Producer, Mixer, Guitarist

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

A: I was the music programmer for the dangerous tour for Michael Jackson and the work that I did was heard by almost 1,000,000,000 people.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am currently working on several albums. I am producing and mixing the second CD with a well-known jazz guitarist Mike Stern and other well-known jazz musicians and I am playing guitar on a film based project that has a CD of music as the soundtrack based out of London.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Not yet

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I don't really relate to this question because I think that the final deliverable is entirely up to the client. There are pros and cons to both formats. Obviously the functional physics of digital audio and Nyquist theorem in terms of frequency response and dynamic response or one component of digital audio and the restrictions and limitations that come wit analog Whether

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

A: My promises that I will not rest until I arrive at the best possible solution and the most creative collaborative outcome.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Create a collaboration and the exploration of the artistic and communicative space.

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

A: Are you available? Yes, but we need to schedule that time because I'm working right now…

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

A: That anyone who owns a ProTools system or knows how to push buttons on a computer screen is a professional musician or producer or sound mixer.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: My first question is always; what is the best possible outcome for you? What exactly do you want to create? How can I be of service in order to make that happen?

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

A: Ask a lot of questions, expect clear answers, no that communication is the key to the process and collaboration is an iterative ideal. Be willing to pay fair value for high-level work.

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

A: 5 pieces of gear: An air conditioner, water purifier, a magnifying glass and or a swiss army knife, really good fishing rod, and a good tent.… Oh wait maybe the question was about music gear? Lol if I were on a desert island I don't think I would want to bring music gear...Lol

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

A: I have been working in music for more than 45 years. My career path started as a session musician, moved to Studio work and Synclavier programming and then owning Studios and producing contact for major artists. My current focus is my own personal studio and collaborating with artist to create music and sound design as well as short films about Musicians around the world.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I have a rich harmonic application on the instrument and a unique improvisational style for solos. I am a good arranger and always looking for the best possible parts to make the song as interesting as possible.

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

A: I really like Snarky Puppy because of the risks that they take and the collaborations that they form with really interesting artists.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Use less compression and don't focus on trying to make everything loud. Create music parts that actually breathe and allow for a wide dynamic range of volume and expressiveness to create are more interesting and dynamic mix.

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

A: I am known for my production and Guitar work in the areas of modern blues and jazz. I also have done quite a bit of work on pop music, but at this point my interest is in working with people who want to collaborate on really creative and unique projects that are not following a specific pattern but rather trying to explore new ideas and creative possibilities.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I have a lot of skills but I would say my most valuable skill is the ability to listen a very deep levels and hear extreme details in new wants. I can play whatever is needed for the track and I can hear and mix and produce whatever is needed to arrive at the best possible result. The form of listening also extends to being able to really understand with the clients need is an helping them to arrive at the best possible solution.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a lot of experience to every song that I work on having worked on and listen to literally almost every style of music possible. I am deeply interested in helping to create the most beautiful representation of the music that I can and so I work to communicate as clearly as possible with the artist to understand what the nature and needs are regarding the details and arrangement of the piece of music so that I can craft as many options and parts as possible that will allow the final mix to have a very robust final delivery.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I meet with the client and discuss what their goals are and understand what the final deliverable will be. Once we have assessed that we review the project; whether that's music or sound design or mixing or producing. Then a timeline is discussed and I begin working on the project. There is a period of iterative reviews that is determined at the beginning and then final delivery to the client.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My current studio set up is extremely efficient and streamlined. Most of my work is Remote and I am connected to the world via fiber optic cable. It is designed around a large state of the art ProTools system for audio and an audio and video set up with Adobe premiere at the focus. I also own a large music and effects library and state of the art sound design and music synthesis tools. My guitar interface is a Line 6 helix and I own a lot of electric, acoustic and jazz guitars.

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

A: I have been really lucky to have known many of the great producers and engineers in the world and I started my career as a Synclavier programmer which allowed me to meet and train with some of the best.

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

A: I have a very wide and diverse set of clients. I work as both a session Guitar Player and also as a producer/Mixer/sound designer and audio expert. I own my own studio and work remote for most of my clients in a wide variety of delivery platforms. Everything from music production to sound design, game audio and podcasts, music and sound for television and film, etc. I have a lot of experience in all of these fields.