Remote Multi-Genre Mixing

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

A: I'm currently helping my school revamp their old radio station into a recording studio for students. We already have a ton of equipment, and because this project is on a budget, I'm very proud of the various ways I've repurposed and fixed equipment in the studio.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I just released my second studio album on February 23rd called "Sutures" under the artist name "Camp Fire."

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Whatever you can afford. Digital emulations are pretty good for almost everything, but if you want to play analog, just make sure you know what you're doing.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the variation in music that I get to interact with on a daily basis. I've had days where I was mixing an orchestra concert only to turn around and master a bluegrass album. There's no other job in the world that lets you do that.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Do you have artists you try to emulate in your sound or look up to when you write/produce?

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

A: Please make sure your stems are in order! Make sure all of your instruments are there, all of your vocals are there, and there are no non-tone enhancing effects on any of those channels!

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

A: Assuming I had cables, Rode NT1-A, Scarlett 4i4, Beyerdynamic DT990s, Nord Stage 3, and my Airpod Pros.

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

A: I started my studio mixing work with a church choir I was a part of during quarantine when we needed to produce virtual choirs, and realized I loved it far more than the songwriting I was already doing. From there, I branched out to live sound, shadowed television productions, and eventually moved towards Hi-fi recording of live music with my college.

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

A: My dream artist to work with would be Hozier. His attention to detail in his music is incredible, and his vocal performances are up there with some of the best of all time.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Keep your audience in mind when making creative decisions. When you add something, question that decision and what it's actually doing in the mix.

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

A: I typically work on live recordings and studio recordings, however I've also done plenty of work with studio produced music with synthesized instruments.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I have sharp ears thanks to some pretty extensive ear training exercises I've done and continue to do as part of my education.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I have extensive music training and years of experience working in many fields in the audio-visual world, which provides me with a neutrality to my work. I strive to give mixes and masters as close to what you'd hear on the radio or on streaming services as possible.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: A lot of my work is based on the processes outlined in the various handbooks written by Bobby Owsinski. All of my professors speak highly of this book and it's served me very well. Much of my process is based on the console plugins by Brainworx with supplementary software coming from Izotope, Universal Audio, and Logic stock plugins (their compressors are still some of my favorites to this day).

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have access to three professional setups, but my main one is a stereo pair of Sterling Audio MX5s running through a Tascam US-4x4. However, I also have access to a professional surround sound studio that uses 4 Avid S1s, Protools, and Neumann KH150s set up in a 5.1 surround system. I typically switch between both of these throughout a project to keep my ears fresh.

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

A: AudioHaze on Youtube has been a big inspiration as of late, but I'm also very inspired by Andrew Huang, Slaughter Beach, Dog, Hozier, and Ben Levin.

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

A: My most frequent work includes mixing albums and singles from stems, mastering albums and singles, and providing metadata on all audio files and deliverables.