Music Producer, Mix Engineer

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. ANALOG - There is a smell, a warmth and something just so exciting about being in a studio full of analog gear. That helps the creative juices flow, and it is just so exciting to be a part of. There are pieces of analog gear, that no digital system has managed to recreate perfectly, and I'm not sure that would ever be possible. As close as the emulations are becoming these days, there is still something so magical about running your audio through a certain piece of analog gear. DIGITAL - What analog can't do, digital can do. Being able to recall entire mix sessions, making duplicates of sessions, copying tracks, deleting tracks, etc....This list could go on forever. There are massive benefits to working on audio in a digital domain. Digital has without a doubt managed to take music production to the next level & beyond, whilst speeding up workflows at the same time. We think a combination (hybrid setup) is the best way to go. It uses the best of both worlds, and seriously, who doesn't want that?

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

A: We promise to explore every avenue available, to build the project or song that you dreamt of.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The fact that we get to work with different artists everyday, and make all different kinds of music whilst doing so. Isn't that everybody's dream job?

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

A: Can it be cheaper? Can it be quicker? Can it be better? This is what we call the 'project triangle'. CHEAPER. QUICKER. BETTER - pick two, it's impossible to have all 3. Cheaper & Quicker = Sub-standard product Better & Cheaper = Product will take longer to complete Quicker & Better = Product will be much more expensive to complete

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

A: The biggest misconception faced by us is that most people outside of the audio industry think everything can be done so quickly. They don't understand what it takes to make great music, or great sounding productions.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are your musical influences? Are you able to separate the 'art' from the 'product'? Can you handle feedback and criticism?

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

A: Guitar: Too hard to choose between a Gibson Les Paul or Fender Telecaster Microphone: Neumann U87 or Sony C800G Mic-Pre: Neve 1073 ADC: Too hard to choose between a Burl B2 Bomber or Lynx Aurora (N) Guitar Tuner: We shouldn't have to explain why. Is there anything worse than listening to music that is out of tune? ...we didn't list a computer, so all this gear would be irrelevant.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Make music that you like to listen to. If you make music that you don't enjoy listening to, the project or task will become very mundane and not enjoyable. We're in this industry because we love music.

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

A: We work on music that we like to listen to. Luke, the founder of Verstone Audio, has quite a diverse range of musical tastes. He likes anything from super cheesy pop music, EDM, trance, all the way through to heavy metal - and if you aren't sure of what happens after heavy metal, well, we will let you find out that one for yourselves.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Our strongest skill is our ability to collaborate with other musicians & professionals in our community. We know that we can't do everything ourselves, and outsourcing work to the appropriate people has been very beneficial for our clients & artists.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Verstone Audio prides itself on bringing a song to life. If we write a song, and really have to wrestle with it to make it sound good & appealing, then it probably isn't the right song and we will put it aside. We are not ashamed to cull a song if it's not working - that is a strong suit of ours. There is no point in flogging a dead horse.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: This is obviously very dependant on each client, and their project. Generally it will start with me getting as much information about the project as I possibly can. This is undoubtedly the most important step in the entire process. If this step is not completed, or not done properly, massive issues can arise further down the track, pardon the pun. Once everything is out on the table, I will begin to jam out some ideas on guitar, until I find a few little things which start to work. It's at this point that I will collaborate with my other song-writers and lyricists' to start moulding the direction of the song. At Verstone Audio, we find that constant communication with our clients & artists leads to a much more effective working relationship. Once the artist is happy with the progress of the song, and they can hear the basics of how it's going to pan out, we get down to work on adding all the fun stuff (layers, percussions) which really polishes the production. After that it's sent of to mixing, and finally mastering.