Pop Mixing & Mastering

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

A: Find samples of their work, and compare it to commercial releases similar to your genre. Very important to keep in mind, you must FALL IN LOVE WITH THE MIX, not the songs. Not every recording musician is lucky to have top dollar recording equipment and expertise, so its important you find a mix engineer that can still deliver major label results with less than stellar recordings. Due to this reason, I have before-and-after mixes ready to show the client.

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

A: Music has been my passion since I was a kid. I started as a singer in a vocal group, harmonizing with four other talented guys, dreaming of making it big. We moved to the city of angels, Los Angeles, where we performed our hearts out at local venues, winning competitions, and releasing albums that resonated with our growing fanbase. But as we faced the inevitable ups and downs of the music industry, our group decided to part ways. It was a tough moment, but it opened new doors for me. Determined to pursue my musical dreams, I scored an internship at Sound Affairz Recording Studio in LA. It was a game-changer. I was immersed in the world of audio engineering, learning from industry pros, and gaining firsthand experience in the fast-paced, creative chaos of the studio. It fueled my hunger to mix even more, and with grit and passion, I eventually opened my own recording studio. Now, with over 20 years in the industry, I'm still loving the process. I get to collaborate with incredibly talented artists, work on albums that touch hearts, and see my musical visions come to life. It's been an epic journey, and I'm grateful for every twist and turn that brought me to where I am today, doing what I love with all my heart.

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

A: A project that I'm very proud of is the SummerBreeze - Dressing Room track. Reason why I'm so proud of this is because I was involved with managing the whole project from vocals, instruments, editing, time-adjusting, scheduling with bandmates, and mixing. When the song was completed it was picked up to be the main song in an Independent film!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: At the moment, I'm upgrading my software and tools!

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

A: 1. Can you make it brighter! Sure! 2. Can you make it bigger! You got it! 3. Can you make it loud! Yes...but there will be some compromises. Let me explain...etc. etc. 4. Should I get it mastered? Well, it depends...etc.etc.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I would say my mix style is a mid-point between 90s smooth melodic tones and today's bright and edgy sounds. Since I'm an 80s kid, I grew up on the 90s music...listening to Boyz II Men, 2-Pac, Biggie, Jodeci, Bone thugs n Harmony, etc. As for today's music, is about hard-hitting in your face sounds! I'm confident I can deliver in any of those spectrums if needed.

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

A: Boyz II Men! I've always loved their music, and they have inspired me as a singer when I was younger. I've always dreamed of recording/mixing for them!

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

A: In my circle, I know a lot of vocal singers of both R&B and Pop. Based on that, the type of music I usually work on is R&B and Pop.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Mixing and Editing vocals (tuning, timing, feel, timbre). Since I have a past with professional singing, I know what type of feel a singer expects their vocals to sound. When it comes to tuning and editing, I can fix it in a way that doesn't sound like it was edited at all (via Auto-Tune, vocal choppiness, etc.), and keeps the au naturel feel. But, if its a processed sound a client is after, I can easily do that as well.

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

A: Pro tools Ultimate HD, Genelec Monitors, Manley NUMU, NSEQ-4, and Kush Clariphonic

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Before I even touch a fader, I like to understand the end goal of the artist. What is the sound your looking for? Samples of songs you like? How do you like your vocal sound? etc. We need to understand that a song can sound a myriad of ways from the mix. If we can agree on a target goal, this makes the entire process more streamlined, and likely we can nail the final sound in the first mix. Or, if the client is unable to provide a reference, I'd be happy to move forward with the process and provide a polished product, regardless.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: All of the gear I own, I developed through years of hard work and saving/investing. I've bought, sold, upgraded a good amount of my gear at different times in my career. My studio setup consist of selective pieces that produce the end result that I have been picturing in my head. I'm running a Pro Tools Ultimate HD setup with various amounts of plugins. My hardware chain consist of the Clariphonic High End EQ, NSEQ-4 Mastering EQ, API-2500 Compressor, Manley NUMU Compressor, and Manley Massive. Each piece (or a combination of them) gives a certain tone, which allows me the flexibility to do everything I need to do, and guarantees a polished product on first mix send-off.

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

A: Im a bit old school, as I grew up in the 90's. I appreciate the organic singers and hip-hop artists of those days like Boyz II Men, Blackstreet, Jodeci, 2-Pac, Biggie, Warren-G, and maybe a little N'Sync and Backstreet Boys. The sound of records back then had a type of flow, laid-back, open and natural feel to them. Today's music has changed, as things are bit more forward, bright, and edgy! I like to think of my mixes to be the bridgepoint between the two, but at the same time, capable of delivering at those spectrums.

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

A: My first time on here! I'll let you know later.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! Digital for ease and efficiency, and Analog for that unattainable 'out-of-the-box' sound. Although digital is getting better and better, analog is still king in terms of overall sound, depth, and dimension. Some engineers may argue about that, but I hear what I hear.

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

A: In my experience, the first mix that is sent is rarely perfect. You may want a volume up here or there, you may want reverb/echo here or there, remove or add an effect, etc. Regardless of what updates you require, each mix I send, I promise will always sound sonically polished and finished, ready for release on first go.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The outside world is noisy and stressful. When I put my head down and work on a mix, I have a way of being engulfed in the song and everything else just fades away. This is what I love.

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

A: Make things loud and slap some 'echo' on it lol.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I like to understand my clients, to know their favorite music, what gets them going, what inspires them, and why? If I can understand my clients, know what music they like, what sounds that capture their attention, then I will be able to produce a mix that is catered to them.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: I don't do music production, just mixing. But If I had to share a tip on music production is "Less is More".

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Usually, younger/inexperienced mixing engineers look to provide a sound signature, but that is not what the client wants. As a mixing engineer, I have to understand that the end goal of this song, is, and will always be, my clients vision.

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

A: Primarily mixing! Also, since I have singing experience, I can add backing vocals/harmonies on the whim.