Pop Producer and Mix Engineer

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

A: All the work with Kid Synthetic. Mixing those songs has been a blast and the kind of project where everything just clicks. I'm also really proud of a McDonald's commercial I scored (you can check it out on my site). I wrote and played all the parts myself, and getting to play the McDonald's jingle at the end was such a fun moment.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Right now, I'm producing and writing for Kid Synthetic and a handful of other local artists, which has been a lot of fun. On top of that, I'm composing music for TV and advertising, including some national campaigns. Always nice having a mix of artist work and sync stuff going on at once.

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

A: Yeah, Andres Mayo. Really talented mastering engineer. If you need someone to put the final polish on a track, he's the guy I'd point you to.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital, all the way. I work in the box on purpose, the recall is instant and the options are endless. And honestly, with today's plugins, you can get extremely close to that analog sound anyway.

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

A: That I'll treat your song like it's my own. I'll bring the taste and the care, keep you in the loop the whole way, and I won't stop until it sounds right. You'll never feel like just another project in the queue. I'll make your music the best version of itself.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: That moment when a track finally clicks, when the mix opens up and the song becomes what it was meant to be. I get to chase that feeling every day with all kinds of artists, and it never gets old.

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

A: Probably 'how many revisions do I get?' I include 3 rounds on every project, and anything beyond that is billed hourly. Another big one is 'what do you need from me to start?' For mixing, just your stems, clearly labeled. For production, whatever you've got, a voice memo, a rough demo, reference tracks, all of it helps. And people always ask about turnaround. Usually, about a week for a mix and 2 to 3 weeks for a fully produced track.

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

A: That it's just turning knobs. Most of the job is taste and decisions, knowing what to push, what to pull back, what to leave alone. The choices make the song, not the gear.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What's the song for and where's it going, streaming, sync, a live set? Got any reference tracks you love the sound of? For mixing, how are your stems organized, and what are you hoping to fix or push? What do you want to feel when you hit play? I can handle the technical side. Knowing the vibe you're after is what gets us there fast.

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

A: Come in with a clear idea of what you want, but stay open too. The more you share up front, reference tracks, rough demos, the feeling you're going for, the faster we get somewhere great. You don't need the technical words, just tell me what you're hearing, and I'll translate it. And hire someone whose taste matches your music. When the vision lines up and communication is open, the rest takes care of itself.

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

A: My guitar, my laptop, a good pair of headphones, Ableton Live, and an interface. That's basically a whole studio in a backpack.

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

A: I studied at Berklee College of Music and graduated in 2012, so I've been at this professionally for over a decade now. I started out interning, learning the craft from the ground up, then moved into freelance composing and producing. From there, I took on an in-house composer and producer role, which is where I really sharpened my sound and learned to deliver fast and consistently across all kinds of projects. These days I'm back to freelancing and taking on clients directly. Mixing has become a bigger focus over the last four years, and it's now a core part of what I offer alongside producing and composing.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Polished but with heart. I like records that feel big and emotional without sounding overcooked, where the production serves the song instead of showing off. I tend to blend organic and electronic, real instruments with synths and texture, and I lean on space and restraint to let the important parts hit. My composing background gives a lot of my work a cinematic, mood-driven edge too. Clean, modern, and emotional is probably the best way to sum it up.

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

A: Coldplay, easily. They live right where I love to work, big emotional songs built on atmosphere, strong melodies, and production that feels huge without losing the heart of the song. Getting to mix or build something in that world would be a dream.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Subtraction beats addition. When something feels off, don't add, take away. Mute a part, and if the song doesn't miss it, leave it out. Keep it simple and let the important stuff breathe. And when you're stuck, walk away. Fresh ears beat forcing it every time.

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

A: Mostly pop, synth-pop, indie rock, and alternative. That's where I'm most at home and where I do my best work, whether it's a polished pop record or something more guitar-driven and atmospheric. I also write a lot of music for TV and national ad campaigns, so I'm comfortable moving between artist projects and more cinematic, mood-driven work.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Mixing, specifically getting a record to actually sound finished and competitive. My strongest skill is balance and clarity, making every element sit in its own space so the vocal stays forward, the low end hits, and nothing fights for room. The goal is always a mix that holds up next to commercial releases and translates everywhere, from earbuds to a car to a big system. And because I produce too, I'm mixing with an ear for the song, not just the technical side.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Since I produce, play, and mix, I'm thinking about the finished record from the very first idea, so the parts, the arrangement, and the mix all pull in the same direction. My composing background means I lead with feel. I care about what a song actually makes you feel, and I'll chase the one part or sound that gets it there. But I also know when to leave space. A few right choices beat a lot of busy ones. My career has put me in front of a ton of different genres and mix styles too, so I can move between worlds pretty easily and find what a song needs instead of forcing one formula on it. Mostly, you get taste and follow-through, someone who hears where a song wants to go and can actually take it there.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I want to understand the vision, hear a reference or two, and know what a win looks like before I touch anything. Getting aligned up front saves time and revisions later. For production, I build from there and share rough versions early so we stay on the same page, then track, program, and move into mixing once the direction feels right. For mixing, I just need your stems, a reference, and any notes on what you're hearing. You get a first mix in about a week, then we refine, with three rounds of revisions included. At the end you get everything you need to release, stems, alternate versions, and a master-ready bounce.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work almost entirely in the box, split between Logic and Ableton depending on the project. Logic for songwriting and traditional production, Ableton when I want to move fast on sound design and experimentation. Monitoring is on Focal in an acoustically treated room, and I mix with a full set of industry standard plugin bundles. Going fully digital is a deliberate choice. It keeps everything recallable and practical, so revisions are fast, sessions stay consistent, and I have far more options on hand than any hardware rack would give me. For you, that means quick turnarounds, exact recalls anytime you want to revisit a mix, and total flexibility across genres. I also track and program everything in-house, so guitars, bass, synths, and drum programming all happen in the same session.

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

A: Greg Kurstin for his pop instincts and how he knows when not to add anything. Aaron Dessner for the way he layers atmosphere without crowding a song. Manny Marroquin on the mix side, his vocals always sit right and his low end hits without getting muddy. Jon Brion is probably my biggest influence overall. He treats artist production and film scoring like the same craft, which is exactly how I think about my own work. Nicholas Britell rounds it out, his writing is so melodic and restrained, and he gets huge emotion out of small ideas. That mindset shapes a lot of how I approach TV and ad work.

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

A: Most of my work is split evenly between producing and mixing records for artists. Alongside that, I compose original music for television and national ad campaigns. On the production side, I take songs from the ground up, handling writing, arrangement, programming, and tracking, primarily in pop, synth-pop, indie rock, and alternative. On the mixing side, clients send me their sessions, and I deliver finished, release-ready mixes with stems and a master-ready bounce. I also play and record the parts on a lot of those same projects (guitar, bass, synths, and drum programming), so clients can hire a single producer/mixer/player and get a coherent sonic vision rather than stitching one together across multiple hires. Typical turnaround is about a week per mix and two to three weeks for a fully produced track from scratch. Three rounds of revisions are included; additional rounds are billed hourly.