Producer, Composer, Pianist

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

A: I am dedicated to giving my best effort to your project and will collaborate closely with you to ensure your satisfaction with the final outcome.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I frequently encourage clients to share their personal stories and the inspirations behind the projects they bring to me.

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

A: I began playing the piano at the age of 5 and completed my undergraduate degree in Music Education with a focus on classical piano and voice in 2012. Since then, I've been deeply involved in the musical theatre industry, serving as a music director, pianist, orchestrator, music copyist, arranger, and conductor. My professional journey has led me to collaborate with esteemed entities such as Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and The Juilliard School, while also contributing to the development of numerous new musicals. Currently, I am pursuing my master's degree at Berklee College of Music and studying music production, songwriting, and film scoring. Alongside my academic pursuits, I've been actively engaged in working with emerging artists to shape their sound, refine their music, and craft their songs. While I am eager to broaden my client base through platforms like SoundBetter, I have also undertaken various projects beyond this platform, further enriching my portfolio and experience in the music industry.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Assess your mixes across various playback systems. Try listening through earbuds, car stereos, laptop speakers, and even in mono. This allows you to gauge how well your mixes translate across different listening environments, ensuring they maintain their quality and impact regardless of the playback device.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My primary strengths are my musicianship, a deep understanding of music theory, and excellence in piano performance.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Drawing from my theater experience, I'm adept at aligning complementary musical elements with lyrics and staging to elevate the impact and artistry of a song. Leveraging this skill and background, I prioritize identifying key moments within a song to emphasize its significance, focusing heavily on the lyrics, arrangement, and overall meaning.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I maintain continuous and open communication throughout the duration of a project with both clients and artists. I believe collaboration is essential in certain aspects of our work. My approach varies depending on the specific requirements of each project.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: The acoustics of my studio have been carefully treated to ensure optimal audio performance and frequency response. Monitoring is achieved through Yamaha HS8 powered speakers accompanied by an HS8S subwoofer for enhanced low-end extension. I use a Focusrite Clarett+ 8Pre audio interface and for sample libraries, I have collections from Spitfire, VSL, EastWest, Spectrasonics, 8Dio, Orchestral Tools, Audio Modeling, and others. My primary digital audio workstation (DAW) is Logic Pro X, but I am versed in Pro Tools as well. For music notation, I score in Finale and can create clean and industry standard sheet music notation.

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

A: As a music producer, the most common type of work I do for my clients typically involves overseeing the entire process of music production, from conception to completion. This encompasses various tasks and responsibilities, including pre-production, composition of music and lyrics, arrangement, recording & tracking instruments, programming, editing & mixing, and mastering. Throughout the process, effective communication and collaboration with the artist or client are crucial. I strive to understand their vision and preferences while offering creative input and technical expertise to bring their musical ideas to life. Ultimately, my goal as a music producer is to create compelling and memorable recordings that resonate with listeners and fulfill the artist's artistic vision.

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

A: Paper, pencil, piano, Mac Studio, audio interface

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

A: For over a decade, I've worked in the musical theatre industry as a music director, orchestrator, copyist, and pianist. While my focus has predominantly been on musicals, my musical interests are incredibly diverse and wide-ranging. I enjoy listening to, playing, and working with a variety of genres including country, classical, jazz, pop, rock, funk, gospel, and punk. When it comes to music, there are no boundaries for me—I embrace a broad palette of musical styles & genres.

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

A: Producers & Mixers: Chris & Tom Lord-Alge, Greg Wells, David Bendeth, Alan Meyerson, Rick Rubin, Max Martin, Finneas O'Connell. Musicians: Ben Folds, Elton John, Adele, Billy Joel, The Chicks, Lady Gaga, U2, Green Day, Amber Pacific, All Time Low, Backstreet Boys, Alanis Morissette, Weezer, Avril Lavigne, Queen, The Eagles, Aerosmith, ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, Shania Twain, Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel, Billie Elish.

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

A: I produced, mixed, and performed on a new musical ("BitterStar Ranch") LP album. It was great taking their rough demos and turning them into a produced, polished, and finished work. I transcribed the songs they wrote by ear and charted out parts for the other instruments in their show. Not only can they release the album, but they have the PDF charts to be able to perform live.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Currently, I'm in graduate school at Berklee College of Music. I'm continually working on my writing projects while taking on new client projects and creative endeavors.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! I don't see it as a binary choice. It depends on the tools at your disposal during your work. Digital technology has advanced significantly, making it challenging to distinguish between digital emulations and analog hardware. If you have access to the physical hardware, I would recommend using it. It's akin to an artist choosing between paint brushes – as long as the final sound on the canvas is impressive, whether achieved through analog or digital means doesn't really matter.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I enjoy taking a projected from its infancy and seeing it through to a completed, polished, and fully produced piece of art.