Mix, Production, Songwriting

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Many things brewing! One thing I’m excited about in the longterm is a shoegaze album that I’m co-writing and producing with Laura Jinn. We both love Beach House, so we’re tapping into that world without forgetting the glitchcore-influenced stuff we have made together in the past.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: One thing I now practice regularly is bouncing in place/committing ideas to audio files rather than leaving them in MIDI or with automation working on them. I will turn off and hide whatever track I am bouncing from (rather than deleting it) so if I really want to return to it, I can. I just find that committing like this helps keep the creative energy flowing, and of course saves the computer from having to work so hard :)

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

A: Under the umbrella of “electronic indie pop,” I make music that can fit in many categories – hyperpop, ethereal, house, downtempo, afropop, chillwave, goth pop, jungle. I also work on jazz, indie rock, singer-songwriter, ambient, soundtrack, and pure sound design projects. Finally, I’m an audio engineer, producer and composer for podcasts!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I tend to write at the piano and start to demo pieces in Logic as they are being written. Polishing the demo into a release-ready song is the bulk of my creative process: finding evocative sounds, creating a sonic arc, honing the piece’s writing, tracking vocals, and adding everything the piece needs to serve its energy. When a fully-produced song is ready for mix, I will typically bounce out each part and create a new DAW file for mixing. My approach to mixing is about amplifying production choices, creating spaces for each element to shine, correcting imbalances, filling the sound stage, and giving the listener what they want, especially if we can surprise them and bring them into new places they hadn’t expected. I can step in as a collaborator at any part of the process – writing, arranging, demoing, producing, tracking instruments and vocals, or mixing.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I use UAD software for realtime "analog" processing. I use a Roland SE-02 synth, a Yamaha Reface CS synth, a Fender Stratocaster and a big green Clarendon upright piano I bought from a church in Mississippi. I also love to record percussion live and to use found sounds for drum layering. My go-to mics right now are a Neumann TLM 103 for vocals and a DPA 4099 for piano/percussion.

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

A: James Blake: he’s such a versatile musician and producer. To write and sing and play piano as devastatingly beautifully as he does, and then turn around and make bangers with so many amazing artists – really the man is incredible.