Alternative Music Production

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

A: Im especially proud of "Last Light" by Syrup, Go On. Myself and Tom (the guitarist) worked on that album together for months. He had no drummer at the time, and we made sure we invested the time, energy and money into getting it right from the start, and not compromising on quality. We achieved specific visions and feelings in that song that are still obvious years later, through a varied, drawn out and non-ideal work flow. We committed 100% to that project and walked away happy.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Currently working on an EP for folk/emo Of Lion, guitar tracking for an Indie band called Big Dinner and an EP for a new pop-punk band called IIXShy.

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

A: No

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! Whatever serves the song, process and budget. There are certain pros, cons and workflow differences to working with either - what matters at the end of the day is the song and what is best for it.

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

A: My promise is that you will grow as an artist when you work with me. Also, if you keep an open mind and put time and effort into the production process, you will not only walk away with a great song but an engaging song you will be proud of for years to come.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like seeing artists grow, and being able to listen back to songs and feel the emotion that the artist is singing/playing with in mind. Sometimes years later! To me, that is the mark of a great song.

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

A: Most people just ask about my rates. My answer is that it depends on what you want, and what you're prepared to do. I can record your band simultaneously and record 3 or 4 songs a day, or we can perfectly craft 1 song over 2 days. I prefer to achieve specific results rather than ask a 'one size fits all' price

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

A: Some people believe I make demos because of my preference of starting by working on demos. This is not the case - I just wish to plan out the final production in a way where everyone knows exactly what we are going to achieve, eliminating a lot of different tensions that can arise in the studio when creating on the fly.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I ask clients what goals they want to achieve with the music they are wanting to record, and I ask about what stage of their career they are at. When first starting, spending top dollar on fancy studios and gear and string quartets and not always the best way to serve your band and career.

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

A: I'm here to serve you, not myself. Keep an open mind and try to see how any suggestions that get thrown around may serve you and your music in the long term.

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

A: My laptop, my American Telecaster guitar, an Apollo Twin interface, U87 microphone and MIDI keyboard

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

A: I've been doing this about 7 years now. I started playing in bands whilst in High School, and soon began writing and recording songs in my final years of study. I entered a popular music production bachelor's degree my first year out of school in 2015 and immediately began producing and recording bands whilst still playing in bands and touring across Australia, Europe and South East Asia.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Authentic and emotionally centred.

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

A: I'd love to work with an artist called Animal Flag. I think they have incredible songwriting and story telling, coupled with amazing musicianship and a solid sense for dynamics and sounds. I think I could bring an added element of refined vision and emotional impact across their LP's.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Keep an open mind. If you've already mentally committed to certain parts and structures for songs, you will never achieve the absolute best version of your music.

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

A: I work on alternative music - Punk rock, ambient rock, pop-punk, Indie-rock, Indie-pop, Shoegaze, Emo etc.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Artist development and vision attainment.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring the perspective of someone who has listened and loved alternative music from a young age. I don't just understand the genres I work with, I live and breathe them. I also have the highest performance standard and the strongest vision of any of my peers. I WILL push you to your best. I also spend time formulating the exact emotional and sometimes visual story that each song will represent, and with every single decision through production I will serve that vision and end goal.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I normally ask bands to send me their demos, and multitracks of their demos if possible. We then spend time on pre-production where we may change the structure, arranged parts or even integral parts of the melodies depending on the artists goals and whether the current choices serve the song. From there, we formulate a plan to execute production as best and quickly as possible. This may entail hiring a studio for live drums, or simply continuing on with guitar recording and vocals whilst in my home studio. Once production is complete, editing and mixing can commence.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I mostly work from my home studio where I have an array of tube amps and instruments including an electronic drum kit for increased familiarity and speed when altering drum parts during the demo/writing stage. I have a makeshift vocal booth and MIDI keyboard to round out the studio. For drum recording, and sometimes acoustic guitars or vocal tracking - I work closely with 2 of the finest studios in my city to achieve maximum results whilst saving the artist money on studio hire.

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

A: There are a few producers that inspire me, namely: Will Yip and Jay Maas. The way that Yip time after time pushes bands to create a unique piece of work that is still very true to the sound of the artist, and yet entirely progressive for their career. Jay also achieves some of the hardest hitting, consistent sounds within the alt rock genre realm.

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

A: The most common work I do could be described as recording, production and development. I typically work with bands from the early demo stage of their writing - and help them shape and evolve their songs into a perfect arrangement that ticks all the boxes and reaches all the goals the artist wants to achieve with the release. From there we record top tier performances and polished sounds, and push artists to their limit to achieve the highest quality song possible.