Audio Engineer, Music Producer

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

A: I just helped to open a 24/7 music studio in the heart of North Hollywood. To date this has been my biggest accomplishment, together we converted an old massage parlor into a multipurpose event space and recording studio.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Currently I'm working on mastering a track for artists in the Long Beach Music Collective as well as writing tracks for my own project and working to support The Spot LA and the Track Martians Music group.

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

A: Several members of my music group are also available for work on Soundbetter and we will be adding more soon. Please feel free to ask for recommendations.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital, because it allows me to work with more artists, share, and collaborate in a way that was literally witchcraft like ten years ago. While the experience of working with analog equipment is important for understanding audio, time and money are the biggest obstacles of creativity and the digital process allows me access to people who really need the work.

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

A: I promise to build a relationship with my clients, it takes a village to make good music we must mature together to the process to create living breathing works.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love music and getting to share that with others is the most validating experience of my life. A lot of people wait for an invitation to participate in music and I like being a bridge for people to connect with their creativity.

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

A: What's your process? My answer: I think of my work on a project as a songwriter would think of their vocal performance or lyricism. I have no ego about my services and hope to create an open space of expression just as much as I want a cleanly executed project.

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

A: It's easy to weigh technical knowledge against creativity when in actuality they feed into one another.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are some references have inspired this project or others, what is the goal of the project, how would you like the listener to be affected, and how much time do we have to get you there?

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

A: I like communication is key, where we chat is where it's at.

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

A: I would take my Epiphone Wilshire reissue, 1W Blackstar, Ableton?/Push controller, and my Nord Electro.

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

A: After graduating with my Masters in Playwritting I started working in live venues and engineering as a means to learn more about my own songwriting and find a new outlet for story telling. After about a year working venues I started focusing on bringing my live experience into my recording and production process. My philosophy was to garner as much technical knowledge as I could in order to make my own personal endeavors easier. Soon I realized that I could extend this knowledge to the community around me and help build a culture around music. Now I've been working professionally in music for 3 years and have grown with each project.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I'm the love child of Madlib and Eddie Hazel conceived at one of Black Sabbaths well know occult gatherings over a bed of lightly chilled trap hats, conducted by Kate Bush, and christened by Tupac's hologram.

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

A: I would like to work with George Clinton, I always admired his ability to support other artists and create challenging music that captivates a listener.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: The most important tip I've learned is to compartmentalize different parts of the creative process and build a workflow. Separating mixing, production, and engineering helps the moment of the project going.

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

A: I'm constantly looking for projects that challenge my sensibilities and cross genre lines, I'm passionate about live instrumentation and ambiance so my work revolves around creating a wall of sound that paints a picture.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Collaboration, for me, has always been the most interesting part of the creative process. I've always prided myself on nurturing my clients vision.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: As an engineer and producer I generally like to break my work into two stretches. At first, I'll spend an intensive period with the material and then break from the project to revisit it for final touches at a later date. Depending on the project, I like to have a minimum of 24-48 hours with the material before it's submitted for revisions.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I help manage a studio in North Hollywood and have access to two treated recording spaces as well as state of the art production software. In addition I have home studio separated from my living space and have access to the equipment I need 24/7.

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

A: I've always been a fan of musicians and producers who've allowed their pragmatism guide their creativity. I believe that you can be an artists and a technician and those things should be mutually beneficial.

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

A: I work predominantly in Mixing, recording, and compositions.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I've functioned professionally in several artistic fields and bring all of my collected knowledge of story telling to each session.