Pro Mastering for DIY Mixes

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

A: Recently I produced a song for Viacom, which is a company associated with Universal Pictures. They reached out to me cuz they needed a Deep Club Dance track for their catalog. It ended up being used on Jersey Shore! I wrote, produced, sang on it, mixed and mastered it all myself

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am Mastering for several artists that I love, including Emilia Ali, Emi Grace, Nolä, and more. I co write, produce, and play guitar for Emi Grace. I am also working on my artist project, Arlo. For my artists project, I make mainly House/EDM similar to Tiesto, Zedd, and Disclosure.

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

A: I promise that I will do everything I can to help you get the sound you have in your head.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love helping people get the sound they have in their head, out into the world. It's really rewarding when an artist is about to put out a song and they are genuinely excited about the Master.

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

A: What daw do you use? Ableton. How quickly can you get my master done? 24-48hrs How fast can you produce a song done from start to finish? 1-3 days What are your favorite styles? Mastering: All. Producing: Pop/EDM

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

A: I'd say the biggest misconception about mastering is that we put the same chain on every song. I do something different every time I master a song to bring out what the song needs. It depends on the recording, the room it was mixed in, etc.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I always ask for a mix and master reference - what song would you like this to sound like?

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

A: Make sure you have a clearly recorded vocal. With a good vocal, anything is possible.

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

A: My L'arrivée acoustic guitar, My trumpet, a Conga Drum, A piano, A steel drum

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

A: I started producing and mixing when I was 17, I am now 24. I went to Berklee School of Music in Boston and studied music production and mixing for 4 years. I moved to LA 2 years ago and I have been mixing and mastering for people here, in addition to collaborating with many LA based singers and writers.

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

A: With mastering, I work mostly with DIY musicians. This looks like Indie Pop, Indie Electronic, Singer songwriter, Indie Rock, and Alternative. As a producer, I usually work on Pop/EDM/Dance music. I love Diplo, Louis the Child, Kygo, Calvin Harris.

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

A: Yes, Sam Steele is a peer of mine, he is a great producer and mixing engineer.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog, because there's a richness that cannot be replicated on a computer. I used digital synthesizers for 5 years (Serum) and just recently started using analog synths. My mind was blown. Quality of a simple sine wav sounds amazing. I now own a Korg and a Roland synth.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Dynamic, Organic Dynamic because I love tracks that change in energy throughout. Organic, because I love natural sounds and live instruments like the guitar, piano, flute, trumpet and vocals. I believe every track should have vocals!

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

A: MØ - she has always been a favorite singer of mine. I have remixed a few of her songs for fun and it is so much fun - it would be amazing to get to write with her.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Simple is best. A good mix has a few very good elements, not lots of mediocre elements. If it's too crowded, then nothing stands out as special. Make every sound count.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My ear is my strongest asset. In a mastering context, I can hear within 5 seconds what needs to be done to make it a radio ready track. In a production context, I can hear chords and create arrangements very quickly.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring the final, polished sound to your track. I will bring out that final 10% to turn the sound you have in our head into a reality. I have a trained ear and can help you achieve that sound.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I typically listen to the mixed track once or twice all the way through, taking notes on what I hear. Then I may pull up an eq and check a few specific frequencies that need editing, and take those down. Next, I send these notes to the client. We may go back and forth a couple times until we achieve a final mix that is balanced and ready to master. Then I will master the track. I start with Eq, then compression, then go to limiting. In some cases, I add harmonic saturation before compression.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I am mixing on Focal 6.5 inch monitors. I have a Neumann u87 and an Apollo twin interface. I have 10 acoustic panels in my room, two mega bass traps, and tons of sound foam so that my room is primed for Mastering. I have SonarWorks software running to ensure a flat response. I have lots of VST mixing plugins, such as the Universal Audio API 2500 compressor, CLA 2A Compressor, EMT plate reverb, etc. I also have a couple analog synthesizers. I also have an American Stratocaster Pro HSS.

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

A: I love Disclosure, and the way they are doing modern dance music with a retro flare. I take a lot of influence from old jazz and 70s Disco, so I love the way Disclosure uses those as influences. Disclosure also writes, produces, and mixes their own tracks which is something I do as well.

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

A: Mastering! Most of my clients come to me with a final mix. I help them address the final touches that need to make that mix shine as best it can, and then I Master their track so that it's release-ready.