in giving great results but will always make each song and project unique in its own way.

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

A: My Laptop, My Appolo, My MIDI Controller, My headphones and some sort of router so I could connect to my Soundbetter Clients!

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

A: How long will it take to get my song back and finished? Typically we take a day or two to get songs back for your notes and approval. That can vary depending on work volume. Do you offer sample replacement during the mixing process? Yes we do. We work as producers as well and can cover any sample replacements or added instrumentation including live instruments to make your song "Radio Ready"

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: After we receive your files, we will check out any references you may have provided and give ourselves a road map and direction to start. Then, depending on the instrumentation provided we will usually start with the Drums, the Bass then move on to the other instruments. We typically mix the vocals last to make sure they sit correctly on top of the music bed. Then we would send you what we have to you for any mixing notes before moving on to Mastering.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: We just recently finished up working with a soundbetter client named Hank T. We adding some production elements and Mixed and Mastered his album. It was a combination of Dance and Pop with even some rock elements in there, and we are now just about to start a new Album that is alternate Rock!

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

A: For Top Lining and session vocals, we use Darren F. He always does great stuff. If I need outside musical instruments played I would recommend TJ Fuller.

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

A: Our promise to our clients is that we promise to work with you back and forth until we get your song to the level and quality you are happy with. It's a process and we promise to work through it with you till the end.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Ummm...Everything. We make music for a living. Come on! There's an extremely satisfying feeling when the client is blown away when we return their song. We've had many clients that say "I never even knew it could sound this good" That's a pretty great feeling.

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

A: The biggest misconception is probably thinking that we can make a bad recording sound amazing. The process of making a song starts with the tracking of your song. So the chain of importance starts there. The cleaner your recordings are the more we can add to it. It's much harder to to take away unwanted noise or digital distortion once it's in the recording.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What type of sound do you envision for your song? Do you have any references? And are you open to changes if we think we can improve on what you already have?

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

A: Trust in the professionals you are working with. It's in a providers best interest to make your song sound as good as it can possibly be. Sometimes this may mean making small changes that you weren't thinking about. So be open minded. By all means, let us know your thoughts and references but enter with an open mind because you never know how other people hear the potential in a song.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: When producing music, It's important to use the full spectrum of the EQ. And make sure you're not to heavy in a single area. You want to spread your instruments and voice out so there is a place for everything to sit nicely in the mix.

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

A: We more than anything work on dance music. EDM, Trap and styles of this kind of nature. But we are spread quite wide in the work we do for our clients including, Pop, Hip Hop, Rock and others.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: We are a team of two members and we both bring different skill set to the table. Darren is a well respected vocal arranger and producer and Vinnie is a grammy award winning engineer who excels at Mixing and Mastering. Together we have you covered in all aspects of your song

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: We pride our selfs on our Radio Ready quality. Our experience in the music industry spans many years and we are always staying current with the latest trends in the music world. We love working with our clients to hear what they are trying to achieve and help them get to the desired sound.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: We Mix and Master (And produce) in both Pro Tools and Ableton. We use a combination of digital and analog gear when applicable to getting the sounds we are after. It all depends on the genre of music we are working on.

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

A: The most common is definitely Dance or EDM, but we absolutely cover a range of styles including, Pop, Hip Hop, Rock and even more contemporary stuff like country. We've had extensive experience in almost all genres.