Jazz session guitar, engineer

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

A: I played drums on and co mixed and mastered all of Asanabenche's music that is out so far. I think it is one of the most incredible and unique bands I have ever witnessed and I'm very proud of everything we have done.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I have a jazz quartet and I am writing, recording and producing our 6 song ep at the moment. I'm also mixing two out of Asanabenche's four new upcoming releases.

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

A: I just found out about SoundBetter not that long ago, so I don't know anyone on it yet, but it seems like a great site where you can find lots of incredible options for who you want to make your music with.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. I think when you have the money or access to analog gear and you know how to use it it's certainly better. That being said, the access is rare, digital is more efficient and in today's day and age of things needing come out fast, digital wins. I also am just very fluent in pro tools and have a great system down when it comes to digital recording.

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

A: I always promise 100% effort and something that we will be proud of together. All of our names are going to go on this piece of art at the end of the process and I would never let it go out to the public without everyone being happy and proud of what we are putting out there.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The creative aspect of it. Being able to create music and in the mix process create the musical landscape and emotion that goes with a song is beautiful. I'd say getting to play is also one of the things I enjoy most.

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

A: Can we add blank? or how fast will it be done? I always say yes we can add anything because I want the client to be happy and I can usually find a player that plays blank if I don't play it myself. I usually tell my clients if it's something that I'm recording and mixing to give me 3-4 weeks.

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

A: People think it's just sitting at a computer making beats all day and dancing and messing around with your friends. In reality it's very hard work that consists of a lot of repetitive tasks and detailed listening.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are some specific things you want included in this song? Are you looking for a more modern sound or something a bit more retro? What artists inspired this song? Who do you most want to sound like without ripping their thing off? What inspires you to create music? Are you comfortable with everything coming through your headphones? How does it sound to you?

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

A: Be specific with what you want. If you go in without expectations or a clear direction it is hard for us to know exactly what you want. This usually results in us making creative decisions that you don't like because you weren't specific enough in your desires. If we know exactly what you want, something like: I want a dua lipa style pop song with congas and a tamborine, it's easier for us to make that. We don't want descriptions like I want a pop song because that can be so many things.

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

A: Guitar, Small interface (assuming I have electricity), a microphone, a computer, and bongos.

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

A: I'm just starting my career. I graduate from Berklee in December and I have an incredible skill set I've developed there, so although I may not be the most experienced, I do have a lot of experience for my age and a lot of knowledge.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Jazz influenced everything else. I will make music of pretty much any style. In fact I'm one of the four founders of the bird music genre. But usually whatever I do has jazz influence even if it is hip hop.

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

A: From a purely musical perspective I would want to work Moises P Sanchez because he is a genius. I would love to produce a Michael Jackson style artist though I feel I could bring a lot to elevating that sound and modernizing it.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Yes! Make sure you make as many adjustments as you can during your recording process because it makes the mixing process sooooo much easier. Micing things right is a start, but even once you've miced things and are listening back you can make eq adjustments, compressions adjustments, or whatever you think the song needs using your ear. This way, when you go to mix you already have some ideas that are pushing the song in the right direction.

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

A: Jazz is my love and I work on that a lot, but I have experience with old school R&B, pop and alternative rock. I used to work mostly on pop and alt rock until I fell in love with jazz three years ago.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My ability to just create on the spot. Even when I only knew three chords on guitar I would just create songs out of nowhere. Now with the skillset I have I can be a rapid creator in multiple genres, song forms, and groove styles. I'd say an equally strong skill is my ability to communicate with both musicians and producers. I get how both of them work and think, so when I'm playing one of those roles it is very easy for me to understand the needs of the other and how to make the product sound good.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I have deep knowledge of harmony and lots of songwriting and performance experience, so something I'm great at is hearing a song and knowing exactly what I want to do to improve it both in the musical aspect and in the sonic landscape. I have studied with some of the greatest professors in the country and have gotten really valuable insight into what makes a song attractive to the listener and what separates genres. I am also just a very creative person and know what I think sounds good and know how to develop a story. I always try to keep the story and emotional aspect of songs in tact. I love most when a song doesn't have lyrics but we still have to tell a complex story with just melody, harmony and rhythm.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I like to wake up around 9 and head straight to the studio to write and record. I find myself to be most productive in the morning and early afternoon, so I try to do as much as I can in those windows. Some days I'm just going in to be creative but a lot of days I have a recording plan that consists of me setting up first of all, which usually only takes 30 minutes to an hour. I record a scratch instrument, usually guitar, that is to a click and that sets the right vibe for the song. Then I do as many drum takes as I need until I'm satisfied that I have enough to comp together into a near perfect take. From there I just build everything off of the drums. Of course if the track doesn't have drums then I'll try to start with the most rhythmic instrument. If it is a band then I have them record together so that we can get the feel and tightness right. I will still comp together takes after, but ultimately the band has to sound good. I also spend my work days mixing things I have already recorded and I must practice guitar for at least 2 hours.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a 24 input PreSonus interface, many mics of almost all kinds. The only kind I don't have is ribbons, but I can still record 8 mic drums, guitar and bass through an amp or DI, piano or keyboard and I've even done horns. It's located in Santa Monica on a beautiful property and it's a great place to get creatively inspired. I've made at least 20 records there that are out on streaming, so it already has some magic in there.

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

A: Musicians wise I love Bill Evans, Barry Galbraith, Joe Mulholland, and many more jazz guys. From. a production standpoint I love guys who can do it all. Tom Misch, for example, does everything from playing to mastering and still produces professional quality work which is really inspiring and high level.

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

A: I mostly play guitar or drums on people's records, but I almost equally record and mix records for people. Being in and around berklee its very common that I get asked to play on things and relatively common that I get asked to mix.