Affordable Producing

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

A: I have worked on award winning projects, but what makes me most proud is when an artist I mix for has their first radio play.

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

A: Yeah, contact me for some great songwriters and producers.

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

A: That it's something someone can just do at home, or without a second set of ears for feedback. What I do takes years of trial, error and experience.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is smooth, clean, clear, wide and loud. I take whatever you give me and turn it into its level 100 version.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on mixing and mastering music for up and coming talent in Japan, as well as a few from overseas.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog quality cannot be matched in some instances, however digital makes everything much more fun, and adds a massive amount of creative liberty.

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

A: My promise to my clients is that they will no longer have to worry about whether or not they have a "good" mix. They'll have a great one.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like that it is always evolving. If you listen to music from just ten years ago, already the production and mixing techniques sound outdated!

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

A: How much it's going to cost, and if they can bundle different options (such as mixing and mastering). My prices are listed, and I would be happy to bundle multiple offerings for you.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: My main question for prospective clients is who they would most like to sound like. This way I can go listen to that artist and mimic what their mix engineer did. Does their kick cut through the whole track, creating a pumping effect? Do they use vintage compression for a more 90's type sound? All I really need to know is who my clients want to sound like.

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

A: Don't hesitate to ask me questions. There are no stupid questions. Not sure how to export your stems for optimum audio quality? I can help. My whole goal here is to figure out a way to help newcomers and up and coming artists, as like I say in my intro, this industry is so expensive.

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

A: I'd say my MacBook Pro, but... no electricity I'm guessing? I'd take my Acoustasonic, not much else as I'd be building a raft and getting out of there asap lol.

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

A: I have been working in music studios as a producer, mixing engineer, master engineer, and songwriter for about fifteen years. I started off making my own stuff as a kid just for fun, being completely mesmerised by DAW's such as Pro-tools, and the immense power they place at your disposal. After high school, I studied audio engineering and music production formally (Pro Media, Garnish, IO Academy, etc.), going straight to work in music studios around Los Angeles. I was offered many opportunities, and have studied under the likes of masters such as Timbaland.

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

A: I'm pretty inspired by instrumentalists, such as pianists, etc. Producing music is always fun, but when you meet someone who has absolutely mastered their instrument, it's like magic.

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

A: I would like to work with any up and coming new talent, because I think the industry needs a face lift. The major players are all regurgitating each others tracks.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Produce with your ears, not your eyes. And always have someone else around the studio who can come and give the track you're working on a second objective listen.

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

A: I usually work on music from independent artists and labels, of a variety of genres.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is my ability to listen to a track objectively, and really pin point the strong and weak points. This allows me to make the best mixing decisions possible.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring sparkle and polish. You know when you listen to a song, and can almost feel it physically? That's what I bring.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: A client will send me the stems to their track (for those new to the game, stems are each instrumental line or track of a song exported independently). I will lay everything out as it's meant to be, clean up any messiness (such as unwanted background noise on vocals, caused by insufficient acoustic setups), then get to work mixing: surgical EQing, de-masking, compression, etc. All the technical stuff out of the way first, so we have a nice clean track to work with. Then we get to the fun part - adding space, depth and awe to the track. I find all the sparkles about a track and bring it forward. All this while keeping total tonal balance control, and making the track as loud as possible while within industry standard and broadcasting guidelines. If your track is rejected by radio, television, streaming, etc... go back to the drawing board, because it won't be due to poor mixing!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work out of a major music studio in Tokyo, that has all of the most up to date software and hardware available today. I also work with other audio engineers, who will offer their second opinions on your track.

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

A: The most common type of work I do is of the hip-hop, trap, rap, EDM and pop genres. The music I work on is typically destined to be played in clubs, streamed, played on the radio, or aired on television, so I work to those standards and specs.