Know-It-All That Can Do It All

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

A: How can I record better? That's a conversation that I thoroughly enjoy having with clients. Talking through how they created what they have so far usually reveals at least one specific flaw in their technique, equipment, or environment that I can point out to them and describe a more pleasant sounding or efficient method. And I learn in the process too, both things to do and not to do.

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

A: Pigeonholing. Very few projects do I ever do one thing, unless I'm called into a high-stakes, professional session. Usually, I will get hired to write, record, or mix. However, writing requires making a great demo. Recording requires pre-production. Mixing, unless the source material has been well-handled, requires editing. These requirements are not born of a desire to do more work; they come from experiencing what needs to be done to make the best sounding record.

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

A: Make sure that you discuss with the engineer in as much detail as possible what you actually want to accomplish. "Make it better" is all find and dandy, but what does that actually mean? What needs fixing? What makes it better? Obviously you don't need to know the answers to these questions, but the professional you're paying should. Ask us directly, beware anyone who won't respond directly. Transparency equals honesty and efficiency.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Personally, I'm a rock fan with punk and pop sensibilities, 80's rock guitar god aspirations, with the soul of a funk drummer crossed with Travis Barker. Professionally, I want to be a combination of a mirror and map; I want to show you what's there and where to go from here.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Know when you're being honest and when you're forcing it. The best songs I've made happened when I got out of my own way and let the song tell me where to go. It sounds corny, but when you're trying to prove something, you usually succeed only in proving that you've got more to learn. I just want to make good music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I am an editor by trade: what should take hours to accomplish in Pro Tools, I've learned how to do quicker. I find that combining efficiency with performance experience (and a general love for sound) makes for a quick and pleasant song writing/recording/mixing experience.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work out two different studios depending on the project. One is my main editing/writing/mixing room, and the other is my company's ATMOS mix room. I run Pro Tools in both rooms, with a compliment of Waves, Sound Toys, and Plugin Alliance plug-ins, and most sample libraries you can think of. My guitar collection is a point of personal pride, and includes my Heritage H150 with Thro-Bak PUs (Huey), 1975 hardtail Fender Stratocaster, Gibson SG (w/Seymour Duncan Alnico II's), Fender Custom Shop Telecaster, and what I loving call my "FrankenStrat," which has Lollar Specials in the neck and mid spots, and a Fralin P90 in the bridge. I track MIDI drum performances on a Roland TD25KV and massage them in Superior Drummer 3 to get just the right sound. The studio brain is my custom built Mac Mini. Monitoring through my favorite JBL LSR28P's and Amphion One15's in a pristine tuned room.

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

A: Right now, Andrew Scheps is really blowing my mind. Green Day's Revolution Radio continually impresses with how Scheps gets out of his own way and lets songs breathe. You don't hear his compression techniques right off the bat, you hear the emotion of the song. That's rare in a "pop" music producer/mixer. And the combo of CLA and Rob Cavallo always makes me happy!

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

A: The first thing that got me into the industry was editing. I had developed my ear for rhythm studying percussion in college, and melody playing in original bands. I can hear what someone meant to do in their recording, and shift the waveforms slightly to emphasize that. Mixing naturally followed editing, and during this entire process, I record bands, write original material, and play live. I average about 4 live shows a month, covering a few different genres and instruments.

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

A: I would love to work with Billie Joe Armstrong and/or Green Day. His sense of songwriting, especially on the newer records, is very efficient. Everything is distilled down to the bare minimum for maximum effect. I would like to know how he approaches a new tune, how he approaches a new melody or lyric that's grabbed his attention.

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

A: That is like asking what type of food do I usually eat: I enjoy it all. My professional credits include hard rock, reggae, orchestral recordings, singer/songwriter, pop-punk, and pop. (I must admit though, I have a soft spot for punk/alt rock/pop-punk in the vein of "American Idiot" era Green Day, "Black Parade" My Chemical Romance, "Mr. Brightside" The Killers, etc.)

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a wealth of musical experience across multiple genres, instruments, and recording/live performance settings. I bring a personal worldview thats been informed by growing up in the rural Midwest and starting my career in the urban sprawl of Los Angeles. And I bring a strong work ethic and drive for perfection that focuses in on the job at hand.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: On a technical level, my workflow really depends on the job. Editing is different from writing, and both are separate from tracking/mixing/mastering. But there is a common thread throughout all the different hats I wear: I work to find the soul of the song, and illuminate or clarify or reveal or add to that. That's my purpose; to further the song. And if I'm writing the tune, that's the starting point. What is this song about? What is this feeling I'm hearing in my head? Some times I answer those questions after the song is halfway done, sometimes they guide the process from the beginning. But it's all about the song.