Flawless French Horn Tracks

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

A: I once served as performer+engineer for a wind quintet arrangement/recording of Holst's The Planets (Jupiter). It was an epic shemozzle of a recording - insufficient rehearsal time and hectic studio preparation - AND it was the first I tried to mix and master a recording by myself. In hindsight, it WAS a pretty rough job. But, making it sound better, and learning one trick at a time while doing so, was a truly life-changing experience.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Some Bollywood tracks, bizarrely.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: 01001001 00100000 01100001 01101101 00100000 01101110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01100001 01101110 00100000 01100001 01110101 01100100 01101001 01101111 01100110 01101111 01101111 01101100 00101110.

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

A: No (unpleasant) surprises.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love my office. I think remote session musicians have more pleasant work spaces than Fortune 500 CEOS!

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

A: Could you use your AEA TRP preamp, please? It's my pride and joy, and yes, I can use it if you like!

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

A: The weirdest piece of dogma in the french horn recording universe: it's more important that you mic the room than the bell. Every other brass instrument gets a bell mic and that's it, why not horn? I find excessive room micing mixed in sounds washy and indistinct. I often mic the room just for flexibility down the track, but in my own projects, I would only mix in between 0-5% of the room mic anyway! Most rooms don't sound as good as the Concertgebouw, just saying!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: - what sample rate/bit-depth? - stereo or mono? - bell mic OR room mic OR both? - when bounce tracks? - do you want me to film myself playing?

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

A: Don't hesitate to ask for exactly what you want. Orchestral-pedigree musicians like me are quite obedient!

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

A: Not counting accessories: my horn, laptop, RME Babyface Pro, Shure Beta 58A ( ol' indestrucable), and a large tarp.

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

A: Long story short, I started off in the conservatorium, played in several high-stakes auditions, secured full-time work, quit after 3 years and set up my home studio in 2020 from which I work today. During the pandemic, I recorded and rehearsed almost every day at Alan Eaton Studios and the ABC Centre (Australia). Before that, I recorded with Kate Cebrano, John Farnham, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. During In my time at the Royal Australian Air Force Band, I served as an audio engineer and performer for countless chamber, solo, and large ensemble projects. In this role, I was able to experiment with a ridiculous number of mics, preamps, and rooms. This experience helped me buy the perfect gear to capture my playing after I went "solo", so to speak.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Virtuosic, tight, powerful. I prioritise pitch, rhythm, and precision in general. There are enough warm-n-fluffy french horn players out there. I have more of a Tower of Power mentality.

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

A: Emilio Castillo (Tower of Power founder). I'm sure I could persuade him to let me add some french horn into those epic horn sections!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Trust your ears, and don't get too bogged down in "why" something sounds awesome.

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

A: Commonly: solo top lines, brass section (pop/funk), epic cinematic multi-tracks (12+ french horns). But I'll play anything!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Being equally competent at studio recording technique and playing the french horn.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I studied at the best conservatorium in my hemisphere (ANAM) and have held full-time playing positions since graduation up until becoming a session recording artist in 2020. I pride myself on my precise intonation, tight timing, and high energy. I am also able to learn technically difficult lines, with gnarly syncopations and intervals, extremely quickly. These qualities save my clients much time and money!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: When I receive an order, this is my procedure: - check tempi, genre, and sheet music - if I have any uncertainties, I clarify ASAP with my client - practise parts thoroughly; no amount of $$$ and time can fully overcome sloppy playing! - clarify recording specifications, such as kHz, bit-depth, bounce timings, pitch-centre, etc. - set up my DAW session exactly as specified - record sample stems and send them to the client to confirm the style, articulations, and other small details - warm up instrument, set up my room, evict my family (temporarily), and lay down some world-class, studio-quality french horn tracks!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Q: How hardcore are you about gear? A: I play a well-maintained, Alexander 103 horn. Most clients like the sound of my playing captured by my Royer SF-12 microphone, through my AEA TRP preamp, into my RME interface - I also own some studio condenser mics which sometimes are a better fit for the project :) Q: is the room you record in horrible? A: No, I record in a large, high-ceilinged, purpose-built, home studio. The room is irregularly shaped, and thoughtfully treated with wall, corner, ceiling, and floor acoustic panels/traps, and strategically placed furniture/carpets. I live in an ultra-quiet gated community.

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

A: Radek Baborák (french hornist). Amazing player - cool as a cucumber. Tower of Power. The gold standard of tight, powerhouse, horn lines. Just missing actual french horns, sadly!

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

A: Tight, powerful, section french horn (12+ tracks).