Professional Remote Mixing

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

A: Millie Gibson - "Ripple" This was fun, we had worked together back when I first got started in the recording studio. Years later, she was in need of a mixer and hit me up and I was honored to be able to work with her again. This song was so fun to do, this one had a really nice arrangement, lovely performances. And for me, comparing the rough mix to the final mix was really great to see, super proud of how this ended up.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am doing a double album, the first one is a dance, house, pop/hip hop vibe and its super exciting and new for this artist! The other half will be more of a true hip hop album which will be fun because he's very talented and I've been working with him for years. Other than that I've been having a lot of fun writing and producing my own music lately.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. For me, I need to able to work on multiple different projects at once and working in the box is necessary for that.

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

A: You will be happy with the final product. I don't care if it takes 3, or 5, or 11 mix revisions to get it done. My commitment is to make you happy with your music, nobody should ever have to settle because the engineer didn't want to make a little tweak. If you hear your song come on the radio, I need you to be happy with it.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: When someone says, "This is exactly how I pictured these songs sounding when I first wrote them!!!" Best feeling ever.

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

A: I most get asked "how did you do that????" and I will actually tell them, I don't gatekeep.

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

A: People should know every mix is different, what works for one won't necessarily work for another. Each mix is custom to the song itself, even on the same album.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Have you worked with a pro mixer before? How do you feel about the rough mix/recordings; how do you feel about where it is currently? Do you have a mastering engineer lined up for this project? Where is this going to end up (streaming only, Vinyl, radio...?) What do you need to be delivered from me (files, stems, Pro Tools session, alternate versions?)

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

A: Ask questions, don't just throw your art to a stranger based on what they've done in the past. Get personal so you and the mixer can build some rapport and have a relationship baed on understanding what you are looking for from working together. Discuss references, vision and be sure to communicate expectations for delivery, timeline, and overall direction for your music. Can't have too much information when going into a mix, in my opinion.

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

A: I work in the box so I'll play fair with plugins... Decapitator, 1176, LA-2A, ProQ-3, Echoboy.

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

A: I've been doing this professionally for over a decade. I started a musician, learning to play guitar in my bedroom for all hours of the day. I eventually got some gear to be able to record myself, and that rocket took off from there. I went to school to learn how to make records professionally and I haven't stopped since. I can never stop making music, its who I am at my core.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Don't have one. My goal is to not have a signature where someone could easily identify me in the mix. I want people to listen to the artist, not me.

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

A: Bon Iver and Glass Animals. They both have such unique sounds and productions that they've built their songs on top of that I find so inspiring. They could have big, wild and lively tracks, but they could easily take it to a down low devastating song, the spectrum is invigorating.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Break the rules. Always. If you think you need a bright and shiny pop vocal, try the opposite. You'd be surprised how often people could perceive a "clean" sounding pop mix, when in reality its super beefy and rich in harmonic warmth.

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

A: If it has heart and soul in it, then I'm all in. Genres don't matter to me, I can take things I've applied to a Hip Hop mix to a rock mix to a folk mix etc. It's my job to bring out the emotion, it doesn't matter how we get there, as long it feels right.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Creativity. I often think out of the box to achieve a sound or emotion that the song needs. I am not afraid to try a crazy idea, because often the crazy ideas are the ones that bring out the emotions of the listener so the can connect to the music.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: My sole purpose is to serve the song. Often a song will tell me what it needs, its my job to listen to that and guide it into its fullest version, without imparting my own vision for it as it is not my song, it is theirs. I am here to guide the artist to the finish line of their vision.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: When a client wants to work with me, I will send them any additional information as needed to clarify how to best send me their files. Then I organize and clean up any edits as needed before I import my mix template to the session. And although I do have a template, I always make changes to it based on every songs specific needs for the best possible final product. Mix revisions as needed, once finalized alternate versions can be provided and I will deliver the files in a nice and tidy folder for the client to take on to the next step.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I mix in the box on my mac pro and a UAD Apollo Interface. However, I do often like to process things through outboard effects, such as running a snare drum or vocal through a distortion guitar pedal for a unique characteristic to blend in with the original.

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

A: My favorite engineers are Andrew Scheps, Jaycen Joshua, Tchad Blake and Shawn Everett.

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

A: My primary service is mixing. With that often comes time aligning, pitch correction and other editing functions as needed to provide the best mix to serve the song.