Artist Developer, Session Pro

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Studio A: Commercial facility w/ medium sized Live Room, Floating floors/decoupled walls/high angled ceiling. Two isolation rooms, control room with large triple pane viewport, uptairs loft for late refelection capture. Pro Tools HDX rig, Apogee converters, analog preamp's from API, AEA, BAE, Millennia, UTA, Vintech and others. Stereo tone amp for analog summing and additional pre's with API and Neve character. Large selection of classic high-end amplifiers and cabinets, large selection of drums and cymbals including several vintage instruments. Extensive mic locker with stereo and double ribbon, small, large & tube condensers and many workhorse classic dynamics. Studio B: Personal Mixing/Mastering environment and preproduction studio. Assorted guitars, drums and MIDI controllers including 88 key semi-weighted cabinet piano. ATS Acoustics sonic treatment and Yamaha HS8 monitors. Reaper, Harrison Mixbuss 32C, Pro Tools and Logic available. Massive library of virtual instruments and plug-in's. Efficient workflow built out through customization of software and exhaustive template and configuration records.

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

A: I played drums on, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered the LP "Hurricane Blues" by artist Cliff Dorsey as an independent release. Cliff has recently signed to Black Sheep Records and the album was is now distributed through Sony Orchid. Cliff is a rising star whom I helped to develop over nearly a decade of studio production and live performances. As a current team member still, I look forward to what the future brings to Cliff. He is a rising talent.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Mastering an album, Mixing 3 albums, recording 2 albums, preparing to mix the stream broadcast on an upcoming Christmas service at a large church, teaching vocal lessons, writing a solo album, maintaining multiple social media accounts, studying Afro Cuban drumming, studying bass guitar and electric rhythm and lead, trying to learn to cook better food and eat healthier.

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

A: Not that I am aware of, though I'm certain that will change. I would need to look around and see who is here!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. All tools have pro's and Con's. There is no one answer to every problem. Use either analog or digital to suit your needs. It's the 21st century, take advantage of every option available.

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

A: I promise to deliver the results you paid for, when and how you expect them. I promise to listen and communicate well, to serve the needs of the project and bring an intensity and urgency to doing my best for you, every day.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Being creative as a profession, and helping others to do the same every single day.

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

A: Q: Why does something need to be mixed? A: To maximize the musical and technical potential of the media. I explain that recording is merely the capture phase, and that everything they hear has received some degree of postproduction. Mixing is the stage where I enforce the client's vision on the material and impart my own sonic signature. Q: What is mastering? A: It is the stage in which a track is optimized for playback performance across a wide variety of sy†ems and platforms, but also a chance to maximize the positive traits of a mix and mitigate the weaker aspects. Generally it is the final quality assurance stage but also a creative process in which the material may take on new life. It can be accomplished through a variety of means, digital, analog, hybrid, stem mastering etc.

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

A: In my case, the biggest misconception is that a Jack-of-all-trades is a master of none. All my skills are related to one another, interconnected, and all of them receive many hours of professional experience with each passing week of my career. To the contrary, each skill informs and enhances the other. I'm a better engineer because I'm a drummer, and so on down the line.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: No matter the job, I ask what the client's mission and expectations are. I develop thorough plans very quickly, and getting to know exactly what someone is looking for is the first step. I want to know timeline for turnaround, any references I should use to shape my work, and how they prefer to communicate and share progress and feedback. Further, who are their demographic, and who are their influences?

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

A: Listen to their work, have a discussion with them if possible. A professional who will stay accessible and develop a genuine personal interest in your art, business and success will often go further, for less, than other options with intimidating rates and credentials.

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

A: A generator, a powerful desktop, a 48 ch interface, a rack of good pre's and a mic. I'd attempt to fashion rudimentary instruments out of tree bark and local game animals.

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

A: I began as a drummer in school bands at †he age of 11. I received training in concert band, symphonic and jazz ensembles and marching band. By graduation I had helped win multiple state titles in various ensembles and achieved the highest possible marks in State Solo & Ensemble and had spent years as a student leader. During this time I formed bands with friends and was gigging by 16. I made several records and became an engineer by studying under whomever was producing my band at a given time. I worked for a local sound company, then two different well regarded studios, one of which I am still with today. My career has branched in new and exciting directions constantly. From performing all genres of music to producing records and engineering and performing in a large Worship environment I have never stopped growing. Some achievements include performing at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville Tennessee; recording an album live to tape with Don Zientara at famed Inner Ear Studios in DC, and developing several promising artists, one of whom recently signed with a promising record label.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Polished with a skew towards natural. Capable of either extreme, but erring on the side of capturing and presenting honest performances. My mixes are wide and dynamic, my masters are clean and deep. My playing on any instrument is clean, precise but organic. Skilled technician and improvisor on drums and percussion.

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

A: Death Cab For Cutie. I've long admired their brilliant songwriting and arranging as well as their constantly evolving production techniques. They also put on an amazing live show.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Timing is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of a production. Time is the medium for music just as canvas is the medium for a painting. Compressor/Limiter attack and release are functions of time. The speaker cones in a playback system move in time. Focus on getting things tight in your production, from guide/scratch tracks to performances to dynamic processing. Many mixes have been saved by time adjustment of poor performances, and many great recordings feature beautiful time feels and cohesion in the mix. So often we chase results on a mix, but when a performance is in the pocket across the ensemble, a good track will practically mix itself. Further, be sure your attack and release settings are appropriate for each source within a mix to ensure clean presentation and maximum impact.

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

A: I am well known for developing Country singer/songwriters. I also have extensive experience with all genres of rock, punk and metal music. I also regularly mix and perform Jazz and worship music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I excel as a producer, where all of my skills as a player, composer/songwriter, engineer and technician can intersect in meaningful ways. I can do more with less and tackle almost any musical or technical .

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Taste, tone, timing, touch and sensitivity. As an engineer or a musician I understand how to serve the song and put the material in the best light possible.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I determine the needs of my client first. As a musician I am excellent at learning difficult material quickly and delivering detailed replication of a given part. On stage I make great eye contact and have natural instincts for playing cohesively and driving or supporting a band. In studio production I prefer to take a client through pre-production if possible to plan and lay groundwork before using costly time in a tracking facility. I'm very flexible and I excel at serving an artist or client's vision through a well rounded set of skills and experience.

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

A: Bob Power, Andy Wallace, Butch Vig, Steven Wilson, Sylvia Massy, Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Devin Townsend, Death Cab For Cutie, Sturgill Simpson

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

A: I split time evenly between work as a recording engineer at a commercial studio, a live FOH and broadcast/stream engineer at Anthem Community Church, a studio drummer, bassist and arranger for my clients, and a live drummer for many diverse artists.