Producer/Songwriter/Vocal Prod

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

A: The most recent Dead Posey album - 'Are You In A Cult?' I wore so many hats throughout that process - from co-writing all the songs, producing every note and playing every instrument, and helping marketing it on the band's social media and putting together tours in both clubs and arenas to support it. I'm super proud that so many millions continue to listen to and enjoy these songs and recordings, and am excited for what's next!

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

A: I'm fairly new to the platform itself, but it's pretty incredible how many pros offer their services here across so many specialities. If not me, there's bound to be someone that will fit the bill just right for you on here!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital but with an analog flavor. I first came up in the world of tape and big mixing boards, and I absolutely love real analog compressors and such, but the plugin emulations are so good now that I just can't beat the versatility ease of use of digital for the bulk of the process. But I do think a good "front end" is important and inspiring when recording things like guitars and vocals, so I do swear by a few key pieces of analog gear when tracking.

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

A: I promise you'll get my undivided attention when working on your project! When I'm putting my hours in for you, I put 100% of my focus on you - I want to give it everything I've got, and want you to come away from the experience satisfied and excited!

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

A: A lot ask how I made something sound so much better. I'm not one to hide compressor settings or anything, because so much of it comes from making a thousand little decisions along the way and just trusting my ears on what sounds right, and what will translate to regular people out there in the world when they hear the final product. Generally I'll tell them a bit of my process or pieces of wisdom I've picked up over the years, and why I made the decision I made or why it tends to work time and time again.

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

A: I think there's an assumption that what a "producer" does can be defined with a few bullet points. There are legendary producers that never touch a computer or pick up an instrument but get amazing results from the artists they work with. And there are others that make entire, genius tracks from scratch playing every part themselves but aren't the greatest "hang" in the studio for an artist to be around. Both types and everything in between deserve their success because a producer can be so many things. I really think a good producer does what's needed - that can be 95% or 5%, and knows when not to screw something up that's great!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: For production or songwriting clients, I like to hear what their vision and goals for the project are. It's good when those I'm working with show drive and commitment, even if they're just getting their feet with music-making. It's also helpful to have some specific artist or song influences or references to know what world we're inhabiting.

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

A: It's OK to not know everything in advance about what you're trying to create - sometimes that comes during the process, not at the beginning - but do try and have a specific goal for the producer or whoever you're hiring to aim for. Having a defined target and specific parameters always helps people in my position get you the best result.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Focusing on production and mixing clients, and looking forward to putting together Dead Posey's third album (and eventually touring on it!)

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The newness and variety. Every day is totally different, and every project has unique challenges. It is truly never boring! I just love making music and going for the win every time.

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

A: Pro Tools Ultimate, Gibson Les Paul Standard, Waves Everything Bundle, Spectrasonics Omnisphere, UA Apollo (and a maxed out Mac laptop to run everything on - does that count as a 6th?!)

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I think "mellow intensity" sums me up pretty well! I'm easy going and bring good cheer & a relaxed feel in the studio, but I'm really energetic and passionate about what I do, so I think that comes out at the same time.

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

A: I love how there's a revival of hard rock, 90's alt-rock, and metal happening right now - it would be an honor to work with any of the bands coming up in those scenes.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I think my strongest skill is knowing what a song or track needs, and then being relentless about getting it. This could be a melody, song structure, sound, part of the mix, anything. I work until I don't think I can get it any better. I think holding everything I can to a really high standard and working hard to achieve it is crucial to having a long and fruitful career in music. I also do bring an "artist-forward" perspective to projects, having spent so much time as an artist in bands myself - I always aim to respect the artist's vision and commitment.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I need to know that the crucial parts of the song (verse/chorus melodies and lyrics, tempo and rhythmic feel, chords) are all in place before fully being in production-land, so I'll make sure that enough time is spent in the early stages getting that blueprint right. The foundation should be inspiring and clear as the house gets built, and that all comes from the song itself. A great song makes the deep and some times tedious work of producing and engineering 10 times easier and more rewarding, so it's worth getting that right as early in the process as possible. Though sometimes the perfect chorus hook only comes after some basic tracks are recorded and you're feeling a vibe of the track that then inspires the writing - everything affects everything, so you have to be flexible and keep building on what you have!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have everything I need to get great, pro results. Pro Tools Ultimate is my main DAW but I use Logic, Ableton, and Studio One as well, and a ton of great plugins built up over many years. I have a key collection of electric and acoustic guitars from ESP, Fender, and Martin, high quality microphones like a Wunder CM7 GS and original Shure SM7-A (better than the current "B"!), and synths like an original Roland Juno 106 and Virus TI2. I have some great outboard gear such as BAE 1073MP and an original Empirical Labs Distressor.

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

A: I've had a varied career that's lasted for 25+ years since my teens. I've worked in dozens of studios, played many hundreds of shows all over the world, and worked with some legendary artists & producers. I learned a lot about every aspect of the world of music being in my two primary bands over the years (Eve 6 and Dead Posey), as well as producing and writing for other artists.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Commit to your decisions in the production process. In an era of infinite undo's and a thousand plugins at everyone's disposal, it's important when getting into a creative flow to commit results when they're good without overthinking it. That's why older records are so great and we all love them - they couldn't change everything easily and had to get it right when it went down.

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

A: I have the most experience in the rock, alternative, hard rock, and pop-rock worlds. I've done plenty of work in other genres including straight pop, J/K-pop, and more.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I like to think I bring whatever is needed. Sometimes that's an entire vision of how the thing should sound and feel, all the way to minor song or production enhancements that I believe make the difference between pretty good and great. I've been fortunate to be a part of some great, classic recordings out there, and know what it takes to make them. Great records are meant to live forever and bring joy to people for many decades after they were created - I try to look for that quality in anything I do, and work on every detail to make a recording the best it can be.

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

A: Rob Cavallo George Martin Butch Vig Zakk Cervini Max Martin Greg Kurstin Nick Rasculinecz Don Gilmore Howard Benson Quincy Jones Dr. Dre Don Was

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

A: I'm typically an "all-in-one" type of guy - I produce, co-write, record, engineer and mix most of the stuff I work on. I like seeing a song all the way through from the first chords being written all the way to final mix tweaks. There are plenty of times though where I help out a project at specific stages and not the entire thing - vocal editing/tuning, just mixing, etc.