Producer, Mixer, Musician

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

A: Heartbeat by me. I created this project and saw it through to the finish. It was created at a time in my life where I could draw the music from my experiences and it was quite a rough experience. More Info on instagram if you're interested.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on this remix of the song great are you lord, with a regular client.

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

A: Not yet, hopefully I can make some connections soon tho.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Why limit yourself to one when you can have both? If I REALLY had to chose, digital because of the ease of use and technology is always advancing and its SO MUCH cheapr.

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

A: I will try my absolute hardest to deliver value and quality. If it's doable then I'll do it.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The freedom that comes with it. I literally get to do what I love for a living. That's the goal.

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

A: That it takes a load of gear to get great results. NO!!! It takes someone whos willing to learn to use what they have and try everything to get great results.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Do you love what you do? Yes: Perfect! No: Why do it then?

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

A: Go for the little guy with a love for what he does, over the big guy who seems to hate every moment of his job. If you can get a little guy who loves what he does and is willing to try out new things and experiment then perfect! [ME :0]

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

A: 1) Laptop (Obvs) 2) Keyboard 3) Sm57 4) Some Audio interface 5) Faderport bc faders are cool

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

A: I'm a student trying to grow my brand and career into something sustainable and long term. Just from working a part time job I instantly recognise that it's just not for me. I'm willing to stay up to 3 am working on a track but 'normal jobs' just aren't for me.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Worship/Pop. I grew up in church and love to worship whether that's through serving or through praise. But that culture and style has been something pushing me to keep making music. The big deep drums with a really powerful message behind the song with some insane builds and bridges are just some of my favourite types of songs. My style is also heavily affected by what I understand, so being a drummer I am able to focus in on the details of my drum parts.

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

A: I would love to work with anyone but particularly people who also love creating music and just bring a sense of enjoyment to what they do.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: I can share hundreds but the biggest one I think is to try everything, experiment, see what works for you and what doesn't, don't just watch tutorials on youtube but try them out. Music is a very subjective field so do what you think works even if its adding throwing parallel distortion on a kick drum (do it) or parallel compressing the vocals (do it) or adding 15db of gain to a piano (...). Also mix with your ears not your eyes.

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

A: Usually pop, worship with the occasional cinematic or EDM style song. I like to try anything and everything when it comes to music, and I'm always up for a challenge.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is my direction and ability to see a song from its original Idea to its fully fledged production ready for release. Also having the knowledge of each individual role, within creating a song, allows me to make informed decisions which helps the overall direction and production of the song, rather than just completing my tasks and moving on. Each song I work on becomes a part of my character, building and shaping me as I build and shape it.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: It really does depend on the client. I can take a well performed vocal and turn it into a whole production, threading emotion into every beat. But also I could take an idea and transform it into a spotify release. Ultimately whatever the client wants, I will do everything in my power to provide. I believe I bring direction and atmosphere to the song, being able to guide the song in the direction it wants to go, whilst keeping the initial idea as the foundation, developing and molding the song as it begins to take form. Then seeing it through into release-hood.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My work process varies based on the project and client. Usually when mixing, I begin by setting out the project using buses and auxes, getting a rough idea of the song and the arrangement taking note of the contrasting sections, instrumentation and dynamics. Then get all my levels dialed in. Then begin basic EQ and Compression. Then more in depth mixing. Then rebalance the levels. Then add some effects and some fancy parallel mixing. Then once I'm happy, start to reference the track on different speakers, and compare it to other popular releases in the same genre. Then begin to think about mastering or preparing to master.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio has grown over the years from nothing more than a laptop to my whole room being transformed into a studio with a bed. My main laptop is a Macbook pro [M1 pro], which is constantly running Studio one 6 pro, as well as a whole bunch of plugins including komplete 14 standard, Melodyne, and a whole load of waves plugins [Waves harmony is trash tho]. My main monitoring is done through my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pros, which are just amazing for the price, providing professional sound for a budget price. My main interface is a Focusrite 18i20 which I use for anything from Drums to Acoustic guitar to a whole band. I also have a behringer UMC202HD which I use when I'm out on stage. My mic collection consists of a load of budget mics which not many would know by name, but mainly an SM57, Se X1s, AKG D7 and hopefully some others are on there way. For the controller side of things, I have the Faderport V2, AKAI MPD218 and komplete m32 on my desk, with a 61 key Masterkey midi keyboard by my side. My studio is ever growing and changing along side my music and experience.

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

A: Brandon Lake, who is a christian artist, is one of my biggest inspirations. His music is just on a different level, each song is infused with just absolute love for Jesus, Music and others. Phil wickham is another just fantastic artist. Both genuinely next level. One of my biggest sources of knowledge and advice is also youtube: BeautifulBeats, Nathan Larsen, Forest Whitehead, Warren Huart. All really amazing people who just have a fountain of knowledge accessible for all. Definitely wouldn't be where I am today without them.

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

A: Clients usually come to me either with an idea for a song, or a recorded track. In the first instance, they usually want me to produce the song, working with them to take their idea from in their head to out the speakers. In the second instance, the client usually wants me to mix the song and/or master the track.