Great Mixes at Great Prices

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

A: I produced and mixed the entire Pure Vanity EP by Bonfire Vanity. With styles ranging from piano ballad to psychedelic rollercoaster, it was a great exercise in maintaining a common thread across diverse genres.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Currently mixing an artist from LA whose production sounds like Florence + The Machine.

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

A: Nacor Zualaga Morelo does great work with hip-hop artists (assistant to Alex Tumay/Young Thug).

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

A: I promise to treat your music like it's my music.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Mixing is where discipline and craftsmanship (which can be taught) meet artistic expression (which can't).

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

A: Fancy tools are important, but also look for someone who takes an interest in you as an individual artist. Compassion and empathy translate into a finished mix that sounds like you, not like someone else.

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

A: Any artist with a fresh and singular vision in any genre: Esparanza Spalding, King Krule, Caroline Polachek, Nathy Peluso, and Samia have all caught my ear recently.

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

A: "Does this need to be rerecorded?" Sometimes, this is a great question to ask. I'll answer you honestly either way and have no problem putting a project on hold for a couple weeks until we have the best possible ingredients ready for the best possible mix. For example, a recent client recut all of the group vocals for the chorus section in the middle of the mixing process, and we both agree it was a great call that resulted in a better mix.

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

A: Some people think mixing is easy, but those aren't the kind of people who read soundBetter profiles.

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

A: I'd take my new M1 Pro laptop, try to keep the sand out of it somehow, hook up my interface and monitors, and bring a Towsend Labs Sphere L22 mic. With Ableton stock plugins plus soothe2 and RX, I'd create my own sample library by banging rocks together and make bongos out of coconuts. When I make it off the island, I'll be selling that as a sample pack called STRANDED on splice.com and never going to the beach again... wait, what was the question? :)

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

A: I'm especially well-suited to mix indie/alternative/classic rock, mainstream/indie/art pop, and hip-hop/R&B. But I listen to all kind of music, from Miriam Makeba, Stromae and Deee-Lite, Snarky Puppy and Prince. This helps me orient myself in new sonic territories to create amazing mixes regardless of genre.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Organization is key! I use a unique combination of Ableton and Pro Tools for mixing and production. I think of the mixing process as an ongoing conversation between artists and mixer, rather than you just sending me stems and then getting your mix. I like it when clients ask for revisions, or, more commonly, want to share their thoughts and hear my input before proceeding to the final.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. It's all about what you're comfortable with and what you have available. Modern technology (software) just gets better and better, so you're seeing top-level mixers like Andrew Scheps work completely in-the-box (aka digital) by choice.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What feelings are you trying to capture? What your reference tracks? Do you want me to mix transparently, or do you want me to add a noticeable "vibe/warmth/crunch/polish" that might take the sound in a different direction?

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

A: I've been playing the drums for almost two decades, producing since 2008, and studying mixing professionally for almost five years. I'm grateful that exceptional programs like Puremix.net and Mix With the Masters allowed me to quickly hone my craft with exposure to resources and curriculum that didn't exist just ten years ago.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: When the situation calls for it, I place a lot of emphasis on sense of space and texture of sounds. But this all depends on the song itself.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Saturate your bass! And learn the difference between even- and odd-order harmonics if you're feeling fancy.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My ability to listen, both in a technical sense and also listening to the needs and vision of the artist.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Genuine care and investment in crafting the best sound possible.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I mix 100% in-the-box (this is mixing-speak for no outboard gear) with my favorite pair of EVE monitors in an acoustically-treated studio space (GIK Acoustics panels and bass traps plus Sonarworks calibration). Some of my favorites software tools for mixing include Soundtoys EffectRack, oeksound Soothe2, tape emulations like iZotope's Vintage Tape and Waves Abbey Road J37, Valhalla DSP's VintageVerb, and . I use Melodyne, VocAlign and RX 8 for precise and natural vocal touchups, Acustica virtual preamps, Sonnox Inflator every so often... should I go on? It's all about knowing the right tool for the job. There are no magic buttons.

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

A: I've studied the wisdom of many industry veterans, and have spoken with and learned from some of them one-on-one: Bob Katz, Fab Dupont, Darrell Thorp, Manny Marroquin, Andrew Scheps, Emily Lazar, Dave Pensado, Jaycen Joshua, Mick Guzauski, CLA, Jeff Ellis, Serban Ghenea, just to name a few.

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

A: Transforming your demo or rough mix to match the sound you've been hearing in your head from the very beginning.