Live & VST, Arrange & Record

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

A: Tuomas Norjanen, composer. Jonas Petersen, composer/producer, Roniit for ethereal vocals.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Being creative. I've gained the power over the years to really help tell stories with my art. It makes me really happy to work with someone and what I add can help intensify the original intentions and expectations they had for their music.

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

A: The misconceptions are more in the realm of incomplete picture of the possibilities, and that's just from a long history of pop arrangers watering down the string sound from orchestral playing. Modern tech gives us so many more options. Think about everything a voice can do, everything from solo to choral. Strings are similar. We can be dry and close-miced as well. (Ariana's last album was a great example of this)

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Is there a demo, do you have parts already written? How long and how many parts do you need?

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

A: My first arrangement and recording was a 6-song EP when I was 12. As for performing, I started at 8 on violin, switched to cello at 12, played jazz guitar, flute briefly, studied piano during my cello performance degree. All by choice, it wasn't a tiger mom thing like a lot of string players. I started out strictly in an orchestral setting, but now rarely play in orchestras, unless it's a scoring session. Most of my work is for remote clients, or small ensemble/pop performances.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I know it sounds really cheesy but my strongest skill is my love for what I do, even when I'm busy, sick, tired, etc. If you have serious commitment, all other skills flow from that. I'll stay up until sunrise to make things right if I'm on a tight deadline. Nothing is ever just "good enough". That thing people say, "you do one thing like you do everything" really resonates with me.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I'd like to think I write in a way that is uniquely my own. I like to write and arrange with the mix in mind so I'm not just playing strings I'm painting into the spaces in the mix. I can bring warmth, a lot of string arranging is all about warming things up, but I do a lot of FX and sound design type stuff too.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I never write down what I'm going to arrange, I can hear a clear picture and know the textures and voicing in my head before I lay things down, so once I start a project, I usually do everything in one go or at least until I've put all of my brainstorming down. Then I go back and rerecord, refine. For me, the best stuff happens in flow.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Space is mostly hardwood; exposed drywall treated with Rockwool 60 and 80. Mics are Neumann TLM 103 and Gefell 300 M. Interface is Clarett 18i8. Intel i9-12900kf Mac/PC. 2 Acoustic Cellos, 1 electric cello, 1 violin, 1 viola, several guitars, mandolin, bass, standard novation MIDI controller. Software is Logic and PT, Up-to-date Kontakt. I have a ton of libraries but for string production my most used plugins are Autotune, Soothe 2, JJP, Fabfilter dynamic EQ & verb. VSTs include CSS Chamber and solo, Spitfire Chamber, Solo, Albion, OA Evolutions, OA Composer Toolkit, and many many more!

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

A: Big fan of the seasoned pros who post online tutorials for free. Youtube is collectively my treasure trove of info.

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

A: Some common requests include replacing MIDI strings with live ones. I also arrange from scratch and improvise. I love to get a full section gig and just paint with the strings. Every new project I get is like a blank canvas.

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

A: Love, quality, perfectionism, flexibility. I don't stop until things are right.

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

A: My easiest and most streamlined work is when I get a wav with embedded tempo map, or mp3 with audible click, plus pdf parts and clear performance notes with required sample rate, etc. If anything is left out, that's fine, it will just increase delivery time.

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

A: The thought of sand and salty air on equipment makes me cringe. Can I take an anechoic chamber?

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

A: There is never a typical setting. I can do orchestral, cinematic, hip hop, rock, pop, indie, folk.... really anything.