Composer / Audio Engineer

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

A: I wrote, mixed, mastered, and featured on a song including 5 other artists. It started out as "Hey, Yace, want to mix this?" then it became "Hey Yace can you make a better beat than this?" then it ended with "Hey Yace, want to record a verse on this?" That was amazing.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am mixing and mastering music for a couple of Netherland-based rappers. I also have a large Film Score job coming up!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I use digital as it is simply how I have learned.

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

A: I will do everything in my power to ensure professional soundness and satisfaction. I will do everything to make your project stand out.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love creation. Creating music is an absolute gift. I love to see clients' reactions to the pieces I write them. I love seeing music tell a story and bring people together/inspire them.

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

A: How long will it take? Depends on the project. If it is mixing and mastering: 48 hours per song typically. If it is for composing an original piece: Around 7 days.

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

A: People think composing / mixing and mastering is as easy as watching a YouTube video and smashing the music against the limiter. Fine art takes time to refine. Experience shows in little details and the transitioning structure of the arrangement/relevance to the project is scored.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What inspired you to create this project? What is your vision for this project? What date do you need this project finished by? What is your favorite movie? How loud do you want this to be mixed? Who is your favorite artist? What inspires you?

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

A: Pay attention to people's personalities. Pride is a killer, anyone who is proud/decorated and inflated can really put you down and be a thorn in your side.

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

A: Seeds to grow food, a Flare gun, a radio for calling nearby ships, a laptop, and a keyboard.

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

A: I set out to be a professional film score composer and to score major Hollywood films 13 years ago. Over the years I always wrote electronic music I personally recorded and sang to and began to really get good at mixing and mastering. I expected to only be a composer but have been writing a lot of hip hop beats and mixing and mastering for many artists along the way.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I am a modern-age Film Score Composer who loves huge, epic sounds. I also love hip hop, metalcore, and hard-hitting trap beats. My style is power. If a song is soft, I want the strings to be powerful, I want the resolutions to be moving. If the song is hard/upbeat, I want the listener to KNOW this, I want them to FEEL the song, not just hear it.

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

A: I would love to work with NF. I would compose incredible instrumentals for him, sharing his vision.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Always focus on the low end, 150-600hz, these frequencies tend to linger and when not properly sorted can ruin an entire mix.

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

A: Film Score and Hip-Hop

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is Arrangement.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring true experience (13 years of industry experience) and quality to the table. Whether it be mixing and mastering someone else's arrangement, or composing an original piece; I treat the track as a true piece of work and I put in the time and effort to perfect it for the client, including as many revisions as they need in order to ensure proper delivery. I truly care for the art and the music and I don't simply slam a limiter on it and try to make a "quick buck".

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Composing: I like to call the client on the phone and discuss with them the project they want to be scored. I like to hear their vision in their own voice, and learn a bit about the backstory of the project I am scoring in order to be able to connect with the emotional aspect of the project in its entirety. I then write a draft and I will typically send a simple draft to the client to see if it is indeed the direction they want to take it. I will make as many drafts as the client wants in order for them to be 100% satisfied. At this point, the theme is usually well established, and I then score each scene individually with freedom of movement in the tracks for post-production. When finished, I either mail a drive to the client with the final WAV files, or I send it to them on their preferred online transfer platform. Mixing and Mastering: For mixing and mastering, I like to call the client and ask them about their favorite artists. I usually then go and listen to the music they love, and target this as reference loudness for their track. I request the WAV 24/16 bit stems, then I typically start with blending the percussion and low end. I then work on vocals and the rest of the track and blend it together slowly. Once I am done with the mix, I wait overnight to revisit the mix the following day to insure there are no sharp frequencies my ears could become fatigued to, and then I master the track, and send it to the client via their preferred method of delivery.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I compose using the full EastWest library as well as personally created synths / recorded instruments. I mix and master on Yamaha Hs8 monitors using FL Studio and Mixcraft 10 Pro Studio.

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

A: Lorne Balfe, NF, Hans Zimmer, Brian Tyler, Johan Söderqvist, Silent Planet

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

A: Mixing and Mastering, and scoring Film Music.