Mixing and Mastering Engineer

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

A: Wish I had worked with the White Stripes before they split up. Imagine having Jack's guitar plugged loud in the living room while tracking them. Pop Smoke is another artist that I would have loved to record, for his deep, dark vocals. I'm sure he would have sounded huge on any microphone.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Learn to trust your intuition. Music's greatest energy lies there.

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

A: Hip Hop, Trap, Drill, R'n'B, Pop, and Rock.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I specialize in mixing and editing. This is what I do best in life.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: My idea is that the mixing engineer needs to understand the energy and emotion that the artist is trying to communicate. If that's done then it's all about enhancing that idea and bringing it to life through the use of our tools: eq, compression, effects, automation and gain staging of course.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually start by editing files prior to the mixing stage. This is done by cleaning up all stems with Izotope RX from clicks and pops, noises, hum, etc. I find this a necessary step, even for those sounds that get recorded through high-quality preamps and converters in order to maximize the final mix when everything gets eventually compressed and raised in level. Melodyne is also a big part of this process, to ensure that vocals are manually tuned to perfection. Mixing is all about the details and the small, right moves. I have a holistic approach to mixing and I like to mix in contest, trying to minimize the use of the solo button. I like to mix with a warm, analog approach, even if I'm using plugins. Finally, mastering for me is all about sparkling the final touches, increasing the dynamics without killing them. It's all in the details.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio setup is set around my studio desk by Buso Audio and my Apollo x4 Thunderbolt 3 audio interface. Universal Audio plugins are a big part of my sound, being reliable and probably the best digital replica of their analog counterpart. My other all-time favorites are Izotope plugins for their help with technical issues and editing.

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

A: Although my greatest experience comes from working with Hip Hop and Trap artists I grew up listening to punk and rock music so I would say that Jack White has always been a great inspiration for me as a professional in music.

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

A: The most common type of work clients hire me for is mixing their records and mastering them for Spotify or Apple Music. It is an important part of the record-making process as levels, sound quality and dynamics are vital in today's music industry.