Mix/Master Engineer, Guitarist

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

A: My own album that is set for release, I have written, recorded and produced the whole album and played every instrument as well as sang on it.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Releasing a personal album and I am hoping to create an album of lo-fi hip hop tracks as I have found it to help people who suffer from anxiety to relax as well as helping people who suffer from ADHD to focus on tasks and not become distracted as easily and I would love to know that my music was helping people.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog is just more fun. But there are some digital emulations now that sound fantastic and you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

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

A: I promise you that by the final master, you will have a track that will sound like it was made for the radio.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Listening to different peoples music and new up and coming artists. People's feedback when they hear their final mix.

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

A: Can you make my vocals sound good? The answer is yes as long as you are roughly in tune and in the right key.

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

A: That there is a correct way of doing something. Music is a matter of taste and if you try and please everyone then you will end up pleasing nobody. I aim to produce something that sounds good to you. If it sounds good to you, the chances are that it will sound good to others.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Who are your musical influences? Do you have a reference track that you want your track to sound like?

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

A: Hire Me! Joking of course but make sure that the work that they have done previously suits what you are looking for. In my case, I will mix and master your first track completely free if you are one of my first 5 clients, so you can decide yourself if I am suitable for you or not.

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

A: Assuming that I needed to be able to record a song it would have to be a Fender Acoustasonic Jazzmaster (Not ideal but it gives me acoustic and electric guitar tones in one package), MacBook (For recording, mixing and mastering), Midi Keyboard (To add various other instruments to the track), Shure SM7B (Fantastic Vocal microphone), Universal Audio Apollo twin (Audio interface to get the sounds onto the computer). Of course this is assuming that there is power and I am allowed my cables for free but if I had that, I think I could produce some fantastic sounding tunes. Otherwise it's just a good old Gibson J45, a notebook and a pen.

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

A: I started off writing myself own songs, mixing and mastering them, they are scheduled for release in October. I have recently started a music production company and am looking for artists to work with. This is why I am offering a first mix and master free of charge so that I can build a customer base and have some samples to share with future clients.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Vocals and guitar at the forefront, everything else is there to complement it.

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

A: It would be a dream to work with Noel Gallagher, I love his music, love his attitude to songwriting and just his general outlook on life. I also love Johnny Marr, the man is a fantastic guitarist and I like what he stands for, all round cool guy.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: There is no substitute for a good recording. Good prep always leads to a better sound. Mixing and mastering is to make something that already sounds good sound great.

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

A: Indie rock and Acoustic singer/songwriter songs

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Giving each section of a song it's own space as well as vocal mixing.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A great sense of space, making sure that each segment of the track sits nicely and works well with each other, avoiding any muddiness, boominess or shrillness in the overall sound.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Firstly I set the levels for each track as a kind of rough mix, then I like to EQ and pan each track accordingly to make sure each track sits nicely in the mix and has space. Once I have a nice sounding rough mix, I will add various effects to different tracks to mould the sound that I am looking for and clean up anything that doesn't sit well as well as introducing new instruments if necessary. Once mixed I will master the track as a whole to give the tonality and space that suits the song. Then I will send you the track for feedback and make any adjustments as required.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Small Personal studio with various equipment, professional microphones, 9 different guitars for a variety of different tones, bass guitar, midi keyboard for various other instruments. Use Logic Pro on a Mac for mixing and mastering, have hundreds of plug ins for a variety of applications, all bases covered.

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

A: Noel Gallagher, Dave Grohl and Kurt Cobain

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

A: Mixing and Mastering as well as introducing other instruments and effects to create a nice balanced soundscape with room for each element to sit clearly.