Horn recording & Pop Producer

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

A: Huawei StorySign cinematic advert - arranged and recorded all the brass in the advert and fixed up all of the choir and brass band for the filming shoots. Have a look at the advert - in my opinion it's a piece of art.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Currently just recorded horns for a band called Deco (Sony Music) and am working on writing a musical set to be released next summer.

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

A: Nick Fitch - Session Guitarist

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital with analogue hardware - allows the freedom to edit whatever I want whilst still getting the great sounds of analogue.

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

A: 100% Satisfaction guaranteed.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Creative freedom and the challenges of working to specific briefs.

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

A: Often they have single horn lines in their head that they need expanding - I will always offer options in terms of how to beef up horn sections - often adding extra octaves and harmonies to get the sound they are looking for.

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

A: Trombone, Tuba, Trumpet and Sax can all be played by one person. (There are very few people who can do this successfully on every instrument) - I specialise in playing Trombone, Tuba and Euphonium and will often call session musicians to play additional brass and sax parts if needed.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What sound are you going for? What is the purpose of the piece of music? Is there flexibility within the brief to add/remove sections or is it exactly as written? When do you need it by?

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

A: You don't need to have a clear idea of what it is you are looking for at the start but make sure that we are fully agreed on what the end result should sound like before we get to the recording stage.

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

A: Solar panel generator, my PC, Midi keyboard, trombone and a satellite phone.

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

A: Studied Jazz and Classical Trombone at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where I focused a lot on arranging and composing as well as performing Graduated in 2015. Worked with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra for 8 years, touring Europe and performing with major artists. Built a reputation within the music industry for fixing, arranging and running horn sections and have since gone on to work regularly in the commercial sector across a plethora of genres.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Earth Wind and Fire - really detailed, intricate horns that pop.

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

A: Bruno Mars & Anderson Paak - Love their new R&B sound and think that there's scope to develop that sound further.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If you are looking for really Phat horns - double tracking and then hard panning each way is a great way to get a huge sound and this can be heard on loads of 80s records where horns are really prominent - Earth Wind and Fire, Al Jarreau, Michael Jackson etc.

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

A: Commercial pop, jazz and musical theatre. I do however cover all genres.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Playing the trombone and other low brass - I have decades of experience working in the commercial industry and am very efficient in my recording process. I am also a confident improviser and have won various awards for my playing over the years.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Creativity, flare and knowledge of how to get the exact sound you are looking for from horns in any particular genre.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Find out what the client wants, look for similar examples so I know I'm on the right track, arrange horn lines and if necessary book additional musicians. Get the client to sign off on a basic MIDI guide of what is being proposed before multi tracking all brass, send a rough mix off to the client to ask for any revisions before finally sending the finished product.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a single live room with a grand piano, iso booth, drum kit and a vocal booth. Easily enough space for large horn sections or up to a 6 piece band recording live.

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

A: Al Jarreau, Jerry Hey, Quincy Jones, Mark Ronson, Rudimental, Prince.

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

A: Remote Horn Recording Session across a range of genres - predominantly commercial pop, jazz and theatre