Mixing/Mastering | Live Sound

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

A: Coffee maker Lighter Leatherman Solar panel charger Smart Phone

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is interpreting the bands vision to the best of my ability.

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

A: Properly label each project/songs folder with Bit Rate, Sample Rate, and BPM of the song, with possibly some notes on how each source was recorded. Conslidate all your tracks to the beginning of the session so they automatically line up when dragged into a new session. Bounce tracks to .wav files with possibly an mp3 of a rough mix you attempted. Always supply DI tracks for Guitars and Bass. If using program drums, provide the MIDI track as well as audio .wav files of individual parts of the kit. Verify all tracks are edited, auto tuned, etc. Please note that Editing is a separate job and is not considered as part of the mixing process. Please insure that any special fx/weird sounds like; birds chirping, car engine starting, gun shots, crowd of people talking, farts, etc are included in the project as supplying/creating these is considered Post Production work and not part of mixing. Reverse cymbal crash, backwards vocals, 808 drops, are fine and am happy to provide those at no extra charge. For Vocals; if possible please provide a vocal double or even triple, that is identical but unique performance of the lead vocal. If providing harmonies and/or ad libs, please provide at least 2 identical but unique performances of the same harmonies and/or ad libs.

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

A: I fell into it by accident. I started off as an Artist Manager working for a artist managment company in NYC. Spending lots of time in major label studios I found it difficult to articulate to producers what we liked and didn't like about mixes or what we were going for. Eventually I started asking audio related questions, inquiring about the equipment around me, etc and eventually went down the rabbit hole. It's now been 10yrs since that time from sitting in the studio asking major label producers questions to full time professional work as a sound engineer.

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

A: Live: I'd love to work with Leporus. They're current release is a masterpiece in terms of songwriting and production. I would give anything to translate that in a live setting. Studio: Haken, the perfect blend of metal, rock, singing with ambient and jazz moments. Very versatile music that crosses multible genres of music in any given track.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Communication with artists and Organization is key to quick turnarounds. Ex: Templates, color coding, folders, etc. When it comes to recording: Assuming the musicians and the gear they're playing on is great. Acoustic Treatment, Microphones, and mic placement (in that order) are far more important than the quality of your interface; preamps, converters, EQ, compressors, etc.

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

A: Live, I do mostly metal and hard rock tours. In between tours I'll pick up multible Production and Broadway musical type shows. Studio work wise I'm mostly working on metal/rock and singer songwriter stuff with the occasional jazz fusion/funk or folk act.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Crystal clear mixes! It's a quality I am most known for and why major label artists consistently hire me for live work and only recently has this started to translate into studio work. Of course, I have my desert island gear that allows me to deliver high quality results and it is my experience and deep understanding of my tools that makes me a very capable (and down to earth) mix engineer.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Life, vibe, punch, depth. All the hallmarks of a professional sounding, radio-ready mix that will make any mother blush. Mixes that sit proudly in any playlist of similar work. This of course is assuming the raw tracks sent over are well recorded. As the saying goes, you can't polish a turd. This is why I like to go over files before hand and address any problem tracks.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For remote mixes and mastering I first like to get with clients to ensure projects are properly labeled and organized before sending over to me. Type of mix they're looking for. I'll then start processing tracks through analog gear and send final mixes over. Once Mixes are finalized I begin the Mastering process.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Since I'm always touring, I've slowly over time refined and built a high end, mobile analog setup I take with me for remote mixes and mastering. It's a fairly heavy bag that consists of analog Neve, API, SSL products like Preamps, EQs, Compressors, DI, and Reamp boxes. When I'm back in Miami, I occasionally work out of a major label studio located in Miami Beach depending on the project I'm working on.

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

A: Yngwie Malmsteen and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater/Sons of Apollo) are 2 world renowned musicians I've toured and worked with that never fail to inspire me every show. On the Production side; Chris Lord Alge, Andrew Wade, and Nolly of Periphery are primary influences who's work I admire and use as benchmark references against my own work.

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

A: My primary source of income comes from touring, doing FOH (Front of House) Live Sound for major label artists (mostly metal & hard rock acts, with the occasional Production/Broadway style show) followed by Remote Mixing & Mastering services.

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

A: I will deliver a mix that you and I will both be proud of.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How many tracks are there in total? How were they recorded? Were they recorded with or without processing? What is a commercially released track that you admire from a mixing standpoint? Dogs or Cats?

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

A: The current track I have uploaded here is the most recent project I did and was a cover for a clients YouTube channel. The tracks were somewhat limited with 1 mono OH track, that were recorded with "not the best microphones" straight to typical $200-$300 interfaces you'd find at a local Guitar Center. Typical bedroom recording situation and the mix turned out much better than I thought it would. It is also the main reason I chose to feature this track as it showcases what's possible with bedroom recordings and is the kind of project I'm expecting to receive more often than not.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Not getting the coronavirus and rebuilding my studio setup from the ground up.

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

A: There is only 1 person I personally know on Soundbetter who I've toured with previously. His name is Derrick Schneider and he's a wonderful singer (think Steve Perry) and guitar shredder who I'd happily suggest him to any rock/metal outfit looking for a studio singer and/or guitar player to do some remote tracking from their home. Aside from that, I don't recognize any of the names or faces I've run across on Soundbetter.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog: Mixes that incorporate analog gear compared to a digital mix (even when using analog emulation plugins) produces a wider and improved stereo image, more 3D depth, better separation of individual instruments, and overall punchier, warmer tone. Overall, it just sounds more alive.

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

A: Q: Do you do Hip Hop, Rap, EDM, or House music? A: Unfortunately I do not. I'm not into these types of music, I don't listen to it, therefore I don't think I'm the right fit for those types of projects and would prefer someone that loves these genres of music to get the work.