Composer and Mixing Engineer

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

A: I was one of 3 composers on a film called Weapons that wrapped recently. It was an honor to work with a director who has a strong vision and is also an incredibly talented musician. Working also as an engineer on the project it taught me how to move quickly to achieve results.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm currently finishing up a 23 song album of my own work that's primarily nylon string guitar accompanied by string and horn arrangements. Very much in the universe of Nick Drake and Neil Young. In addition, I'm composing for a documentary from the director of Class Action Park about the origins of SantaCon which are wild. I'm also excited to mix some new songs with my long time musical collaborators Kent Odessa. He's a genius and you should check out his records immediately.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: As a mix engineer, I love hearing the production choices artists make in order to convey the emotion of their songs. Loading the stems for the first time is such a thrill and an honor. I strive to communicate that vision through both delicate and extreme approaches to mixing depending on the situation. As a composer, I love conversing with like minded creative people who may not have a musical background. The beauty of music is we all feel its impact equally but we have different ways of communicating how it makes us feel.

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

A: Can you make it more lo-fi? Absolutely. My favorite part of mixing is building the world in which your song lives. Sometimes that’s a sparkling hyper modern space and sometimes it’s meant to sound like it’s coming out of a 1960s Trenchtown PA. I’m not precious about making pristine recordings when that doesn’t align with your vision. Can you make it louder? I’m always happy to strive for competitive volume when that lines us with the artist vision and I’ve gotten quite adept at doing that without sacrificing quality or perceived dynamics. Can you tune some of my vocals? Absolutely! Sometimes the message of the song is more impactful when the right amount of pitch correction is applied. Usually I go for a very transparent approach but I also love songs that use it as an instrument. Can you do X? I'm always open to wild ideas and am happy to execute even the strangest requests just to hear how they sound. Often times these get the most unique results.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Describe the space that your songs live in? Is it dirty? Immaculate? Underwater? A foggy forest? I love figuring out how to take abstract ideas and bring them to life through technical approaches. Did any records influence the production choices made in your songs? Where do you want the vocals to sit in the mix space? Are dynamics important to the compositions or do you see compression and character as crucial element to conveying the emotion of your music? Can you describe your ideal drum sound? Is it dead and dry as a desert? In a cave? In a world class studio? In a haunted house? How important is it to have the elements feel “live” and performed together vs a tapestry of tasteful elements that defy conventional recordings? Who is your audience? What are artists do they love? Will this be pressed to vinyl? Do you have a track sequence? If not one of my favorite things to do is challenge the artist in which songs appear first. Sometimes when we’re too close to our music there are slight changes in song sequence that can change how the listener experiences an album. What song is the centerpiece of the album?

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

A: I started recording on a 4 track 30 years ago when I was 10. I played in bands constantly growing up, recording friends bands and dubbing tapes to sell at shows. When I was 14 I had the privilege of working with the legendary Chad Clark at Inner Ear on a 5 song EP. It changed my life. I learned about sampling, hybrid mixing, recording and mixing vocals and so much more. I moved to NYC a few years later playing and recording in a band called The Epochs. We mixed a record with Joel Hamilton that really changed the way I thought about mixing. Later my brother and started an interactive music project called Bluebrain. We put out an album called Soft Power and an EP called Cult Following that mixed acoustic and electronic elements. At this time we also pioneered the first app album which we dubbed Location Aware Music. It's music meant to be explored using GPS. We made Listen To The Light for Central Park as well as apps for SXSW, The American Embassy in London and several National Parks. I then moved from the east coast to Los Angeles where I live now. Since I've been out here I've split my time between mixing projects, writing my own music, working with my brother on film and podcast music and founding a music technology company called Kalide. We released our first plugin last year called Collage. It's a forever evolving multi-effects plugin designed to take your sounds to new and unexpected places. Most recently I finished up a score for director Zach Cregger's (Barbarian) next film titled Weapons. My brother Ryan and I worked alongside Zach to create a score that has both acoustic and electronic elements. After working on that for the past few months I'm excited to dive back into mixing and working with artists from around the world.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is ideally an extension of the artists vision. I think I specialize in adding color and energy to songs as well as a defined sense of space.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is listening to the artists goals, desires, concerns and, most importantly, their vision. Once we’re on the same page I’m as comfortable mixing an electro pop record as a raw garage rock album to an ambient piece. I have experience in a variety of genres, it’s just a matter of what direction you want to take your music. What inspires you? How do you want the elements to play off each other? What do you want to stick with the listener long after the song has ended?

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

A: I started recording on a 4 track 30 years ago when I was 10. I played in bands constantly growing up, recording friends bands and dubbing tapes to sell at shows. When I was 14 I had the privilege of working with the legendary Chad Clark at Inner Ear on a 5 song EP. It changed my life. I learned about sampling, hybrid mixing, recording and mixing vocals and so much more.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is ideally an extension of the artists vision. I think I specialize in adding color and energy to songs as well as a defined sense of space.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is listening to the artists goals, desires, concerns and, most importantly, their vision. Once we’re on the same page I’m as comfortable mixing an electro pop record as a raw garage rock album to an ambient piece. I have experience in a variety of genres, it’s just a matter of what direction you want to take your music. What inspires you? How do you want the elements to play off each other? What do you want to stick with the listener long after the song has ended?

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

A: Brian Eno, Rick Rubin, Flying Lotus, Bjork, Shawn Everett. Nigel Godrich, Chad Clark, Kevin Parker, Jon Brion, Aphex Twin, Jack White, Nicholas Jaar, Panda Bear,

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

A: I wear several hats as both a mix engineer and composer. As a mix engineer, what I love to do is bring albums to life and help artists get their project over the finish line in a way that brings new excitement and perspective to songs they’ve often been refining for months and years. I also like to mix with the mastering process in mind.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Ideally I like to have a conversation about how the artist wants their mix to feel. I like to start with the broad strokes and discuss the general aesthetic you want to achieve. We can talk about records, movies and books that inspired you during the writing and recording process. From there if you can identify a few songs that really capture elements you want in your own mixes we can start to develop a shared vocabulary so that I don't start too far afield from where you want the song to ultimately land.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: For 9 out of 10 projects I mixing with a hybrid of outboard and plugins on my Mac with either Pro Tools or Ableton Live depending on the project. I use everything from UA plugins to Neural Amp Models to custom plugins I’ve designed and built. Whatever helps the song communicate best and draw the listener in. I’m a proponent of reference mixes so I’ll listen on everything from studio monitors to Beyer Pro X headphones to AirPods to Bluetooth speakers.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: A few years ago I would’ve said a hybrid workflow but there are so many new developments including Neural Amp Models that capture the best non-linear behaviors of outboard gear while maintaining a workflow that moves at the speed of creativity.

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

A: My promise is to always listen and execute your vision to the best of my abilities as well as give honest and constructive feedback when necessary.

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

A: As you track and produce your album, have fun and play with adding elements to your hearts content. Once you’ve done that experiment with subtraction. Hear what a song sounds like without drums. Make a loop out of that subtle synth part and have that be the backbone of the song. Don’t be afraid to process things to get closer to your vision. You can always provide the dry tracks as well. You’re probably a better engineer than you think you are and you are uniquely qualified to make choices about your own music.

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

A: Honestly, as a songwriter myself, it would be tools that would help me communicate songs. These wouldn’t be sexy like my Neve 5432. It would probably be a guitar, a laptop, an interface, headphones and a SDC microphone. If you can’t make a compelling piece with those elements all the outboard in the world won’t save you.

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

A: Arthur Russell, Kendrick Lamar, Daft Punk, Bjork, Animal Collective, Kate Bush, Jorge Ben, Kronos Quartet, Jonny Greenwood. I realize the question asked for one but it’s too hard to choose. I love the various spaces that all their music exists in and to be able to work alongside such visionaries would be sublime.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: For lead vocals what I like to do is do my corrective processing (EQ, deessing) on the track itself but save the dynamic work for a buss channel. That way the sends on the vocal track will excite the room in a really natural and dynamic way. It’s not dissimilar to how Bowie’s Berlin records were tracked. Softer passages sound close and louder sections excite “the room”.

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

A: I love marrying electronic elements with acoustic sounds. I love music of all genres when they’re driven by songs and a clear perspective. It helps guide me in knowing where to place elements in the mix. Ever

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a unique blend of technical precision and creative instinct, shaped by years of composing, producing, and mixing across a wide range of genres. Whether it’s scoring for major films, crafting immersive sound design, or producing records for artists, my goal is always to enhance the emotional impact of the music. I focus on clarity, depth, and energy, ensuring that every mix and production feels alive and engaging.