Singer, Songwriter, Mixing

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

A: Recently, I produced, mixed and mastered a project for an artist named Nikki Davis. She was in town visiting from Alaska and wanted to create a bunch of songs. The whole time she was here, her writing talent helped guide me to a simple/yet emotional experience that became some of my favorite pieces I've worked on.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm currently working on a five song EP for a client on a well-known television show! Producing, mixing and mastering.

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

A: Jon Asher: he's a fantastic vocal producer, songwriter, mentor and overall great human.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I would lean fully into the digital world solely based on how I was brought into mixing and mastering. I've never worked on an analog console, but I can appreciate the subtle differences between analog and digital.

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

A: To listen to them, keep an open mind on what they are trying to achieve and help guide them to the finish line.

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

A: Most customers ask me how much experience I have mixing and mastering. My answer is unique because I'm also a recording artist that produces, mixes and masters their own stuff and before I learned how to mix and master or even knew what it really was, I was fortunate enough to be able to sit in on some big studio sessions and watch my fellow mixing and mastering engineers work at places like The Fab Factory in Los Angeles alongside Dave Pensado and many more.

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

A: To me, it's the belief from the customer that mixing and mastering engineers can make anyone sound like their favorite artist which is not true at all. One thing I've found to be true in every sense is that it really depends on the source whether it's a vocal or an instrument and the way that it's presented.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Besides the general BPM and "genre" questions, I ask for references and what kind of audience the customer is looking to reach .

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

A: I don't take any customers requests with a grain of salt. I am very detail oriented and I'm big on going through every single detail if that's what the customer is looking for to help them achieve exactly what they want.

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

A: Probably everything that I have in my studio. My computer, interface, headphones, microphone and midi keyboard.

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

A: I've been producing, mixing and mastering since 2020. My first job ever was working at Universal Studios Hollywood during Halloween horror nights. Once the pandemic started, like most, I had a lot of free time so that is where I gave myself the time and energy to learn everything that there was about producing mixing and mastering in the digital space. Once I started giving producing, mixing and mastering the time that it deserved, I landed a contract role working with Amazon Alexa and contributing to the celebrity voice experiences.

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

A: Jessie Reyez: I love everything about who she is as an artist and a person. Raw, powerful, honest, emotion and elite writing baked into everything that she makes.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Just seeing where the music takes me if I'm working alone. And if I'm working with an artist or co-collaborator, seeing where it goes with a different take/desire for where we want the song to go. It's truly magical to me either way.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Personally I love adding lush background sounds with reverb to really open up a song in certain areas if the artist/song calls for it. It personally takes me somewhere else when I hear a sound hit and then continue to travel, giving em a sort of floaty feeling.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Reference reference reference. For me it's my starting (and ending) point when I feel inspired to make something. Production can be overwhelming because there are so many different ways you can go about making a song. I believe that picking a song that fits what I want to make keeps my ideas from going too wild and beyond what a song needs. I've also learned that at a certain point, if a song doesn't feel the way you want it to feel, maybe try REMOVING an element that could be covering up the ability to really feel everything that was there before.

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

A: In recent past I've worked on some R&B and Pop projects but I'm open to all genres.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I would say communication and execution. I also love manipulating samples and other instruments to make them sound new and refreshing.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring the ability to pivot quickly on a song idea if an artist wants to change direction. I bring quick production techniques to provide a full song feel to keep the energy strong and inspire the artist and myself to keep working on the song.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I have a pretty open process as far as how a song is born. I believe it can start anywhere. Production leading to lyrics and melody or vice versa. In the end, both sides work together in harmony by the time it's finished.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I’m using Logic Pro X paired with an SE Gemini II Microphone, an Apollo Interface loaded with UAD Pre Amps and the Native Instruments Komplete 14 Ultimate Bundle.

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

A: Artists: Jasmine Sullivan, Jacob Collier, Tori Kelly, Lucky Daye, Prince, Yebba, Maeta, Kehlani, H.E.R, Ambré, The Scarlet Opera, Post Malone, Burna Boy, Justin Bieber, Chloe Producers: Kaytranada, Timbaland, Jack Antanoff, Just Blaze, Mirelle The Gemini

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

A: My most common type of work includes collaboration with artists to produce and build out their vision for any song. Including beat making, composing instrumental pieces, tuning vocals and mixing and mastering the entire project. I have also worked with major companies to bring their audio to quality/loudness standards for worldwide distribution.