Bassist, Keyboardist, Producer

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What mood do you sense should be the overall vibe of your musical idea ? It's direction can safely go from there' without productive time being expended.

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

A: MIDI keyboard, PC, microphone, monitors & headphones.

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

A: In my view, it doesn't begin when you first start playing an instrument. It begins when (you alone') write or build your first (whatever you do'). For myself, that was March 1983.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Be mindful of multiple low octave instruments sharing the same sonic space. All types of basses, kick drums, sub booms, timpani, etc. It definitely impacts mastering... even if it sounds good initially.

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

A: All types. Some time ago' I challenged myself to do uncomfortable music. I knew that I'd learn something from attempting it. I chose to recreate a bunch of famous songs, a few of which' had no connection to my favorite music - just to improve myself... and yes' to see if I could do it.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Adapting.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I believe I bring a maturity of what (not to add) into a song. For instance, if it's dark and somber, I should add elements that lend themselves to it' within the context of that established mood. Same rule applies if it's punchy and pop sounding. I'd insert elements that augment what's already there. Kate Bush did a song called All the love' where no (normal bass guitar part) would work in a conventional rhythm section sense. Her song is disjointed and seemingly broken into pieces, though has an implied tempo that her piano is doing. Identifiers like verse, bridge, chorus do not really enter ones' thoughts when hearing this All the love' song... none of those differentiators matter in it; There's no ground in it to stand on. Her bassist Del Palmer played a fretless bass on it that became its own animating spirit; traveling inside of her piano starts and stops... like a man humming a sad melody to it. When she arrives at (what' I'd call a bridge) in this song, the bass embellished her emptiness mood by vanishing away, then after her voice sets up the next melancholy section, she adds a low fundamental groaning bass note underneath her voice, much like a Fairlight sampler/synth would be good at doing'. This created a musical example of sound inhaling and exhaling. Imperfect speed of a person breathing.

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

A: A song I thought up on bass guitar in March 1983'. Back then' I did what would be defined as a bass guitar solo' in its center section. It really wasn't supposed to be that; I just didn't have the means' to do what was needed as a 15 year old kid. In 2025' however, I can record the orchestral instruments I've always heard in my head' to do that part, and can now redirect my bass to play a conventional bass guitar groove there'.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm focusing on voiceovers for audiobooks. I did my first one last July' and am currrently directing my focus on establishing an online presence in the audiobook realm.

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

A: Not yet, but that doesn't mean there aren't any.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: In the writing phase' analog I suppose. Though I'm thankful for the conveniences of digital. I have a combination tape-cassette player/CD burner to record old tapes into wav files for clients. It has a pitch control that helps in learning old songs that are permanently out of tune' from 40 years ago'.

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

A: Can you add more parts to what I'm giving you to work on ?... I record any instrument into what-you-do'. I try hard at making my contribution to what you've already started' sound even better.

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

A: You should already have your musical idea, even if its just a simple intro and verse transition.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Ambient, soundtrack and Indie pop-rock, though I conform to requests from others.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Typing down every thought that comes to my attention as a new song is playing to me for the first time. I've noticed that the people I've worked with (after hearing my first revision of their work) tend to kinda tell me to do whatever you want' to it. That's not what I expect to hear all the time, but it has been more common than not.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have two controller keyboards, but only need the one on top' that talks to everything in my interfaced system. I liken it all to the Japanese Yamato battleship' being out-classed in it's ferocity by today's ships that don't appear to be formidable when you look at them'. Everything is under-the-hood' unseen today.

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

A: I'll give it my full attention. The more details you convey; the more I'm able to do what's asked of me. I've noticed in the past that' when someone doesn't tell me anything about a direction to take their working idea - I've surprised them and somehow energized their original thought into a new monster to fly.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: How each morning brings new energy to think up or work on more.

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

A: If they have a misconception' they don't share it aloud to me. Maybe one is that' I might be using earlier music ideas I created from years ago' and am just grafting those into a client's new idea. Each musical idea is it's own life'.

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

A: No preference.

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

A: Musicians like Paul McCartney, Chris Squire, Geddy Lee, Claude Debussy, Vangelis. Sound engineers like Alan Parsons, George Martin, Eddie Offord and Terry Brown.

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

A: Before joining SoundBetter, it's been recording what other musicians want into their own track; be that bass, guitar, keyboard, drums, anything really'.