All around music person

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

A: There are so many, but I really enjoyed a cover of Disturbed's version of Sound of Silence I sang on. It's with different lyrics revolving around Borussia Dortmund, the football club. I'm a big football fan and the fact the song went viral on YouTube, TikTok and the likes made me happy. I very much liked my vocals on that song too!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I kinda wanna release a new EP. We'll see about that.

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

A: Not yet, hopefully soon!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both, because they're both awesome.

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

A: It's not a promise but a lot of people who've ordered custom songs from me have reported back they've cried upon listening to them. So tears, maybe? (Of joy, of course)

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Diversity.

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

A: "Do you think XYZ would fit here?" - 99% of the time I'd answer "It depends on what you're going for" because it really does. It matters big time.

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

A: That's definitely about the mixing/mastering side. So many people still believe it's a magic trick that lets completely unusable recordings sound like Taylor Swift recording at Abbey Road. It's just not. The source is all that matters. Everything else is icing on the cake, but definitely no magic.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What kind of sound are you after? Can you provide 1-3 reference songs? What is this for? Do you wanna perform this live?

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

A: I know it sounds a bit weird but really listen to them. Especially if all of this is very new to you. They probably know a lot more about this music making thing than you do and if they're for instance telling you it might be a great idea to rent out a studio to track vocals for an afternoon because the home recording sessions just don't cut it for the ambitions you have, than it's a great idea to just listen to them. We're here to help you and sometimes we just have to say things that you might not like in the first moment but it's only in your best interest.

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

A: Macbook Pro. Apollo Twin. Townsend Sphere. Archtop acoustic. Fender Strat.

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

A: I've made music for as long as I can remember. Then my daughter was born and I had to somehow justify all this time spent on music. So I signed up on another platform, offered my services as a songwriter and singer. Fast forward 6 months later I had managed to quit my job. Been doing this for 3 years full time now.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Minimalist.

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

A: Jeremy Zucker for all the reasons above. He also seems like a genuine, fun dude.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't clutter up your arrangement just because you can. Minimalism is so crucial when it comes to production. If you have 1 hour to produce a song, it's better to spend 20 minutes each on perfecting 3 tracks than 5 minutes each on 12. Not only because they'll sound better but you give the vocals so much more space with less instruments and it's all about the vocals. Nothing matters more than to let the vocals shine.

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

A: All kinds of genres. Mostly pop, rock, acoustic though.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Adaptability.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Authenticity and true emotion at its essence.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Again, vastly depends on the type of project but it's usually very streamlined. I try to get as much information as I can from clients so order requirements are fully met. Then I get as close to the finish line as I can and deliver to the client. If they're happy, we're already done. If there's revisions, I repeat the process. I've never needed more than 1-2 revisions (humble brag).

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: It's very simple. I mostly work in the box when it comes to my general production, mixing, etc. But I try to mix organic, actual instruments with VSTs as much as I can. I own a bunch of different guitars like a Baritone, Dobro, electrics of all kinds and it's just fun to play with various texture, mixing and matching them.

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

A: Someone like Jeremy Zucker is extremely intriguing to me. The way he manages to tastefully incorporate foley in his production is absolutely masterful to me. It's the little details that let a song truly shine and he's in my opinion one of the very best in the world at that. Equally Bon Iver's Justin Vernon has a way to make a song so beautifully haunting, it's just mezmerizing.

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

A: It all depends on the type of project. I oftentimes produce/record custom songs for people as a special gift for weddings, Christmas, etc. As a vocalist producers contact me to be their topliner. Companies contact me for various songs they need for special events.