BriNg Out D Best iN uR MuZik

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I completed mixing and mastering a track this evening. The producer gave me total liberty to work the track my way. Just presented it to him this evening and his awestruck reaction to the track while it played was priceless!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital gives you the true sound while analogue adds excitement, warmth and colour. I mix both the worlds during my sessions to give you a promising new age sound with classic vintage warmth, feel and punch! I do not own any hardware analogue gear but I do use state of the art digital emulators.

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

A: If you trust my judgement and skill completely please give me my space to work with and I will deliver results that will certainly please you.

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

A: 1. "Mixing is easy... simply play with faders and gains. Tops add some eq, reverb, compression. How do you justify your time and rate?" - Mixing Is An Art! It involves "Training the ear". Its a process involving a slow learning curve. An untrained (novice) ear can fool people to believe its a simple process only to learn that it ain't matching commercial standards when played on commercial systems. Mixing being subjective adds to this misery. Every mix done by an unprofessional seems the best only to him and perhaps sounds the best only on the speakers he has mixed the track on. Sometimes he'll crib about the mix sounding bad the second day... well thats cause, it takes years of dedication and training to become a good mixing engineer. Please let the professionals do the job and give your song the credibility it deserves. Its worth the buck. If it were so easy, the industry wouldn't have spent million dollars on hiring professionals for the job! Something to think about. 2. "You claim so many hours of work but you also take so many breaks!" - Sir, if I do not take breaks from time to time I will not be able to deliver my best. Ear fatigue is a common phenomenon and there is no way to "get rid" of it. The only way out is taking breaks from time to time. And these breaks are actually facilitating the quality of your track. 3. "I want the song to sound exactly like this <reference track>" - Truthfully, It is impossible to make the song sound as a replica cause there are various factors involved! But yes, I will use it as a reference while working on your track so I know we are on the right path.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: 1. Do the stem files need treatment? if yes, be specific to the services expected from me so that I can work the estimate before I commence. 2. If the project is mix-ready, I would need a reference song to comprehend the artist's expectation. 3. If the project is exclusively for mastering, I make it a point to prepare the client that the tone of the overall track may be quite offset from his mixed track tone as I will be looking at the track solely from a mastering engineer's point of view.

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

A: 1. Get your recordings as good as you can. Hire a good studio and recording engineer for the same. its always good to work with a good recorded source rather than trying to "Fix" the recording issues. This will prevent your track from sounding the best it could! 2. Please handle the editing, vocal comping, beat syncing at your end if you decide to outsource your mixing. Send finalised stems. This will allow me to focus on the creative aspect of your track and complete your track as quick as possible unless you hire my services for the former part. 3. Be patient. Patience is virtue. I do not charge per hour since I spend more than required time to get the best results! I keep my charges as reasonable as possible. You will have to trust me on this so that i can work my space and give you the best.

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

A: Purely passion driven. Love twiddling with EQs as a kid! However, professionally I have been doing this over 8 years! Always aimed at being an exclusive mixing and mastering engineer.

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

A: All artists are welcome. All genres are welcome too! I expose myself to different musical sounds more than often to ensure fresh listening that can influence my work.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Always keep your phase off your tracks in check by comparing the stereo signal to the mono signal.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Audio Mixing & Audio Mastering

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I make the track sound as clean, clear and detailed as possible. This involves a lot of engineering during the mixing process. I strive to make the song sound tight and crisp while laying focus on the low end and vocals. I generally prefer mastering my mixes as i know what to strive for.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have fortunate to be blessed with a pair of golden ears and set of skills which has shocked my peers in the industry who refuse to believe my set up is minimalistic for the quality of output that i've attain: Macbook Pro with Logic X, MIDI controller, Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 DSP D/A converter, Yamaha HS 50s (pair) monitors, Yamaha HS 10 (sub), Behringer T-47 condenser microphone, AKG K271 MK II headphones

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

A: I am very open minded to music and music professionals. Every professional has his own insight, style and set of expertise that he brings to the table.

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

A: Too many to quote but I would say this; There has always been something exciting in every project undertaken that has made me anxious about the end result. Probably what has driven me passionately from start to end.

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

A: I am new to SoundBetter so I am yet to make new connections.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: There is something fresh to listen, learn and experiment everyday!

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

A: Q. "There are a plethora of audio engineers who will be willing to the mix for way lower a price, can you match their rate?" A: Please hire someone who best suits your budget and expectations. As for me, my charges come from years of experience and expertise. There was a time when I charged less too. Those days are way behind me... Q. "Can you deliver the file as quick as possible" A. Yes i can, although i wouldn't recommend it. I'd request you to trust me with time the same way you trust me with your project. I love my job and i love doing it thoroughly to my satisfaction before I send it across.

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

A: Laptop, SoundCard, Monitors, Headphones & a Midi Controller

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Clean and audible.

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

A: I have previously worked on Pop, Electronic, Acoustic, Ballads, Jazz, and fusion.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: 1. Open all the unprocessed stems in the DAW. 2. Listen to the rough mix a couple of times while carefully understanding the stems and client's requirements. 3. Arrange the stems as per my preference 4. Tackle/Treat every stem for its transients and tonality. 5. Mix the project 6. Compare to the rough mix 7. Do necessary changes if required. 8. Prepare for mastering. 9. Run necessary processes to tighten the track and bring it to broadcast level 10. Compare with commercial tracks and alter if needed.

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

A: Audio Mixing & Audio Mastering