Mixing, Mastering

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My present studio is built around a dual DAW system using EMU-Ensoniq's PARIS - Frontier designs Dakota and a Lynx Two A for I/O and Reaper and Pro Tools 10 for mixing - editing - processing. Plugins include - Waves Gold bundle and other individual Waves plugs, 4 UAD cards fully loaded, the full suite of Slate Digital plugins as well as a host of tried and true third party plugins. Everything is monitored through a pair of NotePerfect Alpha Pro Mod near field monitors, a trusted Panasonic Ghetto Blaster as well as a pair of Grado RS-1 headphones.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am mixing different projects on a daily basis from Hip Hop to Country to Alt Rock.

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

A: I started out my journey as a drummer in 1969, picking up my first kit at 12 and playing my first paid gig at 13. At 21 did my first session in a studio where I became fascinated by the whole recording process....Over the next 20 years I toured Canada a number of times as a drummer and FOH engineer for local touring bands as well as engineered, produced and /or played on several CDs....In 2010 I opened a small shop with a friend which unfortunately was prematurely closed down. Since then have I have been a free-lance recordist and mixer working with artists from Canada to Russia.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What Genre of music are you working on? What is the instrumentation and track count? Do you have any reference mixes of your song(s) or reference tracks by other artists that you're looking to emulate?

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

A: Have you ever mixed my style of music? My reply is always the truth and if I haven't worked in their genre before, I have access to several AE friends that can point me in the right direction and/or assist me in achieving my clients goals. So far there have been no complaints.

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

A: That mixers can perform magic. There's a lot we can do but the bottom line is the closer you get to your musical goal in the actual recording process, the fewer the number of surprises come mix time.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Whenever possible take the time to record all your tracks properly and exactly how YOU want them to sound

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

A: As most of my work involves mixing - this includes track vetting and assembly, time editing, music editing, sample and / or instrument replacement / enhancing, 2 track mix widening, applying buss and track Level, EQ, Dynamics and FX and applying basic mastering to the finished mix when requested.

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

A: I have recorded or mixed just about every genre of music out there but I still love when a client brings me a song that's slightly outside of my comfort zone.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Communication...I listen to what my clients want and then do my best to translate that into a mix they are happy with.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both are valid formats (I started out on a 16 track Studer through a Neve console) but because of cost I have chosen to play in the digital world.

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

A: I will do just about anything to make sure my clients walk away happy.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Full bodied and symmetrical.

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

A: Honest and timely communication is an essential and often overlooked factor in a successful project. Don't be afraid to ask questions and if you're not sure of something in the mix, point it out right away,

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Generally once I have the audio vetted, and placed them in one of my mix templates I check out the tracks for level and mono vs stereo requirements. Then depending on the song I will either start with the lead vocal track or the drums and begin setting the various instrument levels and panning and see how the mix sits. Once I'm comfortable with rough levels and pan I start to surgically attack individual instruments with EQ, Dynamic Processing and FX. From that point on it's a matter of accentuating the positive until I feel I have the song nailed down at which point I'll send the client this mix for critique. Then it's (hopefully) small tweaks to make a my client happy.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A great set of ears and the desire and where with all to translate a client's vision into reality

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Over and above the actual process of mixing, that moment when I get the first bit of feedback from the client on a mix, good or bad