Music Producer

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

A: It has to be when I recorded with Vangelis back in 2008 at the Sierra Studios. We recorded a choir of 45 singers for the soundtrack of the Polish movie 'Swiadectwo'. We used headphones for all the singers, and we had set up Bluemlein Pairs Mics for each vocal group: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. We also added a Bluemlein Pair for the whole choir and then one extra for the room. I am a big fan of Vangelis music, so working with him was definitely one of the finest moments I can recall in a studio.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Any project that I am working on is classified and I can’t talk about it until it gets released.

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

A: If you want to make some good sounding music without breaking the bank then you should check out Andreas Stergios.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Of course analog, for its warm sound. Digital sounds too clean, boring and dull.

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

A: If you pick experienced professionals that are successful and recognised for their work then you will get the best possible outcome.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I am so excited with every new project I work on. It doesn’t feel like a job actually!

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

A: A lot of people ask me what is Stem Mastering. So I have uploaded a video where I explain what it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80l3yhgaEhs (don’t forget to turn on English subtitles)

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

A: You can’t have Cheap and Fast and Good at the same time. You will get more than Good with me, but that comes with a price.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Three things: 1. What is the target group of our project? 2. Why are we doing this? What lead you to begin with this project? 3. How do we want to sound like? Find good reference productions.

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

A: I can fix your pitch. I can fix your timing. I can fix all sorts of stuff but I can’t fix emotion. Put that in there, and I’ll figure the rest out.

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

A: My iLok, Blue MoFi, Neve 1081, AKG C12 and the Avalon 2044.

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

A: I have been recording music for more than 16 years. At 17 I earned a scholarship for the High College of Music Technology and Acoustics in Crete which was 4 years. During that time I also worked as a sound engineer for the Rockwave festivals (2001 and 2004). In 2000 I began my first music productions at Studio G&S in Rethymno and later on at the biggest studio complex in Greece, the Sierra Studios in Athens. Later on in 2004 I graduated with honors and a degree in “Production and Sound Seminars - Mixing is Art”.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: More like a chameleon… I adapt to what best fits the song.

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

A: I want to work with any artist that has a deep respect to his music, loves his craft and is willing to devote himself to it.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Here are two tips for recording vocals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGg-e8LguNc (Don’t forget to turn on the English subtitles).

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

A: Pop, Rock and Hip-Hop.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I am always interested in revolutionary software and new techniques so if you want something fresh I am your man. I like to do what others say it can’t be done.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Punch, power, dynamics, analog warm sound, clear bass, airy highs that don’t fatigue.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I discuss a lot with the artists I work with about the direction they want their sound to go to. I am always looking for what best fits the song. I just love researching, find new sounds and also gather good reference productions. So once there is a clear vision between the client and me of how the project should sound like, then it is pretty straight forward. With modern software I can pretty much get very close to any kind of sound you can think of. I want the artist to be satisfied with the result, so I will do as many revisions as needed.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My workflow is based on a fully analog setup that I was working with for over 10 years. I have been blessed to put my hands on rare mics (AKG C12, Neumann U67), Neve 1073 preamps, Studer tape machines, Neve 8078 and SSL 9000J mixing boards. As for compressors my favorites are the Focusrite Red3, Neve 2254, Urei 1176, Avalon 2044, Teletronix LA3A. For reverbs and effects my all time favorites are the Lexicon 224XL, the TC Electronics 2290, and the Sony DRE 2000. The key to speed up workflows (offline bounce) and work with tighter budgets was total recall. The analog sound, all that beautiful color of vintage units, the warm sound of the tape, the headroom of a Neve and the punch of an SSL is crucial to my workflow. But getting also instant recalls on projects and not have to worry if the recall is perfect is crucial also! So after a lot of research I have managed to get that analog sound emulated through modern software and Pro Tools. For monitoring I use Genelecs and the Blue MoFi headphones..

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

A: Chris Lord Alge is my sound God. I have deeply analysed his craft in mixing and whenever I am looking for the best sound, I always listen to his latest releases. After studying his AudioLegends course, my remix was selected as one of the best mixes. You can listen to that remix at http://www.audiolegends.com/courses/

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

A: Usually people hire me to do some kind of magic to their tracks. That could be from seamless Vocal Tuning, to perfect editing/quantizing, Drum replacement or even Vocals Alignment. Most engineers will say that if you don’t have a good source there is not much you can do. Well, with modern technology there is a lot of magic that can be done! Give me poorly recorded vocals, drums, guitars, bass and prepared to be amazed with the transformation!