Remote Rock Mixing and Vocals

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

A: The latest Four Wheel Drive album is my crowning achievement so far: I wrote/co wrote, recorded, played bass and did all lead vocals as well as mixing and mastering. It's the first full album out of my new studio and I'm immensely proud of the sounds and songs on it!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I have just finished a new Four Wheel Drive album from start to finish, and I can't wait for people to hear it. I'm currently working with some great up and coming bands like Broken Saints and Kings of Their Town who have albums and EPs in the works.

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

A: Not yet, but I'm looking forward to becoming part of the community!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Analogue is obviously something we all know and love and the 'harmonic content' and 'weight' analogue gear adds is undeniable... However - when you're in the box, routing and processing is so fast and easy that you can keep costs down, recalls easy, and can duplicate sounds across channels so easily. In essence, it has to all be about hybrid. In the rock world, you want your snare, kick, lead vocals and bass to have as much presence and thump and shimmer as possible, so they're your priorities for outboard. If a guitar is amped and mic'd properly through good preamps, you can do a lot with them and BVs and parallel routing so efficiently inside the box!

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

A: That I will work tirelessly to achieve the best possible outcome with whatever they give me.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: From a production perspective, seeing clients' reactions when they can't believe how their initial idea for a song turned into a living breathing thing that's bigger and badder than they could've ever imagined! From a singing perspective, the reaction when you've given a song that unique voice and breathed life into their lyrics!

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

A: Can you make this sound like 'xyz'? References are helpful, but we have to use the tools and material at our disposal to do our best!

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

A: That a mix can salvage a sub par song or performances. That rock singing has no nuance and dynamics!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are your influences and reference tracks? Is there any particular effect on any part of section that you're looking for? Do you have views on dynamics and panning and automation? Do you need any guitars re-amped? Please provide DIs of everything if possible because from there anything can be salvaged! If you're looking for a vocal session - do you have a specific singer in mind, or reference track? Do you have ideas for harmonies and gang sections, or do you want me to record where I hear it going?

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

A: Make sure that your project has been handled to the best of everyone's abilities the whole way along. That the songs were written and arranged with care, recorded with the right attitude and performances, and are prepped and ready to be mixed. That doesn't mean it needs to have cost a fortune, just done with plenty of attention to detail, even in a home environment. Secondly, BE REALISTIC. How good do the song and performances sound? Don't expect a mix to turn it into something completely different than what it already is.

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

A: If we're talking ideal world - a UA 1176, a Neve 1073 channel strip, SM7B, my Les Paul and a JCM800

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

A: I began working in bands from the age of 15. 20 years later, I have played some of the best venues in the UK and Europe and had the privilege to work in some of the finest studio environments on some of the finest analogue gear. I always wanted to understand how sounds were developed and produced to make things sound like my favourite records, and along with my thirst for knowledge and experience I began reaching out to up and coming artists in my local area to mentor them in songwriting and production. Working with top producers had shown me that production for other artists was as much a creative outlet as making your own music. The excitement of seeing a band take off to achieve different things to me was as exciting as my own career as an artist and performer. Going from a one room setup in my last apartment, I now have a detached 2 room setup in my new place which is setup to expand into the never ending world of outboard gear and upgrades. After years of collecting instruments and equipment, my journey is now more and more into production gear.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Production wise: Loud, aggressive, in your face, punchy, wide and clear. Vocal wise: Gritty, full throttle, aggressive and in your face!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Get the performance right! Mixing is not a magic process to cover up a sub par song and performances. Get each stage right and you have a killer record on your hands!

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

A: Rock and heavy rock, however I am a huge fan of country, as well as other sub genres of rock.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is being able to understand a song and a band fully from all angles after years of playing almost every role in a band. Production wise, I believe my drum sounds are one of my strongest points, as I TRY to avoid samples absolutely whenever possible in favour of live drums.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: First and foremost, being a fan of music and listening as a listener. After that, the fact I'm a multi instrumentalist really helps to understand the dynamics of the songs and the parts, and I have a very keen ear for arrangement and dynamics. It's about making tracks as lean and aggressive as possible to retain interest in modern listeners with less attention span!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For production with face to face clients I like to be involved from the get go with writing and pre production for things like mic, amp and drum choices through to mixing and mastering. For remote work, I would like to converse with the client or artist to get an idea of the sound they're going for. I start by listening to the track, getting an idea of the sound and then doing a fader and automation balance before starting to apply processing to the mix.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Slam Time Studios was a place I built for myself and my band to have a home and record autonomously whenever we wish. I also brought in clients who I had been working with in my previous setup, however this time able to record live drums, track a full band and capture genuine roaring guitar sounds. The studio has a live room and treated control room, with multiple speaker setups and production capability for all genres. We started totally in the box, however are now expanding to include a collection of outboard hardware to use on mixes.

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

A: Production wise, I love anything by Chris Lord Alge, Mike Fraser and Andrew Schepps. I'm also inspired by producers like Warren Huart, Marc Daniel Nelson and Glenn Fricker. Vocally, I'm hugely influenced by Bon Scott, Brian Johnson, Steven Tyler, Axl Rose and Mick Jagger.

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

A: Most commonly I'm working as a remote mixer and session vocalist. I have been singing professionally since I was 15 years old, and have worked my way into production via spending in time in some of the best studios in the UK.