Remote Mixing and Session work

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

A: I wrote and recorded a demo that just placed 2nd in a song contest in the entire state of Colorado. It was put together pretty quickly, but ended up sounding pretty polished for a demo. This song is called Back Page (one hit wonder) and you can hear it on my profile page.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A 3 song EP for a girl in Nashville. Everything has been done remotely and it is a lot of fun.

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

A: Not at the moment.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. Much easier in my opinion, especially if I'm on the road. I can still get all the ground work done that I need to from my laptop. I manage to use a mix of both in some cases, but I find it easier overall to work on the digital side. Just my opinion.

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

A: I promise that I love my job. I love working on your tracks. I love playing on your tracks, and I promise to give you realistic expectations. I will listen to your suggestions and do my absolute best to get the mix sounding as close to what you want as possible.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The end result, and growing with each new project. I can spend 2 hours just on one vocal track in some cases. This is due to knowing there is power in trying new things in order to get what the client is looking for.

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

A: Can you make me sound like what's on the radio? Answer - depends on your recordings and how good your songs are honestly.

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

A: It's easy, and shouldn't take more than a couple hours.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are you looking for? What are your expectations for these tracks? What is your experience working with session players/producers remotely? What type of equipment are you recording with?

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

A: Be sure that you feel good about your recordings first. There is only so much a producer can do with poorly captured tracks. Know that I will always do my best to give you what you're looking for and know that I absolutely love what I do.

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

A: Cables and power supply have to be included right? ;) I would say my audio interface, my keyboard, (so many sounds) my computer, my mic, and my guitar.

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

A: I started mixing and creating music in 2010. Admittedly I had no idea what I was doing when I first started. But I have come a long way since then. I have worked with producers that have had #1 hits on top 40 radio and have worked with no names mixing songs for a small church choir. I'm not above anything and believe that growth happens much faster when we take criticism gracefully, remove our egos, and focus on getting better at what we do with each project.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Clear, vocals up front in most cases. Easy to work with. Happy to make changes and take suggestions even if would not be my first instinct.

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

A: I would love to work with a talented musician/vocalist that has been in the industry for a while. Someone like Keith Urban or Tom Waits. I would like to collaborate with people like that because they have an ear for this stuff too. Don't get me wrong I love working with new artists because there is more of an experimental element to their approach. Even if it is sometimes naive in nature it forces me to grow and try new things. Working with someone who really knows what they want is a cool idea to me, just because it isn't as common.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: I'll share a few for people that are doing this. Be patient. Listen from different sources/speakers. Your client is the only opinion that matters. If they are happy, then you have done your job. Automation plays a big part of the mix for me. There are moments when you really want certain tracks to stand out and parts of the same song where they should be very subtle. It's puzzle of finding out what will really help drive the song dynamically, and keep people wanting to listen.

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

A: Acoustic, Country, Singer-Songwriter/Pop

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: mixing with purpose. Placing each fader with the intent to reach the desired end result

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I have a great ear for what each instrument needs in terms of EQ. I believe in utilizing reductive EQ which often leads to a song that is very dynamic. I believe this brings out the best in each instrument/vocal and makes the final product after mastering very clean yet lively.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Listen to entire mix. Go over notes regarding what client is looking for. Start with EQ of individual tracks, followed by automation. Adjust compression and reverb/delay depending on style of song and what client wants. Add my tracks if needed. Fine tune. Send track to client and ask for feedback. Make corrections, hopefully only one needed.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Apollo twin, Neumann U87, Les Paul Gibson guitar, Korg Kross Keyboard. Access to a Neve console. Typically work off Yamaha ns-10 monitors. And I prefer Studio One for my DAW

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

A: Steve Jordan, Dr. Luke, Dierks Bentley, John Mayer, Lady Antebellum, Brett Eldredge

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

A: Session guitar and keyboard work. Mixing 10 tracks or less typically.