Session Guitarist - Production

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

A: Yes! Jordan Perlson, Kyle May, Marcus Finnie, Peter Ferguson, Chris McQueen, Reed Pittman, Mike Severs, Bob Lanzetti, Dennis Holt, Derek Phillips.

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

A: I recorded with the Nashville Symphony on a newly commissioned work "Her Story" composed by Pulitzer Prize winner Julia Wolfe. If you can imagine playing electric guitar with an orchestra on some of the hardest music you've ever seen in your life with Giancarlo Guerrero conducting, it was all that and more..lol. Back in 2019 I played with Brian Blade at the Smithsonian in Washington DC. I grew up listening to his "Perceptual" album, so that was quite a surreal moment for me.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I just recorded guitar on 5 new songs for Christian artist Don Moen. Don was a pioneer of CCM back in the day, so it was fun to work with him. I'm about to perform "Encanto" with both the St Louis Symphony and Nashville Symphony.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! Take advantage of anything and everything as long as it serves the song and artist.

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

A: You will be happy, and you will walk away with a great product and great experience.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The joy music brings people.

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

A: Do you sing? No.

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

A: The female stereotypes might get in the way. I'm not a singer who dabbles in guitar. I'm a guitarist with more than two decades worth of touring, performing, and recording experience.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Who are your favorite bands? Do you have any specific references and influences in mind for this project? Where can I hear your music? And more specifically--what is the bpm and sample rate?

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

A: Be sure your track is ready for guitar before you send it to me. I once had someone send a track that only had programmed strings on it-no drums, vox, bass, or anything (sigh). I also realize it can be somewhat difficult to describe what you're looking for. This is where references are extremely helpful. Spotify playlists etc are great! I promise to be patient and help you translate the sound in your head into reality. I'm always happy to zoom, email or talk on the phone. The more communication the better.

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

A: 71' Gibson Les Paul, Gibson 335, 69 Fender Deluxe, Roger Mayer Octavia, King Of Tone OD

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

A: I've been playing guitar for 30 years. That's a long story.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Wes Montgomery meets Larry Carlton meets Jimmy Page meets Josh Homme and throw in an octave fuzz for good measure.

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

A: I would love to play on a Terence Blanchard opera at the Met in NYC. I would also love to be the featured performer on a newly commissioned classical piece. I also want to play with Lady Gaga's jazz big band.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: When tracking stereo guitar parts it helps to utilize two different mic pre's. This provides a subtle amount of separation for wider sounding tracks. If I'm recording with a lot of reverb or delay- this happens in the CCM genre, I often send another clean track just in case the mixer wants more creative freedom. I like to apply the Dimension C on aux tracks to add some subtle flavor to guitar tracks.

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

A: Contemporary Christian music, choral print music, movie scores, video games, jazz, jazz big band, fusion, rock, the occasional singer-songwriter project.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I play a lot of styles - jazz, rock, commercial, acoustic. You name it! And, randomly, I read music exceptionally well for a guitar player. This comes in handy in video game and movie world.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: So many things. I can be the glue that holds the whole musical structure together whether that's a basic rhythm track or part that's felt more than heard. Or I can be the hook, sound, or spark that brings the whole thing to life. I can play a guitar solo that lifts everything to another level or play something understated and mellow. However, the most important thing is that I bring musicality and taste. I have the experience to know and channel what the client wants, so they walk away with a great product and experience.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I typically set up my protools templates and gear the night before. That includes downloading and uploading stems or the entire session. I double check that all the instrument stems and click line up correctly. I might even pick out which mic pre's I want to use. I'll also set up mics, guitars, amps the night before. That way I'm completely focused on the music when I start recording. When I do begin recording I typically check out any references sent and take my time finding the right sounds and right parts appropriate to the style of music. I usually do stereo tracked guitar parts to help make the entire track bigger. But it's primarily about finding parts and hooks that build on and compliment each other as well as the vocal. At the end of the process one of my biggest things is to absolutely double check the tuning and intonation, double check for clean edits/fades/clipping, and double check that everything is bounced at the correct sample rates, correct volume, and correct panning.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I use protools with an Apollo twin. For mic pre's I use the UAD Neve 1073 plugin or the UAD API Vision channel strip. I also utilize the Empirical Labs Distressor or 1176 Limiter. I sometimes monitor reverb and delay with various UAD plugin options. I have different amps/cabs that I mic directly with an SM57, but, depending on the genre, I might also use my 2 Note Torpedo for cab simulation. For acoustic I use a Soyuz FET 13 condenser mic. When I'm working on sync tracks I program using Ominisphere, Arcade, and EZ Drummer.

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

A: Led Zeppelin, Queens of the Stoneage, Wes Montgomery, Pat Metheny, Miles Davis, Count Basie, Larry Carlton, Mike Post, Jeff Beck, Steve Lukather, Michael Landau, Royal Blood, Beastie Boys, Killing Joke, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Neil Young, CSNY, Joni Mitchell, Elevation, Maverick City, CeCe Winans.

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

A: I record remote guitar tracks via protools; primarily electric and acoustic guitars including archtop-acoustic, classical guitar, and baritone guitar. I can also record ukulele, banjo (ganjo), and mandolin. I typically work in rock, jazz, video game, movie score, and occasionally classical genres.