Mixing and Mastering Engineer

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

A: It's the song you can listen to (it's listed as my demo). I was the producer, recording, mixing and mastering engineer and I did a lot of detailed work, tried out a lot of new different production and mixing techniques successfully and worked on that project for over one year in total.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Mixing and mastering a Trap producer album with international features, including Deetranada, Cece BKE, SAXX3 YBK, Arsaphe and more...

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

A: Sadly I don't know of any colleagues who are also on this platform.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I don't use analog outboard gear because it would make my workflow worse and they arguably don't sound better but just a tiny bit different then the UAD analog modelled Plugins that I use mostly in my Mixing and Mastering. Other than that I own thousands of plugins from different companies such as Izotope (including RX9), Native Instruments and so on. Knowing the tools you use is way more important than what tools you use, whether they are analog or digital.

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

A: That I will communicate fast and clearly and that I'll always give 100% to make your song sound as good as it possibly can - while keeping your vision alive.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Being able to listen to unreleased music and making it sound good to a wider audience - being part of songs that are actually getting released for people to hear and possibly changing some lives in a positive way.

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

A: Q: How do I send the files? A: Send the stems only with the processing applied that you think is absolutlely necessary. The less effects you leave on the trackouts the more freedom I have. Q: What is your turnaround time? A: Usually 5 days (depends on the project). Q: Is editing included in mixing? A: No, editing is a separate job from mixing which I also offer. In case your song still needs it I will tell you before accepting the job.

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

A: That there is such a thing as an objective quality in music. Of course there are a lot of different psychological factors which unite us human beings and explains why certain music is popular and certain music isn't. In the end music is an incredible art form and as long as the artist manages to fulfill their own vision (with or without the help of others) - that's good music in my opinion - I help to bring that vision to life.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: If it's about mastering I'll ask you if you need it for streaming plattforms, CD or Vinyl - since they got different technical pre-conditions. In case of mixing a song I'll ask you about your vision/the meaning of the song so I can do my best work that also aligns with your artistic imaginations.

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

A: Listen to my work first and send me a link to your music. Also let me know how it is supposed to sound like. I personally like abstract formulations like "make it sound like a thunderstorm in paradise" way more then just sending reference tracks (eventhough that also works of course). Mixing can be very subjective and it should align with your vision, so it's good to tell me all about that before I start working on your song.

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

A: Laptop, Headphones, Hermann Miller chair, Apollo Interface and a versatile condenser microphone.

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

A: I started out playing the cello when I was 4 years old, later I started learning piano aswell. I startet producing in 2017 after I experienced my first Open Air Festival. Ever since then I've been working hard to improve my skills, studied Sound and Music Production in Germany and simultaniously worked with a lot of different artists and producers from all over the globe.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I usually like creating clean and full sounding mixes, depending on the song this might be completely different so it's hard to tell.

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

A: Lil Baby, because I simply love his skills and music.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Do what you love and try out the most unconventional stuff - it will help you to shape your own sound.

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

A: Most work I've done has been in HipHop/Trap but also a fair amount of Indie Rock, Rock, Jazz, EDM and lately Tech House. I have expertise in working with electronic productions aswell as with recorded instruments.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Listening - whether in a mixing & mastering context or listening to the artists' needs that i work with. I'm also good at fast and precise communication with my clients

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I always let the song tell me what to do when mixing it. I have a very musical ear since I've been playing instruments for my whole life and being at hundreds of classical concerts at a young age (my parents are professional instrumentalists). From Pop to various EDM Genres, now mostly HipHop - I always liked songs that stand out from the rest and innovated the musical landscape. I have a huge passion for music, especially when creating or working on it - and I always try to give every song everything that it needs to become the best it can be while always aligning with the artists vision as a priority.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually split up my editing, mix preparation, Mixing and Mastering process in consecutive days, so that I can get better results and have a new perspective on the material each day. I also take a lot of short breaks in the mixing and mastering phase to not get ear fatigue or loose myself in unnecessary details which would result in missing the bigger picture. After the mixing stage I will send you the mix so you can already start giving feedback, if necessary I'll do a revision at that point before I start mastering the song.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is acoustically measured and treated, in my opinion room acoustics are by far the most important factor for having a good listening environment. I use Kali-LP 6 Monitors, which I got used listening to for 5 years already and they never let me down. I also use Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro Headphones for reference. My Interface is an Apollo Twin X Quad. I don't use analog outboard gear because it would make my workflow worse and they arguably don't sound better but just a tiny bit different then the UAD analog modelled Plugins that I use mostly in my Mixing and Mastering. Other than that I own thousands of plugins from different companies such as Izotope (including RX9), Native Instruments and so on. I know my tools very well which is the most important thing being an engineer.

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

A: My biggest inspiration in the engineering scene is Bruce Swedien (MJ's engineer) - because of his general philosophy and focus on listening rather than taking proactive action. Other Mixing engineers whose work I admire are Jaycen Joshua, Mixed by Ali and Kingsize.

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

A: The most work I do is mixing songs for other artists. Since I also have been producing music for over 7 years, creating songs with artists that I work with in person and often mixing and mastering these tracks, I know extremely well about the whole process and how to keep the artists vision alive, especially in the mixing stage. I always aim to give the song the sound that it needs and since no song or artist is like the other (especially since I work in multiple Genres), I became very good at being a versatile mixing engineer over the last 7 years.