Pianist, Keyboardist, Producer

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Each has its benefits and drawbacks.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Taking an intimate, part-based approach to the keyboard to a higher, more ensemble-like symphonic level.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If you have a track that you will eventually add lead vocals to, make sure to give your session musicians a scratch-vocal track (doesn't have to sound good, just has to give the general feel and ideas). This way, your musicians will have a good sense of placement and tone.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: When providing keyboard parts to an already written song, I like to interview the client in order to understand the desired sound and feel, and agree on a few reference tracks that are similar in playing style to the desired one. At this point we can decide on types of sounds, and where in the song they’d fit. After this I can take a pass through the song. When writing a song, the first step is to put together a sonic palette (decide what kind of sounds suit the music and how much keyboard the music needs). Generally the sonic palette is decided by the client, however if I hear something that the song needs that the client hasn't mentioned, I like to offer the idea as one of the options. The next step is to try a few loose runs through the song with one of the main keyboard sounds that were decided on and get a general feel for what works and what doesn't. I'll typically select a few ideas from this process and continue refining them until the part sounds solid. The next step is mixing the keyboard track so that it blends well with the rest of the mix. At this point, once the basic sound and ideas are there, I may try out a few off-beat wacky ideas that may or may not work - you never know if you don't try! At this point I'll polish the editing and the mix and that's it.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Keyboards: Roland RD700NX stage piano, Moog Sub37 Analog Synth, Korg SV-1 Stage Piano (for great Rhodes and Wurly sounds). Sound libraries: I have a large East West library including Hollywood Strings, Symphonic Orchestra Gold, Ra, Silk, Solo Violin, The Dark Side, Stormdrum 2, Ministry of Rock. Other libraries that I heavily use include Spectrasonics Omnisphere, LA Scoring Strings, Ondes Martenot, Mellotron, and NI Session Horns.

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

A: As far as keyboard playing goes, I'm a huge fan of John Medeski, Herbie Hancock, Bernie Worrell, Keith Emerson, Shaun Martin, etc. Basically anyone with a sound that is firmly rooted in genre yet has a healthy amount of individualism and originality to their musical voice. In terms of music production, I very much admire Hans Zimmer for his massive and immersive sound, as well as Trent Reznor and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez for their courageous and genre-defying experimentation.

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

A: I do best at "classic" keyboard parts/sounds. Think percussive piano parts or screaming hammond organ layers for a rock song, funky clav comping or smooth rhodes pads for soul/r&b/funk, sparkly and bright "West Coast-style" synth leads for hip hop, and everything in between. I also can create extremely realistic orchestral textures with standard elements like winds/brass/strings/percussion or more off-beat ethnic and world instruments from different cultures for a more eclectic vibe.