Mixing and Mastering

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

A: JOHNY ROMANO & CONNECT-R's project - Poliai - ( SKiLLER Remix ) is a remix created, mixed and mastered by me. I feel proud of this project because it unexpectedly managed to reach a decent number of views without promotion. It was the first project in which I created a completely new vision of how to combine organic elements with digital ones. At the same time, I managed to take the quality of my master's degree to another level and reach another qualitative level in the dynamics of the project.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: At the moment I am looking to work in this field at a more advanced level

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

A: I'm new here, so I can't give details about anyone else on this platform

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog. It makes me make decisions by hearing and makes me feel more confident that I'm making the right choice, plus it's less distracting than all the digital equipment with all kinds of UIs that sometimes distract you from making the right choice.

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

A: To bring out the best version of my work for them and at the same time to offer them the best services.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: What I like most about what I do is creativity and the way things come to life. I like to follow other sound engineers, producers, mixing and mastering engineers. I like this community I'm in, and especially I've got a special love for analog equipment.

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

A: Nowadays, everyone wants the result to be fast and good. This is also the most frequent question: How long do you think it will be ready? Obviously I answer them and explain that it takes depending on the project.

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

A: The world thinks that being a sound engineer or master or producer is easy and very simple. Yes, for amateurs it can be, but for us who dedicate every moment to make a concrete decision, it is not. It takes time, energy and thought to get the desired result. Many times, people think that overnight you can pull off that boom. Not true. Through efforts and work you can get the most solid results.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: The common question is related to the feedback of the product, how it could be improved (if applicable), what are the key points that he would like me to touch (I mean parts of the piece in which he would like me to emphasize them) and possibly if he would recommend me further.

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

A: I would have only one advice, pay attention to the final result. If the result is competitive, it has quality on the market and satisfies the needs of the artist and the ordinary listener. It's worth working on, bonus if a little innovation is noticed. this man can bring you to success. I learned to work without instruction or courses. The pleasure of learning and working came naturally. In short, this seems to me to be something you are born with, you don't acquire it over time

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

A: Honestly, I would opt for a saxophone, violin, flute, piano and guitar.

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

A: I started doing this 11 years ago. But I couldn't promote what I know in my country, because I'm in a place where other influences are demanded more than my musical genre. I learned to work on my own and to improve my way of working from one project to another. In the first 5 years, I only tried to discover myself as an influence of a musical genre. After this time I started to delve deeper into what is behind a project, namely: Mixing and Mastering. I became more and more passionate about this part of the analog world and even apply what I learned in my daily routine as bases in the music and mixes I create. In the future I want to become a full artist and a qualified and even famous mixing and mastering engineer

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style was created over time, following the influence of genres and artists who were famous for that genre of music. I enjoy being very creative and using details that influence the audio image as well, to give you a small perspective of the film. But most of the time, I prefer the energy and impact of a chorus. As a content creator, my basic idea was to create a chorus that would be pleasant for all types of listeners, but also blend in with the story very well.

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

A: Obviously with Skrillex. Why? Because it has that way of charging you with energy and vibe. Plus his way of working is a very ingenious one, and his sound design is perhaps one of the most organic besides his imprint that remains there even years later. I would have liked to have had a MasterClass with him in the near future.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: The most concrete and basic thing I can offer is: reference. You have the best way of working and maybe the best tools, but if you don't have a reference, how your idea should sound, you don't really have a chance to compete on the market. (personal opinion)

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

A: I work with : Bass House, Trap, HybridTrap, Dubstep, House, Trance, Tehno, etc.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I think that the most impactful skill I always have is the space in the mix. It seems to me the most impactful because over time when I was finishing a demo, it was the most handy skill that I could use without complicating my time in distributing for feedback to acquaintances. Plus as long as it sounds good before effects, it results in less work.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: For me, it is important to emphasize the basic idea and to offer a pleasant experience for the listener. Of course, I also like to offer a positive energy through what I do and at the same time make it something unique like living.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I always listen and try to live the emotion conveyed by the content creator. Then, as a process, I adjust everything before I start applying the effects, to lock in the bottom mix. I prefer to work in as much detail as possible and take care not to deviate from the basic theme of the project. I like to combine Digital with Analog, but most of the time I prefer analog, less is more. Virtually every element has its place in the mix, and that makes the listening experience that much more enjoyable. Over time I learned to never forget to check the difference between the initial volume and after applying the effect. Before mastering, I check my groups of elements and make sure they are: 1. glued together as a sound and 2. to give a nice color to the mix. Then I'm ready for automations (obviously where needed). As for the master, as long as the mix sounds as clean and coherent as possible, the master is only for finishing the whole. Of course, some rules are applied in it, one of them being the mono check and the closing of frequencies from low to high and finally a limiter that will definitively weld all the choices made.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work in the box with digital equipment and analog emulation. I use my accumulated knowledge in this way to obtain a result as close as possible to the quality of the music I listen to

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

A: Skrillex, Rezz, Swedish House Mafia, Deadmau5, Joyride, Habstrakt , Jauz, David Guetta, Martin Garrix.

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

A: I'm a Producer, Mixing and Mastering Engineer from Romania, who will be happy to provide you with my services for EDM, Trap, Pop, House, Dupstep and many more. My approach to mixing is to pay attention to detail and do my best to achieve clarity, emotional experience and impact.