Synths & Strings for Metal

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

A: The debut Katalyse single 'Drowning in the Dark' - it was the song that made me believe that I have the ability to make high quality arrangements for not just my own music, but for other artists too.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Arranging strings for the remainder of The Masquerade's debut album, and synths for some more Katalyse songs.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital purely out of convenience. I would love to play all the instruments myself but I simply either do not own them or know how to play them, and hiring a real orchestra to perform the parts I write would be amazing, but that's a goal for when I have the facilities for that.

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

A: I will work to the best of my ability to enhance the sound of your music with sounds and instruments that compliment the rest of the song's arrangement, whilst also achieving the desired vibe of the music.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Meeting different exciting artists to work with and having the opportunity to create something awesome with them.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Do you want epic sounding music but feel like your vocals, guitar, bass, drums setup just isn't cutting it? Are you going for a modern, ambient, gothic or cinematic vibe?

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

A: If you have an idea of what you want, be as specific as possible when describing it to me. The more accurately I can convert your ideas into the work I do, the fewer revisions necessary, and the sooner you can get the finished product.

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

A: Assuming there are power outlets (since this is all hypothetical): my phone, MacBook Pro, Line 6 Pod Go, Ibanez 5 string bass, and LTD 7 string guitar (all with chargers and cables included, not including them would be too nit-picky).

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

A: I have been arranging harmonies for strings and vocals since I was 17 as part of my education, which made my interest in music theory grow and helped me develop perfect pitch. My love of bands like architects led me to experimenting with adding synths to one of my metal band's songs while I was recovering from an illness, and here we are today.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Baroque-esque with modern influences.

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

A: Architects - they were the band that first inspired me to do what I do.

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

A: Heavy metal.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: having a good ear for harmonic arrangements.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Extra harmonic and textural layers that strengthens a song's quality and enhances the listener's experience.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: The client sends me their song, I outline the structure in my DAW, I make notes on what sounds/instruments would work best in different parts of the song, then I go through the song from start to finish and add what I feel suits the music best, then I send to the client and offer revisions.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Logic Pro X

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

A: Architects, Spiritbox, Sleep Token, Lorna Shore

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

A: Adding synthesisers or orchestral elements to heavy metal music.