Pro Mastering Just $50 / Track

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

A: The latest record for my band My Body Sings Electric is called "What It Means to Be Afraid." I'm super proud of this record because I poured hundreds of hours into making it and it was my first attempt at recording and producing a full-length.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A solo EP for a project I'm calling Daywalker. I'd call it a blend of the 90's revival sound with a hardcore glassjaw-ish edge.

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

A: Marshall Gallagher from Teenage Wrist is a good friend of mine and we collaborate on a ton of tracks. He is a prolific producer and songwriter and it's always a pleasure to help add mastering polish to his projects.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I take a hybrid approach. Much of my mixing is done in the box, minus a few elements that come out to add analog flavor to the tracks. I love this approach because I get all the speed benefits of digital while getting to include the right analog flavors in my workflow.

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

A: I promise to be completely honest and friendly with you the entire process!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I really miss being in a van with my band and driving to a new city every day for a show. My lifestyle has changed so much since those days, that I am truly grateful to get to continue working on music and audio projects with my friends and clients.

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

A: Mostly, people ask me if their low end is mixed correctly. It has the biggest impact on a mastering job! Almost always the feedback I give on mixes for my mastering clients is centered around changes to the low end or simple balance changes.

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

A: The biggest misconception about mastering is that is a sort of rescue job for a bad mix. The mix and master are so intimately linked to the final product that it takes a true understanding of how those elements work together to get you the best possible sounding end product.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Mastering projects: 1. Is your mix done and ready to share? 2. Have you removed any master bus processing or limiting? 3. Is your mix file peaking around -9 to -12 with no overs? Mixing projects: 1. Are you completely finished with any editing / tuning / production elements? 2. Do you need re-amping or sound replacement on any of your elements? 3. Do you have your stem folder properly organized and labeled? 4. Make sure all stems print from the exact same start point.

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

A: The only time I run into hitches with clients are on the file swapping and prep end. Make sure your stems and mixes are printed and organize in an easy-to-share folder. If you have your mix dialed in, then mastering projects go much faster, but I'm definitely not opposed to offering quick advice on the mix to get the best master out of it. Typically I prefer a mix file hitting around -9 to -12 and without any master bus processing.

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

A: My monitors are coming, no doubt, along with my converters. From there I would add my UAD Apollo system, my Jazzmaster guitar and my AKG C414 microphone. That's everything you need to make a quality record these days!

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

A: I started playing in bands when I was 17 and spend the next 15 years writing records, recording and traveling the country to play shows. I started to pivot toward the engineering side of things in the past 5 years as I got more involved in producing, mixing and mastering for my band's projects and other local groups. These days I have the pleasure of working with people all over the country.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My ears are really pulled toward tracks that have that massive / larger than life sound that we hear on so many modern albums. I think a lot of modern production leans toward the fastest / easiest approach, so it's good to stay aware of those tendencies and remember to give each track its own character.

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

A: I would love to assist on a full album project with a producer like Eric Valentine because he is so incredibly full of the deep knowledge about the art of producing tracks and making a record.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: EQ is the most important skillset you can develop. It is what will train your ear to sculpt sounds into what you hear in your head. Live and die by your EQ!

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

A: For the most part I lean into indie / alternative rock genres, because that is what I've grown up playing and it's typically the sort of music I create myself. However, I also produce a ton of trap / hiphop / pop tracks for my clients. I am by no means a one-genre man.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skillset

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Throughout my entire career I've played around with the balance of finding a unique sound within a more accessible structure. The result has been a blend of alternative / hard rock leanings with the kinds of song structures and pop-inspiration that keeps people listening.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Mastering projects usually come with 1-2 rounds of revisions before they are completely dialed in. Your first listen comes to you in 1-2 business days, and recalls are super fast. For mixing and production projects, I typically like to get on the phone with you to understand more about the project, then you can expect a 1-2 week turnaround.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I actually run two setups! My home studio is highly treated for acoustics. The system is based around high quality Lucid converters and Amphion monitors to give me the best possible listening situation for my mastering and mixing projects. I also have a tracking space in Denver, CO with 16 high quality preamp channels where I am able to record huge-sounding professional drums, guitar, bass and more.

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

A: I am a huge nerd when it comes to studying music production. Lately I've been really inspired by Eric Valentine's approach to making records and Ken Andrews from Failure (and producer of huge records like Paramore's self titled album).

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

A: These days the majority of my client interactions are quick-turnaround mastering jobs. In a lot of cases I'm able to get the first revision out in 24-48 hours. My skillset however is definitely diverse, ranging from 30 second TV and commercial jingles to entire album productions.