Audio Mastering

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Studio Room: Acoustically designed Monitors: KRK Rockit RP8 and Yamaha NS10 Recoding: FL Studio, Focusrite 18i20, Novation Lauchkey 37 MK3 controller Headphones: DT 990 Pro and Audio-Technica ATH-M50X

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

A: I grew up with many friends who are likewise producers. I recently finished a master for one of my closest friends and it fires me up to share in the success of someone that I have a personal relationship with. Gives me goosebumps that I can help propel the careers of producers, especially those whom are friends, and need an extra push to elevate their records from zero to hero.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I love working on clients material, but I also work on my own alias production, namely Groovy Bites. You can listen to my material here: https://soundcloud.com/groovybites/tracks

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

A: I am new to the platform so can't say I do.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog audio takes the cake when it comes to bandwidth as it is considered unlimited, which means it can be moved to higher resolutions without compromising audio quality, whereas digital recording involves limiting and gives the audio recording a fixed bandwidth. Having greater bandwidth becomes crucial when you want to increase your audio’s potential, especially when it’s going to be played into high-quality audio reproduction speakers. But each to their own.

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

A: I value customer satisfaction. For those clients whose expectations I do not meet, I offer a free revision in the hopes to deliver the best master for your composition. However, if you all still dissatisfied with the end product, I provide a 75% refund of the total cost.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Although my name is not behind the title of the track, I share in the success of the record and likewise feel proud to be part of the production.

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

A: I don't have much data to definitively answer, but If I had a gun to my head I would probable say, "what rendered quality do you need for the master?". Answer ? 24 bit depth, 128 point sinc, peaking at least -3DB.

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

A: Mastering engineers don't just make things loud. We polish the mix, make it more cohesive, and give it greater depth and impact so it can translate across all audio systems.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: 1. Are there any effects on your master channel when you bounced the audio file ? 2. What levels is your track peaking at ? 3. Did your normalize or apply any dither when you exported your audio file ? 4. What reference track would you like me use when mastering your record ? 5. Have you eliminated unwanted noise within your mix (for example by applying low cut and trying to keep your mix clean and dynamic) ?

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

A: The master can only sound as good as the mixdown so please ensure your mix is very well processed.

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

A: Laptop, DT 990 Pro Headphones, Tascam Handheld Stereo Recorder, AKAI Professional MPK Mini MK3 keyboard and KRK RP8 ROKIT. This is how everything started for me, and I surprisingly use this more often that not !!! I like the simplicity of this setup. Just know the limitations and you can produce just as good the pros.

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

A: Self taught music producer and DJ of 10 years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My mastering chain is a culmination of 10 years experience and use the same chain for every client, however surgically configure the chain where necessary to maximize the best result for your track. Provided my chain, I work efficiently and effectively to deliver your mastered record promptly.

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

A: Swedish House Mafia. I can't imagine working with a person other than myself, let alone three people. This would throw me out of my comfort zone and my natural way of working. However, observing how each artist contributes to the overall sound of Swedish House Mafia would be marvelous to watch and likewise work with. Being thrown out your comfort can sometime be very beneficial to ones creativity.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Know exactly what each effects plugin is used for. By knowing the ins and outs of you processing library, you will be able to configure your record as you hear it instead of chaotically applying plugins at random. More importantly, simply understanding what each plugin tool is used for, you will be able to adopt the idea that less is more, because you know what to achieve and how to achieve it in the full context of the mix.

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

A: Mostly EDM and other genres such as house, dubstep, electro, progressive, big room, drum 'n bass, techno, tech and hip hop.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Surgically mastering the audio quality to elevate the track to distribution status.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Transparency, Dimension, Depth, Clarity, Energy, Tonal Balance, Continuity

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I work in an acoustically designed studio room to master the production. Other than testing the track on monitors, I test the master against several headphones, including cheap ear pods, studio entry headphones, phone speakers and a car audio system. I ensure the track sounds great overall. Additionally, the mastering chain I use is a culmination of 10 years self taught experience and use the same chain for every client, however surgically configure the chain where necessary to maximize the best result for the record.

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

A: Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, Martine Garrix, Kyle Watson,

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

A: Single stereo file mastering