Your New Favorite Mix Engineer

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm actively working with Next Level Worship to produce and release music.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Who inspires you? What songs are you referencing for your sound? How long have you been making music? What's your story?

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

A: Be nice! I work well with others who are kind, patient, and passionate. I will not respond well to those who are demeaning, demanding, or rude. That being said, constructive criticism and feedback will be received well as that is needed in order to get a mix that you're going to love.

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

A: I started in music at the age of nine - I started learning to play guitar and 3 months later I was out gigging with my teacher. I developed a passion for music that would propel me into a career producing music at my church. I started in audio at 16 years old as a live sound volunteer at my church to help fill a need. I realized that I REALLY liked doing that and pursued a certification in audio at my school. Since then, I served faithfully at my church and worked with a local A/V company as an audio engineer until eventually I got hired as a Production/Audio Director at my church. Now, I not only run live audio, but lead production ministry for our church. Most recently, I've been involved in writing, producing, and mixing songs that we've written as a church.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is punchy, thick, and clear. I love building mixes that sound huge.

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

A: I would love to work with Coldplay. I've always been in love with their songwriting and their sound from the very beginning all the way to now. Over 20 years of nothing but amazing music.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Reference, reference, reference. If you're not referencing your song to something, whether it's similar or different, you may not have any clue how it actually sounds.

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

A: I mostly work on Modern Contemporary Worship as I have a great passion to create music for high spiritual impact. That being said, I have enjoyed working on Funk songs, Indie Pop, Rock, and other genres as well. I'm not allergic to any genre.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I love mixing drums - I love to turn not-great-recorded drums into something huge and punchy without using samples. Samples are a tool I'll use to add to a sound, but the foundation is a good sounding drum mix.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a detailed and flexible element to the table. I love to use unconventional processes to achieve an end goal. I don't mind breaking rules to get the sound you're after.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My typical process is to import the tracks into a session, set gain and take a quick listen to what's there. Then I'll stop and listen references before starting a mix, getting a general sound and mix goal in my head for the project I'm about to work on. Once my ears are set, I'll start to mix by setting levels on the faders and assess what steps need to be taken to address issues, add dynamic and clarity, and make the song special. Once I have a solid mix done, I'll send to the client for notes and revisions if needed!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is small but mighty at the moment - I mix using Logic Pro X with a suite of premium plugins including Fabfilter, Slate Digital Plugins, and many others. I plan on using some of the money I earn from mixing here to fund the expansion of my studio into the analog realm. My dream is to own an SSL Mixing Desk and a slough of analog pres, EQs and compressors to have in my toolbox as an engineer.

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

A: Sam Gibson, Brenton Miles, and Cory Edwards are just a few of my inspirations when it comes to mixing worship. Some other inspirations include Tom Lord-Alge for his unique drum sounds and percussion elements, Jim Cooley's mixing on Luke Comb's songs is top-notch for clarity and punch through the whole mix.

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

A: The most common work I do is mixing tracks for churches, mixing and exporting stems for live use during services. I also produce a lot of rhythm arrangements (Guitar, Drums, Percussion Tracks, etc)