Mixing Engineer

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

A: I've been at this since I was 16, so 20ish years now. I began as a hobbyist in a garage, that led to starting a studio in a dorm. I then moved to NYC and studied under a great crew of folks at The Looking Glass studios for 5ish years then came back home and have been working as a freelance engineer until I opened the new studio in early 2020. It's been a wild ride and I'm always looking forward!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Natural, but with a health dose of love.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring an outside opinion, I bring the forest view, and about 20ish years of doing this.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: We have an API 1608 with the full automation package. ATC Loudspeaker tuned with a Trinnov ST2. Tons of vibey outboard equipment, and Pro Tools HDX w/ 32 II/O as the digital backend to hold it all together.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Doing it! I feel lucky to be able to do this as a living, and I try to always be on the bright side of that conversation.

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

A: Q:How many days do I need to do my project? A: That all depends on a whole host of things, but lets see what we can do to get your needs met.

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

A: People tend to not really understand the difference between mixing and mastering and why each is important to the completion of a great record. I try and help them understand that as a mixer, I'm not your mastering guy too. But I'm always happy to give them recommendations to help get the project to where it needs to be.

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

A: Geez, there are so so many. I'm a freak for Gemma Hayes' music and I think that she is infinitely creative, the same goes for Dan Mangan. His record Club Meds is an amazing piece of music. Other dream artists...Will Johnson (centro-matic), The Weakerthans and Fennesz. Honestly I can go on and on. I love music, and I love being creative in the studio with creative folks.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Know how file structure works inside your DAW/sessions. It's the key to your success!

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

A: Indie rock, americana and soul music

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Mixing and recording

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

A: In no particular order: Blake Mills, James Brown, Brian Eno, Dustin Ragland, JD McPherson, Dan Mangan, Chris Combs...honestly there are too many to list. I'm inspired by all things all the time. I'm an avid listener of music...so I'm taking in new ideas everyday.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Modular Synths...I'm in love with CV, but still getting the hang of all of it. It's been a great eye opening experience working with these devices and beginning to incorporate them into my mixing too.

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

A: It's going to sound great!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: 1) What their expectations are for the record/project. 2) Average track count per song. 3) How/where was it recorded? 4) Is the session prepped and ready for me to get to work?

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

A: Tracking and mixing.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Are we still having this conversation?

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

A: Call me. I can help.

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

A: I wouldn't take any gear with me on an island...I would rather have 5 great players.