Multi-Platinum Producer/Mixer

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

A: The list is long. I've had amazing mentors and learned a lot from Quincy Jones, Peter Van Hooke, Joel Bogen, Seymour Stein & George Massenberg. I've loved working with Rob Swire, Alex Al, Rodrigo Crespo, Rod Castro Jake Hayden, Kristian Attard, Fish, Owen Barry, Pete Ray Biggin, Ben Jones, Ben Epstein, Jon Green so many great talents. I'm also into; Rick Rubin, Eric Valentine, Vance Powel, Rage Against The Machine, Ethan Johns, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Derek Trucks, Slash, Andrew Scheps, Steve Gadd, Vinny Colaiuta, Matt Chamberlain, Sting, Michael Jackson, Jeremy Stacy, Victor Wooten, Pino Palladino, Eddie Van Halen.

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

A: My first No 1 album and platinum album was with Pendulum. That was a turning point in my career. I was an editor, producer and mixer.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on a romantic rock n roll album.

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

A: I'm working for you to be thrilled with what you get back.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Bringing great music to life and being able to work almost anywhere in the world.

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

A: I perform many creative functions and do them well. People are at times surprised by that.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I generally ask to hear all their working demos / ideas and then give them feedback. That's usually a great way for them to see where I'm coming from and if we're on the same page.

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

A: The best thing is to reach out and for us to have a chat. I'm friendly, easy going and thats the best way to start exploring if we are a good fit.

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

A: SM7b, MacBook Pro fully loaded with all my software, UAD converter and preamp (only because im limited on choices), Gibson ES 335, Fender Rhodes.

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

A: I've been doing this 25 years. I went to music school > was in bands > setup my own studio > worked at Abbey Road Studios > had some hit records > moved to LA and set up my own production company. Been working ever since.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Harmonic, Analogue, Rich, Punchy, Organic, Vibey.

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

A: Rage Against The Machine - they're my favourite hard rock band. I think they're so unique and hard hitting. Hiss Golden Messenger / Dawes / Ryan Adams - I love the rich layered harmonics of this kind of music and think I can add value in shaping the songs / arrangements. Rob Swire - I loved working with Rob and would like to again sometime.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Less is more. If you can get the result with one element vs multiple, do that. As a professional it actually benefits you to make decisions and commitments during a production.

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

A: I've worked on everything from Classical to Metal and R&B to Drum and Bass. I prefer working on music made predominantly with live instruments and left to my own devices make rock n roll / singer songwriter / soul music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I'm a natural arranger. I can bring a song to life by creating space and making best choices of what should go where. This is often overlooked and is relevant from the writing stage through to the final mix.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Perspective, production and professionalism.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I typically like to track the core tracks live - including vocals. This will usually consist of drums, bass, guitars, keys and lead vocals. I'm not precious if someone wants to redo something later but I find recording like that is fun and creates a great vibe. Then we might want to add things like backing vocals, hammond, additional guitars, synths etc afterwards. Once we have all the ingredients I get into the mix. Sometimes I've been mixing as I go, sometimes if I think someone else might bring a fresh perspective I'll send the mix out. The same goes with mastering. I've been mastering more and more over the last decade or so. I've worked with many top mastering engineers and I have a few favourites but most of the time I've been disappointed - so I've learned to do it myself and have acquired the tools to do great work.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I had my own residential studio - Home Farm Studios - back in London which I ran for 10 years. These days I typically do most of my tracking at East West Studios in Hollywood or a similar top tier studio depending on where I am and have a great portable rig that I use for mixing.

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

A: I've worked as a music creative for 24 years so during that time I've worn lots of hats. Generally I work as a producer (this often includes working as a mixer, editor and arranger) writer or multi-instrumentalist. For me, this work is all about servicing the ideas / vision of the artist and bringing them to life in the best way possible.