Mastering Engineer

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

A: I am really proud of this soundtrack I worked on, production, mixing and mastering. It was used as a soundtrack for a tabletop role playing game called Black Mold. I'm proud of how it sounded overall and that it'll be the background music for people while they play the game.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am producing a soundtrack for an art exhibit, recording a new dark wave project, and mastering more dungeon synth and rock music for my clients.

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

A: Not currently but I'll be on the lookout!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital, because I can save presets and make adjustments later. Analog is fun to play with and can achieve warmer sounds but this can be emulated really well with modern plugins.

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

A: I promise to blow you away with how good your music can sound.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love listening to good music and making it sound even better.

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

A: Can you master music that is intended to be lo-fi? Yes! Low-fidelity doesn't mean low quality.

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

A: Adding hundreds of different compressors and EQs on a track.. It usually only takes a few to get the right sound. Quality > Quantity

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What artist/band's sound are you trying to achieve? What instruments did you use to create this? What formats are you going to be releasing your music on?

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

A: Don't short yourself on mastering! Getting a good set of ears on your final mix can make a drastic difference.

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

A: If we're talking plugins, I'd take Izotope Ozone, Kush Clarophonic, Blyss, Novatron, and AR-1.

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

A: I started producing electronic music in 2010 with FL studio. In 2013 I switched to Ableton Live, producing ambient music. Then I found my dream genre, Dungeon Synth, in 2017 and have been producing under the moniker of Vandalorum ever since. In an effort to perfect my sound, especially for vinyl releases, I took an extensive mastering course online in 2021 and have been mastering my own and other's records since then.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I'd describe my style as dark, dramatic, and focused.

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

A: I'd love to work with Flying Lotus simply because of the originality of his sound.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Try not to have instruments overlapping each other in the frequency spectrum. One easy way to get around this if you run into it is to shift one of the instruments up or down an octave.

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

A: I usually work on dark ambient or dungeon synth music, but sometimes rock and edm.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is EQ

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring clarity and presence, punchiness and dynamics.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: When I master a track, I start first by taking note of the genre and instrumentation. If the client provides a reference track I will compare the sonic spectrum to see what frequencies need to be boosted or cut to achieve a similar sound. I then take into account any problems with the mix that I'd like to address. Then I use a mix of saturation, EQ, Compression, and Limiting to get the track sounding as balanced, dynamic and loud as possible.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I've got Rokit 5 Studio Monitors, a whole suite of plugins from Kush Audio, and Izotope Ozone.

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

A: I love the work of Tycho, Flying Lotus, Shlohmo, Darkthrone, Vindkaldr, Fen Walker, and Nujabes.

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

A: I most commonly master music for clients in the dark ambient/dungeon synth or rock genres.