Composer/Musician/Mix Engineer

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

A: I did a jingle for Monkey Shoulder Whisky a couple of years back. They wanted 'Oh Yeah' by Yellow but the license was too much. I developed a similar track with 'Monkey' sung in the same, comically dulcet way and a backing track to compliment both a 60 sec and 30 sec visual. The client loved it, I really felt massively satisfied about nailing the brief. It was a silly track, but sometimes that's what does the job!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: After recording a cinematic album a couple of years ago I have subsequently found myself developing the story into a full screenplay. Yep, I'm making a movie. It's a crazy world!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Whatever the client needs and has budget for. Every project has different requirements and restrictions.

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

A: I will keep working until you are completely satisfied. (Excl. pre-authorised kill-fee.)

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: That myself and my clients are both doing something we love. Every job starts on a positive.

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

A: Q: Would you do a discount for a bulk of work? A: Yes. Absolutely. Let's chat.

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

A: That we work for peanuts because it is enjoyable.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: - How close is the track / project to your final vision as it stands right now? - Are all the parts final or are you looking to replace certain things?

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

A: Make sure you have a very clear idea of what you want the provider to do. One person's version of 'play some guitar on this' will differ vastly from the someone else's. Get familiar with basic terms for meter and pitch. Whatever you're hiring someone for, give examples of groove, tone, and melody where appropriate.

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

A: 1. A Bosendorfer Imperial 290 Grand Piano. 2. My Manouche Gypsy Jazz acoustic. 3. Nuraphone 4. Beer fridge 5. A seaplane to get off the island. That's actually the retirement plan!

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

A: I began cutting my teeth live at 12 years old, playing interval piano at jazz gigs. Through my teens I joined several outfits, playing club gigs and then escalating into tours of theatres, festivals, and corporate events. Playing larger venues sparked my interest in the technical side of sound and venue design. I shadowed FOH and learned the essentials of mixing live sound. This sparked into a fascination of recording, mixing, and music production. Through my twenties I gained clients for mixing, and composition, as well as continuing on the live scene. Fast forward to present day I have over a decade of composition, mixing, and production experience; and 25 years as a live and session player. Showing my age now!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Progressive.

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

A: Guthrie Govan. The guy is just indestructible. I would relish being able to throw anything at him and listening to the magic that comes out.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Headroom! Your mix should be peaking around -8dB. Don't worry that it's quiet, mastering will take care of this. Just make sure your mix is breathing nicely.

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

A: I work on all styles of music. When I can grab a day or so do indulge my own writing it usually delivers something very progressive, instrumental, melody lead, with some rhythmic and harmonic surprises along the way.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Communication. Music is, by nature, a a language which everyone understands. In order to be speaking the same dialect as a client, I will ensure we have communicated (non musically) to the point where I share their vision for the project.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Fire. Passion. Depth.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Composition - I'll take time to absorb the brief and listen to the guide tracks supplied. A lot of the time its about emulating these textures and then structuring a befitting melody & harmony afterwards. Guitar & Piano - There's a great quote from Wynton Marsalis. Someone asked hims "Do you think music is for the player, or for the listener?" to which he responded "Always for the listener, but the first listener IS the player." This is key for developing good parts for songs, always be in the listener's mindset. If I'm feeling particularly self indulgent and I have a pop ballad to do I'll usually step away from it for a couple of hours to calm down. Once you're seeing eye-to-eye with the song it is then just a case of letting your playing flow.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: By nature I'm very much a 'do as much as you can with as little as possible' sort of person - I think that stems from early years playing beaten up old pianos in venues with keys missing! I have a degree in Physics, so my approach is to use my understanding of wave harmonics and acoustics to manipulate sound, rather than chuck loads of plugins/gear at something right away. As a result my personal setup is quite minimalistic. Clear, flat response monitors in a clear, balanced room. Midas in & out. Let the music do the work.

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

A: Musicians are too many to list, and I keep discovering new ones! Main highlights are in my profile. Producers? For me, Quincy Jones. His unique approach to layering organic sounds to balance EQ spectrums was absolute genius. I don't think I've heard richer sounding records than the ones he's done.

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

A: Corporate clients are largely after composition, with the occasional bit of voice-over mixing. Private / independent clients tend to need assistance with mixing and production to get their tracks to sound 'finished'. Sometimes I'll get a call from someone who just wants me to wail a solo on a track. All good fun!