Music Producer & Mixer

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

A: That mixing is done by a computer. Some people have this idea that Pro Tools, plugins, tuners, etc play a bigger role in music production than they actually do. It's all about the engineer and his/her ears. Any and all gear is just a tool. For example, if you gave a mix to an inexperienced engineer with great gear, and that same mix to a pro engineer with mediocre gear, the pro's mix will sound better... Every time.

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

A: Hmmmmm... Neumann M49, Neve 1073, Manley Vari-Mu, Focal Twin 6 Be(s), Pro Tools

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

A: I'm especially proud of the first full-length record I engineered. The band was called CAB 2 featuring Bunny Brunel on bass, Tony MacAlpine on guitar, Brian Auger on organ, and Dennis Chambers on drums. I was especially excited to work with Dennis because I'm a drummer and he was one of my childhood heroes. I was fresh out of engineering school and was initially brought on as an assistant to a very famous engineer/producer (who will remain nameless), but he and the band couldn't see eye to eye on the direction of the project so they fired him and tried to book another studios in the LA area. The studio owner spoke with the band on my behalf and assured him that I could engineer the record. They gave me a shot, and I did it. Everything went smoothly and we got wonderful results. A year later the album was nominated for a Grammy.

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

A: Most commonly it's "what's your rate", which to me is the wrong question. It's wrong because entrusting your artistry to the lowest bidder will probably not get you the result you desire. THEN there becomes the possibility that you've got to start over with someone else AFTER much unnecessary cost and frustration. I've been on both sides of the equation here, the artist and the engineer and I find it better to ask about production style, deadlines, and seeing if there's a positive vibe, THEN have the discussion of cost.

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

A: I've been a professional engineer for 24 years. I began as a teenager playing in bands, recording them at every opportunity. I started with a Vestax Vesta Fire 4- track cassette recorder and fell in love with the process. In 1998 I moved from Las Vegas to LA to go to recording engineer school at The Los Angeles Recording Workshop. After graduating, I cut my teeth at a number of recording studios in LA. In 2002 I landed a staff position at Private Island Trax, located at The Crossroads Of The World on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. There I worked with numerous top-name artists, producers, and labels. In 2004, a studio in the same complex as Private Island came available so I took it and began The Sound Salon Recording Studio. There I had 2 control rooms, a live room, vocal booth, lounge, and a kitchen. I was there for the next 14 years, producing, recording, and engineering countless projects for music and film (see credits). The next phase of my career was moving out of The Sound Salon and freelancing out of my home studio and various studios in the LA area. For the past year, I've been on staff as head engineer at Cherokee Studios in Hollywood working with famed producer Bruce Robb. I currently balance my time between independent jobs and Cherokee. Fortunately I've been able to make this work famously.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on a few different projects at the moment in my studio. The first one is a prog-rock project called Analogdriver where I'm producing, engineering, and playing drums. The second one is an ongoing project with a Pop/R&B group called Verdugo Road. My role is producer, engineer, and songwriter. A third one is alt rock artist George Acosta where I engineer and co-produce. There's ALWAYS a wide array of projects coming through Cherokee Studios that I work on as well.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Digital because you have basically unlimited tracks, recall-ability, the ability to do intricate editing, plugins, etc. Analog because it just sounds so good. I like to use analog gear on my mix bus to cut the digital "edge" from Pro Tools. I also like to use it on parallel processing in my sessions as well. You can make wonderful mixes all inside the box, I just prefer to incorporate analog to achieve "my sound".

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

A: I don't know them personally but two engineers that I find very impressive are Matt Dougherty and Daniel Duskin. Their productions sound wonderful.

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

A: My promise is that we'll work on the mix until you're happy. I want the final mix to be great just as much as you do.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the artistic process and have the utmost respect for creative people. It's brings me great pleasure to bring an artist's vision to life.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I start with two questions. 1) What are you trying to accomplish? And 2) What's your budget? Once that's established I'll dig a little deeper and ask questions like what's the length of the song? How many tracks are involved? Will there be any editing involved? Does the track require auto tuning? What's the desired turnaround time? Are you ready now, or are you still in production? It sounds like a lot but it can all be handled in one quick discussion.

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

A: Be as detailed as possible about your project. Ask questions. Communication is key. Try to be as clear as possible about everything from file type to mix adjustments. BUT. Don't be too rigid... allow the mixer to be his/her self. Understand that if you give the same project to 5 different mixers with the same exact set of instructions, your going to get 5 totally different results. Major labels do this all the time.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I'd describe my style [mixes] as spacious and clear. I like to hear the instrumentation work as a whole, but if I want to hone in on one particular sound in a mix, I'd like to be able to do so. I think building a wide soundscape is very important as well. I try to build as much depth into a mix as I can. This is particularly difficult. Building a nice stereo mix left to right is one thing, but building it front to back is quite another story.

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

A: First and foremost would be Metallica. I've been a fan since the beginning and would love to impart some sonic ideas into their music. It's a pipe-dream, but hey, you asked.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Yes, use your ears. It's easy to get caught up staring at a Pro Tools screen. When working with assistants and interns, that's one of the biggest mistakes I see. Let your ears guide the way. Too many people boast their knowledge of software and nifty little pieces of gear. It's not about that. It's about listening to music, not looking at it.

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

A: It's a wide range of styles. As far as mixing goes, I'd say Rock, Pop Rock, Pop, R&B, Hip Hop, Metal (I love mixing heavy music). I don't do a lot of EDM, Trance, House, etc. Now tracking is another story. Working at Cherokee Studios, we work with the highest level talent in multiple genres. We track everything from vocalists and bands to orchestral ensembles and everything in between.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I would say it's my musical background. Musically speaking I'm a professional drummer, proficient on guitar and bass, and for the last seven years, I've been studying and playing piano. I'm well versed in music theory, so I have the ability to produce and mix music on a very musical level. Right after that is being a clear communicator.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a fresh perspective to a song as well as an objective point of view. That combined with the artist's vision can make the song the best it can be. It's about maximizing the potential of all the tracks so they have a magical blend.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My typical work process begins with solid communication with the client. After being entirely clear about the transfer of files and EXACTLY what the final mix is expected to sound like, I begin by getting all the faders up (a static mix) so everything is "in" and resembling the rough mix provided by the client. The next stage is probably the vocals, depending on the genre. If I build the mix from the drums up, it's easy to get all the elements to sound good and run out of room for the vocals as if they're an unwelcome guest. When I get the vocals sounding the way I want them, I can check them with the blend and be one step closer to the automation phase (dynamic mix). Next would be automation, effects, and then outputs.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: In 2016, I had my house entirely renovated... it was torn down to the stud. I built a studio in my 2 car garage that was designed and built by Dennis Foley at Acoustic Fields. No expense was spared. It's a wonderful sounding room that's acoustically accurate and aesthetically beautiful. I use Focal Twin 6 Be loudspeakers with a sub, Pro Tools, Neve pres, Manley Vari-Mu, Apogee converters, Avalon vt737, Avalon vt747, Avalon U5, Drawmer 1961, and various other pieces of outboard gear. I'm head engineer at Cherokee studios so I can mix on the Trident A-Range console, along with a multitude of beautiful sounding vintage outboard gear.

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

A: As far as musicians go, I'd say that Metallica impresses and inspires me the most, due to their longevity and ability to remain relevant. As far as producers go, I'm a big fan of Rick Rubin, Brendan O'Brien, and most importantly, Bruce Robb. There's others but if I had to pick three, that would be them.

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

A: Mixing is the most common type of work I do for my clients. But, I still do a good amount of tracking. I find it critically important for a mix engineer to understand the tracking phase of a project. Of course you don't have to track a project to successfully mix it, but when you have an understanding of how the tracks came to be, you'll have a leg up on how to blend them properly. When I receive songs to mix, I at least surmise how the tracks came to exist... Is it a MIDI performance vs. live keys? Live vs programmed drums? Amps vs. simulators? etc.