Indie / Folk Music Producer

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

A: I was proud of my work on Natalie Del Carmen's "What Should've Been (By Now)" mainly because of the super fast turn around the project had to have. We had a little under two weeks to not only produce the entire track with some rewrites and arranging, but schedule the session players and extra engineers for a full day of tracking. Being the producer of that track really allowed my networking and organizational skills to shine through and get all of the tracking needed in a quick 10 hour session! A full band of Bass, Guitar, Drums (which I played), Piano with overdubs in Acoustic Guitar, Pedal Steel, Harmonica, Fiddle, and Mandolin. It was a packed day with some stressful moments, but it was the blueprint for what I wanted every production to be. Simple, Creative, and Powerful

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I've got a bunch of smaller gigs coming in and out of my studio alongside a couple of Albums in the works! Some in the pre-production phase, others finishing the mixing stage. The more music I can work on the better I can get. I also teach young musicians in and around Nashville when I have the time!

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

A: So many of the Producers, Engineers, and Players on SoundBetter are people I've studied and looked up to. Of course I would recommend any client of mine to any of their services (if they were available!). There are plenty of geniuses among us everywhere, and a lot of them on on this site! It's why I signed up to be a part of SoundBetter!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! Having a hybrid workflow allows you to be able to record the coolest sounds with the ability to chop, resample, edit, and completely change on a dime! However if I had to pick. I'd have to go digital. Simply because of its ability to change with each artist and their creative flow.

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

A: Your vision will be defined, and you'll be proud of what you hear. While there are certain moments to let the more "commercial" ideas in production shine through, they should never get in the way of your vision. I will make sure that you will leave with a clear, clean, concise track ready for anyone to enjoy. Most importantly, yourself.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love being able to inspire artist and give them the courage to try new things. I'll have artist and musicians come to me with this idea of how music works from other producer and I absolutely love looking at them and saying "we don't have to do it like that at all!" I can always explore a new way to make a track and it usually makes a much more interesting final product!

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

A: "Can we fix it in the Mixing Stage?" The short answer, totally. We can move anything around with the amazing technology at our fingertips. The long answer, I highly recommend to retain from that mentality. Especially in music you cannot lie to the listener, they will be able to hear right through your pitch correction and time quantization. Intention is the strongest part of a performance. Don't try to add it in later, it just won't work.

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

A: That a set time line can easily lead to finished product. The nature of people and the way they work is different for every situation and that's the energy you need to capture. It could mean spending more time in pre-production and re-working the track before recording, or it could mean doing the project all at once to solidify a specific sound or feeling. A simple timeline can't quite understand the creative process.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How big do you want to go? What scale do you want your project to be? Is it for your family and friends or are you trying to get industry attention? There's plenty more question I could ask, but these are the most important to me. The type of track you make needs to have a focus on who it's for. You can't get a hit if you never aim!

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

A: Make sure you're willing to dedicate yourself to the mental effort you have to put into a track. Music is a special kind of medium that really calls on you to be introspective. A lot of times that much thinking and reflection can be heavy, especially on tracks that are close to the heart. As long as you're willing to grow with your track and add new perspectives and ideas you can make something truly breathtaking.

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

A: A good all around mic, computer with a good A/D converter, great speakers, and a synth that can double as a midi keyboard. With all of these simple piece you can create absolutely anything and everything. I suppose I should've added a water powered generator though!

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

A: Music Production has always been my career path. Ever since I was a kid I would work on music for myself and my friends. After working for over 10 years of my life to develop myself to be better and better for my artist, working toward a chart topping sound with the character of each artist at the center, is what it means to be a producer to me.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I try to let a project flow with whatever might come at it. To me, that's what makes a project unique and special. The problems that may arise with each session and how you combat them are what drive the energy of a track to being soulful and honest to itself. Striving for a perfect balance of personality and a competitive sound.

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

A: It would be a dream of mine to work with Jelly Roll. He's a risk taker, hard-worker, and beautiful soul. No matter where we would be, something beautiful would come out of it. We could be in some small town dive or a five star studio and write an absolute banger!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Always bet on people. No matter how good the theory might seem, or how perfect a sound might be, if the people working on your project don't feel something from what they've done. You've failed the listener. At the end of the day the theory and music technology are just the tools we have to extrapolate that emotion. Not the means to an end!

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

A: Being in Nashville, Americana / Folk / Country are my bread and butter. The ability to discover talent and bring them all together for one amazing session is the beauty of the genre. Making the magic a microphone captures is the real name of the game. Finding a group of people who cultivate an artists mindset into a sonic ride is what people listen for!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I am a strong visionary. I can see a final product and all of the necessary steps to take to get to that vision. I have the ability to see what my artist see, but quantize the pathway to their vision to make it a reality.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Being a producer of many hats, I bring various perspectives to every aspect of the production process. I make sure that the harmony, physics, and emotion of a track all come together in the end to deliver that goosebump moment!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Understanding what an artist wants their audience to feel is imperative to a fantastic track, and the only way you can accomplish that is taking the time to explore. I make sure every artist I work with in any facet feels the adventure of generating a track hand in hand with me. Every mic choice, plugin, summing bus, and lyric is all a part of the pathway to the vision in the artist head. I make sure that vision becomes a reality.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio has two beautiful spaces for production, mixing, and creative development. My Studio A has a full 24 channel recording console (Audient 8024) complete with a beautiful live room and multiple iso-booths for any kind of workflow. My Studio B has a amazing digital console (Digidesign C24) with its own recording room for any smaller production or overdub session.

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

A: I strive to producer and problem solve like Susan Rodger (Producer of Prince), aim for sonic quality of Vance Powell (Engineer to Chris Stapleton's "Traveller"), and inspire creativity like Pharrell Williams (producer of just about everything!)

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

A: Production, Mixing, and Playing. though I also do Songwriting and Lyric writing with the occasional production lesson here and there!