Music Engineer & Producer

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

A: "Should've Ducked" by Lil Durk. I produced it from my bedroom in the Netherlands, and it went Platinum in the US with over 200 million streams. Hearing a crowd at Rolling Loud sing along to something that started as an idea in my room changed how I think about music: it's not about how something sounds, it's about how it lands.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Independent indie pop and rock records from artists around the world, next to ongoing hip-hop work. Exactly the mix of projects I want on my desk.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital, without apology. I built platinum-certified records from a laptop, the tools don't make the record, the decisions do. Digital just lets me make more of them, faster.

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

A: A personal quote within 24 hours, two revision rounds included, and a mix that's still yours when it's done.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The moment an artist hears their own song hit for the first time. I know exactly how that feels from the other side, it never gets old.

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

A: "Can you make it sound like a big release without losing my sound?" Yes, that's the whole job. Loudness and polish come from balance and depth, not from erasing character.

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

A: That mixing is a technical checklist. A technically correct mix can still be lifeless. My job isn't "make it correct", it's "make it land the way you meant it."

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What should this song make people feel? Which references sound the way you want to sound? And what bothered you about the rough mix, that last one usually tells me exactly where to start.

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

A: Listen to their work and check whether their credits are verifiable. Then send a rough mix and see how they respond: someone who asks about your vision before talking price is someone who'll protect your record.

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

A: A laptop and headphones, that's all I need to make the best music possible.

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

A: I started in my bedroom in the Netherlands in 2018 with a free program and a YouTube tutorial. A few years later my work was on RIAA Gold and Platinum certified releases and a Billboard #1 album, with credits alongside Lil Durk, NBA YoungBoy, Fredo Bang and Birdman. Eight years in, it's still the same obsession it was on night one.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Punchy but warm. Major-release loudness and clarity, without sanding off the character. Your sound stays yours, it just lands harder.

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

A: Djo. Those records live exactly at the crossroads I love: real instruments, character, and modern production choices. That's the space where I do my best work.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Layering and ear candy are what make a record sound full and professional. The best songs feel effortless and barely produced, but under the hood there are dozens of small background sounds and details making it feel finished. Easy on the surface, rich underneath.

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

A: Indie pop, pop rock and indie rock are my main focus, records with live drums, guitars and pianos. I also have deep roots in hip-hop, with RIAA Gold and Platinum certified credits.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Mixing from the artist's intent. I listen to why you kept that one ad-lib or that rough guitar take, and I build the mix around it instead of over it.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Perspective at the level where records compete. I've heard what separates a good mix from a certified hit, and I bring that standard to independent records without flattening what makes them personal.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I mix top to bottom: mix bus first, then the drum bus, drums, bass bus, bass, guitar bus, guitars, remaining instruments, and vocals last, then the master. Working this way keeps the big picture in focus from minute one instead of polishing parts that don't fit together yet.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Pro Tools at the core, with calibrated monitors and reference headphones so mixes translate everywhere. Plugins from UAD, Waves and Native Instruments, plus a MIDI keyboard for production work.

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

A: Sombr and Djo for where music is going right now. That blend of indie songwriting with modern production. Juice WRLD and XXXTentacion for how much raw emotion a record can carry.

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

A: Mixing and producing. Most clients come to me with a finished production that needs to sound like a major release. I mix it, and when it's needed I step in on the production side too.