Guitar, Production

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

A: My last band, Brass Phantoms, ended as two of the members emigrated - tends to happen with my age group in Ireland! I loved that we got to release and album at the end of everything. It felt like all the years of work were packaged into something really meaningful to me, and I'll cherish it forever. In that particular album, I was a songwriter, guitarist and producer, as well as managing the release.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm writing for a solo project at the moment. I've been taking my time with it but starting to make some headway now!

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

A: Francesca Pratt is an outstanding drummer. I have a couple of amazingly talented friends who I told to set up profile so hopefully I can add to these names soon!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: We live in a world with both, embrace it! I have a beautiful analog preamp and some awesome and creative digital effects. I love to combine the magic of both.

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

A: I always promise to give my best and to do something that I think will add to the song. I love doing this and I want the artist to love what I do too.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love helping someone bring their work to the next stage and helping an idea become a reality. Its a really rewarding feeling (plus I get to play guitar!).

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

A: It really depends on the job. Sometimes there might be some logistical questions like "can you do this" or "what would the turnaround time be", and then sometimes someone will ask what I think might work for the track. I tend to work quickly so turnarounds are within a couple of days and most things can definitely be done! With the more musical questions, I like to discuss a little more what they have in mind while sharing my own thoughts or ideas.

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

A: I've only really launched this profile recently so I guess there may be a misconception about my experience. In reality I've done plenty of session work before, recorded in all kinds of studios, played countless amounts of shows, studied music production and now put together my own studio.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I like to know what they have in mind for the song, if there's anything they'd like to mention about it - that could mean that the song is about something in particular, they have a certain vision for it, anything! The more information the better. Its always good to get some reference tracks from an artist, if they have anything to share. When words fail, music speaks.

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

A: A brief message back and forth about the project is always really good and helpful for both sides!

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

A: My Jazzmaster Fender Princeton Amp Taylor acoustic guitar Multitrack recorder Headphones

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

A: I started singing as a kid and picked up the guitar in my early teens. I studied music so it made it possible teaching myself, which I think has given me an interesting style of playing. I've been in bands since I was 16. I have played guitar on music that has featured on TV ads for the UEFA Champions League and English Premier League Football, Spotify editorial playlists, worldwide radio stations and publications (BBC, Clash, The Metro, RTE). I have also toured internationally as a guitar player, performing in the United States, the UK and all over my native Ireland. I have a diploma in Music and Audio Production along with a Masters degree in Entrepreneurship in the Music Industry. I'm excited to see how I can develop my career on SoundBetter!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Unconventional. I think that I can play at a really high standard but will produce ideas that aren't typical of what a lot of other players might do. I definitely like to make things sound cool and different. I have a good understanding of what kind of parts can work as subtle additions along with a good intuition for what can be a lead or core part of a song.

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

A: I would love to be in the studio watching Phoenix piece together a song.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: There are so many amazing producers on here so its hard to know what to say! I would say to keep the final mix in mind with the parts you are recording. Its a little clichéd but from a quality and time management point of view it's important. I also think if you're going to be doing a lot of processing in your mix, it is so important to make sure that the initial tracks are recorded really well and cleanly, it will make it a lot easier later.

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

A: Pop, Indie, Rock, Folk, Shoegaze, Americana

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Harmony and unconventional playing styles.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I try to bring a balance of my own style of playing plus the best idea for the song. I have studied sound and music production, so I record in a way that has the entire mix and production in mind. This can inspire different ideas and makes everything easier for the mixing engineer!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: When recording guitar I will listen to a track a couple of times before diving right in. I like to get an idea of the style and structure. I'll jam to the track for some time before honing in too much on a particular idea. I like this approach to gauge what works, what's cool, what might be too predictable, what recording techniques can tie in. I don't adopt a blanket approach for everything because each song is it's own piece and there's no fun or use in trying to force something into it. But to make a long story short (or short story long) - I'll generally listen to the track, later on I'll jam out some different ideas, and then I'll dive into the recording process.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a space where I like to record which is kitted out with some great gear. I use a Cranborne Audio EC Preamp which is a gamechanging tool. Everything sounds great on a dry signal with it, meaning additional effects or processing tools can be used more creatively. I mostly record with Logic Pro and like Pro Tools as well. I use a 2019 iMac with PreSonus and UAD interfaces - the preamps are good but the Cranborne is better for sure. I have Avantone Gauss monitors which I've been using for a little less than 18 months now and I really love them. I have a Japanese Fender Jazzmaster which is a delight to play, I really love it. It has a very emotional tone and can really bring depth to a song. I like using a Strat too. Will soon have a Rivolta Combinata guitar in my arsenal too! I've recently ordered new pickups for a Gretsch Streamliner guitar, so I'm excited to see what I can do with that. For my Acoustic recording I mostly use a Taylor 110e. I don't think Taylor could make a bad guitar if they tried. Its such a beauty. It comes through really nicely on recordings. At the moment I'm recording a lot with an Audio Technica AT2050 condenser microphone. Its a gem for vocals and the acoustic, really great piece of kit. I have a Sennheiser e835 dynamic mic and an AKG condenser at my space too. If needed I might borrow a Shure SM7B and SM58 from a friend I often collaborate with. I use a Marcus Miller bass if ever laying down some baselines. I love their stuff. My amp is a Vox AC15, great classic tone. I do use digital amps too - stuff like IK Multimedia's Amplitube and some of the Neural DSP Archetypes. There's no real question about their quality anymore, you can get an awesome tone really quickly. I like experimenting with these. I have some really great softwares, reverb plugins to synths, saturators, whatever you can think of. I use a Korg B2 Piano and a MicroKorg synth as well as the softwares. I have all kinds of guitar pedals from great manufacturers - JHS, Truetone, EHX, Fulltone, MXR... just ask if you've any questions on anything like that!

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

A: I always like seeing artists follow their own approach and explore new areas when they are producing new material. I think the last few War On Drugs records have been incredible, from every point of view - songwriting, arrangements, individual parts, and of course the production Adam Granduciel and Shawn Everett have achieved together. Its really inspirational for me. Often I might be inspired unexpectedly by something I wouldn't typically listen to, which is always very exciting because it gives me ideas to explore further. I definitely appreciate some mystique of older music and how different artists achieved such impactful sounds before the tools we now have were readily available. Its always a cool journey and can help me reconfigure my approach to modern production techniques.

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

A: Most of the work I do is guitar-based. I provide guitar parts tailored to the artist's music. That could mean acoustic, electric, lead, solo, harmony, atmospheric, whatever is best-suited or desired! I love playing guitar for peoples' music and always strive to elevate a piece with my contribution. I can provide other services, such as some mixing, bass, keys, and songwriting work. But most of my session-work comes from writing and recording guitars.