Music Production

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

A: I think the first freelance job I ever did was very special. It was the reason why I'm still here pursuing freelance work and why I started in the first place. I handled everything from instruments to production and then a rough mix that was eventually given to a mastering engineer.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I have some clients working on their own singles, some of them are their first piece of work they want to share with the world. I believe that's something special that I have the honor of being a part of. Next to that would be my own solo music.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both, and it depends on the situation. I use digital due to simplicity, but I respect the undeniable ingenuity that is analog sound.

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

A: My promise to everyone I work with is that I will treat your song and it's production bed as if it were my own and I wanted to release it tomorrow. Just because it's your idea to start with, doesn't mean that I wouldn't resonate with some of it in my own way, and I do my best to strive for treating every job with equal care.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: My job involves working with people of all walks and all cultures, it's a genuine blessing.

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

A: Stem exports. I would say that's my most asked question, being if I provide them. I'm always happy to give stems as well as an unmastered bounce of the song should the client need those assets for working with another audio engineer. The runner-up to that question would be how can we discuss or connect about the project if our collaboration is not it's most optimal through messages, and for that I offer quick, easy, and simple zoom calls.

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

A: I would say the biggest thing that clients tend to either assume about my job is that I can take the most raw and unintelligible audio and make a top 40 hit out of it. This isn't the case. When hiring not just myself, but any producer, it goes hand in hand. The producer makes up for what the artist is lacking, just as the artist provides the producer with the blueprint for the idea. If the artist puts in 60% of the effort, the producer provides the other 40% and more.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I typically ask what their goals are regarding the project I'll be working on, this usually helps me gain some perspective on how to approach the song or collection of songs, then depending on the projects style, references, and goal I'll ask about instrument choices, sound design options, or ways to approach the project and situation.

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

A: If you listen to my work and I'm a good fit, send a message first! Let's talk about you, your vision, your music and your dreams.

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

A: My first thought was a guitar, but the strings would break or wear out quickly. I would bring the following: - Nylon string Uke - Small chime-based instrument called the Kalimba - Some sort of drum that would last till the end of time based on how it was made - Woodwind - Anything that isn't technology based, after all, where would I be able to plug it in?

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

A: I started in my bedroom, like most producers in the modern age. I originally wanted to play guitar and maybe sing in a band, because that just sounded fun and awesome. Along came the dubstep boom of the early 2010's and I was being super critical about the sound of the music and I didn't quite understand it at the time, but it slowly became my fascination once I understood how it was made. One person, on a laptop. How insane is that? How amazing is it that I can be my own one-man-band? I was hooked, I got some software and made the worst music I've ever created for a good 5 years, all throughout highschool, but I learned a lot of lessons that will stay with me forever. Next came education, and then my career of freelancing. Currently you can find my solo work under the name Ohpal on your favorite streaming platform.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Electronic driven and excelling for sure, but I would say it's a style that imitates my top 50 albums of all time, and is constantly growing, and bending to the willpower of those I work with.

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

A: You would assume I would pick my heroes that inspire me the most, and while I would be honored, I would love to work with anyone willing to bring the same mentality to music. Let's make something fun, bold, unique, silly, whatever we're feeling.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Never be afraid to do ANYTHING. Doing anything is better than doing nothing, so therefor, do whatever it is you feel is necessary and do not hesitate. That, is my favorite concept that I have learned my 10 years of audio work experience.

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

A: Anything you can think of. Realistically speaking, I do a decent chunk of beat work (electronica, pop, and hip-hop/r&b), and I can also count on pretty much utilizing my guitars and recording rig at least once per day. (rock, metal, alternative, indie) But then next thing you know, I'm studying Hanz Zimmer and making immense soundscapes for a regular client's game that is in development. I feed on variety in my work.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My two strongest skills are the following; 1. My instinctual influences 2. My learned and harnessed melodic tendencies. I grew up listening to alot of music from many different styles, so when it comes to sound design I choose to experiment over traditional choices that "sell records". I then also grew up not knowing much about melody and rhythm when I started making my first songs, that came later when I was educated on concepts like music theory. I bring both the naivety and the proper methods when you work with me on your track, I understand both worlds and sides in music culture.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring an open mind and an open set of ears to each piece of music I work on. I find that in some situations, a different approach is needed that breaks traditional walls of styles and genres. A great example of this would be a pop song I produced called "Remember When" by Abbey Hunt. The song has a full band arrangement, but originally it was only intended to be a piano ballad. As I carefully listened to the powerful, Adele-esque vocal takes of the singer, I spent some time plucking at my guitar while it was through an amp sim. I then created Bass, Drums, Strings, and some small synthesizer arrangements and eventually what we had was a progressive pop anthem, and it was stronger and more full than anything before. On the flip side, sometimes elements should be taken away to give beautiful things their moment to shine, and that is also in the beauty and making music among the help of others.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My work process depends on the job. Some jobs are simple with as few as one or two steps, others require my full arsenal of skills and tools to get done. If we're talking about my favorite job, making songs from scratch, I will usually take some time to study some reference tracks and get to familiarize myself with a "sound pallette", in other words, sounds that I like and would like to use in ways to get the vision across. After that, I'll write and produce until I feel like the song has a nice vibe or energy. After some time I'll process it with my ears when they're fresh, and make changes and revisions if needed. The following process would be mixing and mastering the track once it's complete and has all it's elements, I take my time and tidy up the mix before taking it to my mastering chain. (usually sipping water or green tea in the process to stay inspired)

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a warm and cozy home studio setup. The main weapon in my arsenal is my midi controller, which I use for about 70% of my work. Next would be my iOS station that I run Logic Pro on, followed by standard audio equipment, instruments, an ultrawide monitor (multiple purposes, including gaming during my off time!), and many knick-knacks, books, and non-music related things to remind myself about the human element of things and how important it is.

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

A: Anything I come across adds a moment of inspiration to my musical world. My heroes are Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park and Skrillex, without them I wouldn't be here, doing what I love the most!

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

A: I do a decent amount of co-writing and co-production. This usually entails a song currently in the demo stage having elements being written by me to supplement the main vision of the track. Following that would be soundtrack work for independent films and video games.