Recording/Mixing engineer

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: When working together on something they and I care about, you build close connections with others.

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

A: I have been producing music since I was 16/17 and playing in small local bands. After stumbling headfirst into recording I fell in love with being a recording engineer and subsequently worked freelance in live sounds for a number of years. Something I still do on occasion, when I have the opportunity. But it was a teacher I had that really made me love mixing and music production. I learned everything I could from him and before I knew it, I was recording and mixing all the time and gradually started getting paid for it as well. This led to me getting a bachelor's degree in musicology with a focus on jazz/rock/pop arrangement and music production. And now I'm finishing my master's degree at the same university.

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

A: I will forever highlight the album "Ingen Tid Å Miste" by MÍO. It was my first major release and the breadth of instruments and techniques employed on that album, could be a masterclass in and of itself. I was the producer and mixing engineer for this album.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on a follow-up album with a band that I have a long time partnership with, as well as some solo artists, and later this year two more bands recording their deput recordings.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. I employ a hybrid mix when I mix and produce music. I love the convenience of digital, and I would take 24 channels of clean preamps over 8 good vintage ones any day for recording. But when doing the actual mixing, I love have physical interactions with the gear. It helps me to stop listening with my eyes.

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

A: I promise to use every tool and technical knowledge at my disposal to make you music sound the best it can.

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

A: The biggest misconseption is that I force your music into a box where it doesn't belong. The definition of producer is so varied that any one understanding will still probably be wrong to someone else. I don't write your music. I make your music translate into a recorded piece of music, and make your song sound the best it can.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your ambition for this project? How do you imagine I can help with this? What are some songs/pieces you want me to consider when we work together?

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

A: Look for the enginner/producer/artist that will make you feel like what you're doing with your music is the best thing ever. Someone that raises you up and helps you achieve the goals that you have set.

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

A: Okay, here is my list and it's based on just being able to continue working: 1. Laptop (doesn't matter which one. If it can run a DAW, it's good enough) 2. SSL2+ audio interface 3. My trusty Fender Telecaster Deluxe 4. SM7b (it's probably not sound treated on the island) 5. Reverb guitar pedal. As long as I have these things I can keep creating endless different musical pieces, and each thing is as essential as the other.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I love layers and rich textures. And that's what dominates most of my productions. When you hear my mixes they are often cram-packed with instruments, ear-goodies and little treasures that the listener gets to find by listening again and again.

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

A: I would love to work with Steven Wilson, just to try and decode his brain and learn as much as I can to take with me to my own productions.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If it sounds good, it is good.

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

A: I am not beholden to any one genre, but I do tend to prefer working with acoustic instruments as that is where me and my skill set thrive the most.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is my ability to work with bands/artists to translate their creative vision into recorded music. I emphasise the experience of recording to get a better end product and therefore end up creating meaningful and lasting connections with the people I work alongside.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a nuanced and varied understanding of music and a deep level of technical knowledge of both the processes of recording as well as publishing music.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: It varies completely depending on the band/artist I work with. But I try to get into the recording studio as quickly as we can, so we don't get stuck in a production loop. The magic usually happens in the studio and not in Sibelius or Pro Tools

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My setup is split into three separate spaces. I have access to a full recording studio with a decently large live room, where there is enough space to record an entire band at once, complete with two booths to separate vocals or amps etc. Secondly, I have my home setup, where I can do all the nitty gritty editing, organising and setting up of sessions. And lastly, I have access to a dedicated mixing studio with a 24-channel SSL desk as well as outboard compressors from UA.

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

A: I am a big fan of the way Steve Albini works, where he becomes a technical extension of the band. Trying to be the fly on the wall that makes sure everything becomes as good as it possibly can and trying to give the band/artist the feeling of mastering their craft while we work.

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

A: I most commonly take on clients in partnerships where I work closely with them all the way from production to release. In this regard, I work more technically-oriented, doing my best to translate their creative vision into an actual recorded piece of music.