Remote Mixing & Mastering

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

A: Cold Pie - My Mind. I can't say I was 'proud', blown away is probably closer to the Truth. Two brothers, who happened to be twins, were so clicked in that one was a drummer and one was a lead guitarist. The natural rhythm between those two made sense of mystery. I only wish I could release that song.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A rock song named 'A Given Reason' by Jack De Bree. Similar to a rock ballad

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

A: No one yet!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital, analog is expensive. A friends analog equipment though? That's a different story!

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

A: I aim to match how much you care about your song

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The car test! Coffee run!

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

A: A great friend once asked a rhetorical question. "When is a song ever really complete?". It kills me thinking there will one day be a silence and not another song, so I hope never.

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

A: "So you make things sound good?" YES.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: From the reference materials, I want to know what within those reference materials sparks your interest. Why? What is the emotional story behind this? What can I do to serve that song? The more grit and dirt I have about the song, the better I can create to this. I live for it.

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

A: Be happy with your recordings, everything up until now needs to pass your happiness-meter. After that, if all the tracks are labeled clearly, you have reference material or an end 'sound' or 'vibe' you're after then we're in business. If you have a vision and can communicate it, I can make all effort toward making it real for you.

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

A: Distressor for warmth, cassette player/recorder for keeping track of my last passing days, a guitar cable for plugging into Nature, a ctrl-z button, and a light.

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

A: Began with mechanical and electrical engineering, got tired of the 'rigidity' needed when working so closely with mechanics and physics. I love it, wouldn't be able to do what I do if it didn't exist. After some time I found mixing and mastering suited how I wanted to live and found it actually brought more life to me, ever since beginning making a deep house song I found Ableton was the bees knees and got an Audio Engineering degree. Since then, I teach mixing, and on the side I pick up the odd for a client or friend when I can!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Door closed, monitors on, don't notice the sun has gone down. Coffee and popcorn breaks when needed.

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

A: Personal project, it might be a long shot here but working with someone out of Nashville would put a fire in my belly. Otherwise, anyone who takes their art sincerely.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Keep a journal. You'll forget your best bits of personal advice to yourself. If you can keep your own journal, you'll be able to share your tasty little secrets and reap the benefits with your friends. Then you can do it all over again!

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

A: Open to all music! But I have favourites I must admit. Lover of orchestral, blues, rock, punk, drum 'n' bass (odd mix for some, not for others)

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Passion, from this all else falls into place.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Understanding what you, the artist, is wanting from your song. On a personal note, you have the appreciation and care to know what it takes with patience, compassion, and joy of knowing it is a real pleasure I get to work as a mixing engineer, above all, honesty.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Everything labeled, reference tracks and favourite bands for referential listening, import tracks and go, connected with client via email in case any off the cuff questions during the job, and 2 revisions, delivered at broadcasting standards discussed before commencement of project!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: JBL LSR308s for monitors, LSR10 Sub for gentle low-end reinforcement, Sonarworks for Sound Calibration, some acoustic panels and basstraps for accurate listening, a range of plugins which seems to grow and empty my wallet weekly (worth it), and the usual that matters, backup storage and cloud storage so nothing gets lost.

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

A: Quincy Jones, Tom Waits, My friend Corey, Leonard Cohen, some lovely local bands in my area.

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

A: Mixing is what I love doing. I find if musicians love making music then it's often a perfect fit. I could write for longer than needed about mixing and why I love it. But I'll respect your time and tell you this is the most miraculous outlet for creative expression I've found in my life.