Mixing and mastering engineer

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

A: I enjoyed working with Sami Yusuf because he was quite nice and attentive. I mixed and mastered songs.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on several orders for multiple customers, there's always new songs to mix and master, from both new and returning customers.

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

A: I don't personally know anyone.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital, because of flexibility, workflow, speed (which enhances turn-around times) and no additional unwanted noise in the signal.

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

A: I don't like to promise things, but I surely do my best to ensure that my customers are happy with the results.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: How flexible it is, and the fact that I get to work with customers from all over the world, remotely.

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

A: My prices, and turn around times. Turn-around time: 3 days max. Mixing and mastering: - Up to 10 multitracks, US$35 - Up to 25 multitracks, US$60 - Up to 60 multitracks, US$100

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

A: Mixing is not to be mistaken with production/beat-making. Mixing is NOT "DJ Mixing", nor "remixing", they're very different concepts, despite their similar names. Editing or arranging falls outside the scope. I also don't add my own extra audio material.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Are you familiar with exporting multitracks and/or stems? Have you worked with a mixing engineer before? Is the production phase completed? Have you checked if there's no issues with the alignment of your multitracks and/or stems?

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

A: Always discuss your project with the seller, it's really important to be on the same page before work even begins.

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

A: Definitely my Macbook Pro, my NAS, my headphones, my trackball, my smartphone (along with their respective chargers). Hopefully it would have electricity and WiFi!

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

A: I've been doing this for over 13 years now. I started from a very humble beginnings and now I'm at a point where mixing and mastering has become my full time job as an independent worker.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Friendly, passionate, transparent.

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

A: I enjoy working with any artists who are passionate about their music. I don't have a specific artist in mind, I mostly like to be surprised!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Trust your gut feeling, avoid overthinking, simplify your list of plugins. You don't need 300 different EQs. It's an hyperbole, but you get the point. Analysis paralysis is a very big deal, and getting stuck while deciding on what plugin to chose is definitely going to impact your cadence, workflow.

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

A: I tend to work mostly with with independent artists, underground musicians, but I've worked with some bigger names like Sami Yusuf or Ayisha Abdul Basith. Most of the productions tend to be electronic, there's more demand for it, but I enjoy mixing and mastering acoustic music as well!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I would say my hearing and analytic skills. I couldn't do what I do without them.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Bringing a song to life, ensuring proper balance, a good refinement, clarity and good instrument separation. That's the crux of the matter.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually discuss the project with each one of my customers to make sure we're all in the same page. It's important to get general idea just right, before I even being to mix and/or master the song.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I do everything in the box. My gear: MacBook Pro M4 Max (16-core); KRK RP8 G4 monitors (treated room); LG 39" OLED; SSL controllers (UF8, UF1 & UC1); Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X; Focusrite 4i4 (4th gen); Kensington Slimblade Pro trackball.

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

A: I mostly enjoy underground and independent artists, I like artists who aren't afraid to innovate and experiment.

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

A: I mix and master songs for my customers. I'm quite eclectic: I have a vast experience with trip hop, boom bap, trap, ambient, techno, EDM, rock, metal, jazz, pop, afrobeat, and many more, from the softest to the most extreme!