Producer/Songwriter/Topliner

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

A: In 2023 a close friend and I rented this cottage up in the north west part of Scotland. We were literally surrounded by hills and sheep and were snowed in for days. The cottage was less than ideal for tracking as it was all hard floors and bare walls but we managed to record a full E.P that ended up sounding fantastic and full of heart.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I've just released a new artist project called Dockyard Soul Co. It's a collaboration with a good friend. We share a love for old-school soul music.

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

A: Yes, George Gleeson. He's a top lad!!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: You can't make & release music without either one so thumbs up to both.

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

A: I want you to come back to me so I will do all I can to make sure you're happy with my work.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Getting to do something I love. I used to work in construction when I was just out of school and boy that was a tough physical job.

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

A: How do I get my music on editorial playlists? Answer: graft, be consistent, make the best music you can make. Also, be intentional about asking for constructive feedback, you could save yourself years of wasted time.

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

A: Have no idea... :-) thick

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What's the end goal? What reference songs do you have.

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

A: Don't be afraid to ask questions. This is your money and song, take your time.

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

A: Neuman TLM 170, Mac & Logic Pro, apollo interface, Valhalla Verb

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

A: Aside from production and mixing, I have actually had a pretty successful artist career so far. I'm still independent and have gained over 170m streams on Spotify & Apple Music. I have also had my songs featured on TV & Film as well as branding and private marketing campaigns.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I do lean towards cinematic folk/pop. I love organic sounds.

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

A: I'd love to work with Jon Bellion, John Mayer, Foy Vance, Jill Andrews & Yebba.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Experiment with real sounds. Create your own samples and think out of the box. Also, leave automation until the end.

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

A: I have mostly worked in folk, indie pop, singer songwriter and christian.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill would be production. Instrumentally, my main instruments are piano & acoustic guitar. I'm not a shredder on guitar but can add perfectly good rhythm guitars and single note lead lines. I have also be complimented a lot on my vocal production skills. I love a polished but natural sounding vocal.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I'm a songwriter so I can work with an artist to craft their song long before we hit the record button. I love the process of helping the artist unlock ideas and vision. We do that first. Then we figure out how much or little the artist wants to be involved in the production/recording phase. I bring over 20 years of musical experience to the song. Whether it's a piano or guitar lead song, I have you covered. I can handle most of the production on a song but will outsource if that artist wants real acoustic drums, strings or other session players.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I communicate a lot with the artist throughout the process. I've been working remotely for a number of years. I really care about empowering the artist to express their opinions and creativity. I usually start with a basic piano/guitar + scratch vocal track. I then build the track up around that. I'm very much a believer in mixing as I produce, I like my song to sound as good as possible whilst I'm building out. When the musical part of the song is done, I'll then complete the main vocal track with the artist. This is always the last part of the song, unless we captured something really great at the beginning which happens from time to time. Once all the production and mixing is complete, I'll send the track off for mastering. I have a handful of mastering engineers I regularly use.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: DAW: Logic Pro X Audio Interface: UA Apollo X8P Software: Omnisphere, Keyscape, Komplete, Spitfire Libraries, Izotope Ozone 10, Izotope RX, Plugins: Everything you can think of. Waves, Fabfilter, UA, Soundtoys, Plugin Alliance Midi Controller: Keylab 61 Outboard: Neve 1037 Monitors: Barefoot MM45 Mics: Neumann TLM 170r, AKG C414 II XLR, Schoeps CMC 6 (pair), Sontronics Ribbon mic Instruments: Sauter Upright Piano, Collings OM2H, Collings CJ45 T, Fender Strat Ultra, Fender Jazz Bass, Nord Piano Guitar FX: Neural Cortex, Kemper Room: Fully treated room.

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

A: I've always been hugely inspired by John Mayer. Foy Vance, Gregory Alan Isakov & Yebba are some other artists I enjoy listening to. Recently I've diving into Nashville singer songwriter Jill Andrews. She isn't a well known artist but writes really beautiful songs and has such a wonderful vocal. Mix engineer and producer, Philip Etherington is a young guy who is really making waves in the industry. He is the mastermind behind Lizzy McAlpine's sound over the last few years.

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

A: I mostly do production & mixing and from time to time, topline vocals.