Mixing + Production

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

A: Should I send dry or wet stems? And I'd say we work on it until we get it right. Instrumental tracks should be wet and vocals a dry and wet version. Make sure nothing is clipping and any unintentional noise and glitches removed. Send your rough mix with the multitrack or stems.

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

A: Talk to one another about music before any work commences. A half hour on Zoom or email to discuss favourite music and ambitions for the song is the ideal scenario for me. Make sure all stems and rough mix is at a point everyone is happy with.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Full production, mix and master on an EP for a local artist Starsky with songs included in new Jenna Ortega movie 'Winter, Spring, Summer Or Fall' and various mixes of a new album by MEDALS and a new Invisibles album full production, writing and mixing.

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

A: Little Win 'Open Hearts And Magic'. I wrote, performed, produced and mixed this album for vocalist Marianne Fraser who now has a band performing the songs live.

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

A: Chris Sheldon

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

A: We work on the song until it feels magic.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Feeling the music and making what someone dreams up a reality.

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

A: To be honest I feel I'm very respected for my work and people know it's vocational for me and I consider myself very fortunate.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How do you want the song to feel? What's your favourite song right now?

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog in the way in for some tone and grit and digital for the ease of recalls and revisions.

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

A: Laptop, Interface, Microphone, Keyboard, Sansamp

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

A: All my life as a songwriter / performer simultaneously doing production and engineering from 16 track tape and analog mixers to now. Educated to degree level and major label album releases.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: 80's influenced with a modern punch, clarity and space.

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

A: Griff and Holly Humberstone both incredible lyricists and phrasing and melody writers.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Get the tempo right!

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

A: Pop and Pop-Rock.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Arrangement, good taste, technical knowledge and experience. I can play guitar, bass, drums, piano and sing and have a great instinct for what a song needs or doesn't need.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Focus, heart, feel and emotion.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Finding the heart of the song and everything else follows from there. I have a routing template that I load all stems into and gain stage and do any corrections then start mixing.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: 2 PCs running Pro Tools and Reaper with various multi channel interfaces. 50 mic collection. Multiple analog mixing desks. Dozens of fx pedals and instruments. Fender guitars and basses. Ludwig drums. 100s of plug ins.

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

A: Griff, Holly Humberstone, Neil Finn as writers/performers. In terms of mixing, mastering, production Bob Clearmountain, Robin Schmidt, Manny Marroquin.

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

A: Full production, mix and mastering. Working with stems to build upon and arranging and adding other instrumentation.