Full production

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

A: I would need some kind of I/O so I would take my Universal Audio AD/DA converter and some form of monitoring setup (I have really gotten to know my PSA monitors, so that would be my pick). And I would need some of my acoustic room treatment because I assume I would be mixing in a cave. HA! But more seriously, good tracking and mixing starts with the player, the song/part, then the room so I would take care of the I/O and monitoring items first without question. After the I/O and monitoring I would probably bring my Great River MP-2NV preamp and EQ-2NV EQ, this combo can cover a LOT of ground and the quality is amazing. For compression, I would take my one of my CraneSong Trakkers because they are extremely versatile and their audio quality is top-of-the-line. From there I would want my current DAW because all of my plugins are loaded up and with all the above hardware in place, I could produce radio-ready tracks all day, to be broadcast on the local island radio station of course. : ) I would need a microphone so I would choose my Slate ML-1 again because it is so versatile along with my Coles 4040 ribbon microphone. Maybe that's more than 5 pieces of gear, but that's what I would need.

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

A: I started playing guitar, bass, drums and keyboards 40 years ago and started songwriting shortly after. I started working as a professional producer and recording engineer in the early 90's. It's been amazing to watch the industry transition from analog gear and tape to DAWs and plugins over that time.

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

A: I couldn't pick just one artist I would love to work with, there are so many. I would love to see how Rezz approaches building out one of her tracks, I would have loved to work with the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix because they were so ridiculously creative, I would love to sit in on a scoring session with John Williams because... well... he is John Williams.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: There isn't a big surprise here but my biggest production tip would be never to expect the next step in the process to fix issues with the previous step. Mastering can help a mix come alive but it can't fix major mix problems. Mixing brings a song together but can't fix bad samples or poorly recorded sources. The best sources or samples can't fix a bad song. The finished product depends on all the elements that go into it, everything matters.

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

A: Pop, rock, electronic, film score / orchestral, funk and blues.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My positive vibe and ability to listen to an artist's vision and helping them to realize it. Too many music professionals let their own views and emotions get in the way of helping their clients get to their finished product. My strongest skill is my ability to stay out of the way while still offering creative input when appropriate.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A deep love and passion for all music in all styles coupled with a very deep understanding of music theory and practical knowledge gained from 40 years of writing, performing and producing music.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Professionally designed room with a large amount of outboard hardware including API, Great River Electronics, Crane Song, Apogee, Universal Audio, elysia, and Purple Audio to name a few.

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

A: Brendan O'Brien, Jeff Beck, John Williams, John Bonham, James Brown, Joe Barresi, Albert King, James Jamerson, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chris Robinson, Ludwig van Beethoven

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

A: Mixing, mastering, guitar, bass and drum session work.