Production, Mixing, Mastering

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I have a fantastically talented assistant. He imports the files into Logic/Pro Tools, cleans up the edits, tunes the vocals, quantizes and replaces/adds drum samples where necessary. Then I come into the picture. When the song is all in time and in tune. In a typical band production (for example) - I will start with the drums - they are the skeleton of the song. The drums need to sound awesome before anything else. Then I mix in the bass, followed by guitars. I have a massive collection of vintage synths (Moog, Roland, Korg, Yamaha, Dave Smith, Nord, Waldorf, Oberheim.....) and a huge library of samples (from Project Sam, Spitfire, East West, Heaviocity….), so where applicable I usually add/enhance/replace synths and samples (e.g. - strings). I will then work on the vocals as the final crowning jewel.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: It’s crazy busy. I am currently producing, mixing and mastering tracks for clients from Tokyo, Milan, Miami, London, Toronto…. Its an exciting time!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Some music just sounds better analog and alternatively some music, especially bass heavy music like hip hop or dubstep, can benefit from digital processing. It’s a question of having the choice of both worlds. My workflow allows me to make that decision at a relatively late stage - I can decide right at the end of the process whether to present the client with either an analog or digital mix.

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

A: That I will mix their song, as if it were my own.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The music and client satisfaction.

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

A: What I think of their song. I tell them the truth.

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

A: That anyone with a laptop can do it.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How the song was recorded, what daw etc. What is your vision for the song/project?

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

A: My Moog modular, Prophet 8, Avalon 737, Neumann 87 and my DAW (Logic).

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

A: One particular highlight was working on the Remix of the track ‘Papa Was A Rolling Stone’ by the incredible Phil Collins (which can be found/heard on my SoundBetter profile). My role included programming, playing the keys and mixing the song, which was a very exciting experience personally, having been a fan of Phil Collin’s music for many years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Contemporary. Powerful.

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

A: Nile Rodgers. He is an amazing songwriter and producer.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If everything is in time and in tune, mixing is easy.

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

A: I most regularly work on Pop, Rnb, EDM, Rock, Singer songwriter, Indie. However, over the past 20 plus years, I have had the pleasure of working on a huge and diverse array of differing genres of music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Listening

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Objectivity, an experienced pair of ears and ultimately, whatever supports the vision of the artist. And most importantly, I make it sound great!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Logic Pro X, PT 11 HD, Waves Mercury, Slate Digital, LOTS of analog synths, 5.1 Genelec monitors, Neumann mics, Avalon preamps, TL Audio analog summing mixer....

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

A: David Bowie, Nile Rodgers, Pharrell Williams, Butch Vig, Hans Zimmer, Tony Visconti, Rick Rubin, Vince Clarke.

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

A: Production, Mixing and Mastering.