Music Producer/Mixing Engineer

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

A: I have co-produced a few indie "demos" with one of my friends in The Swoons and I am honestly proud to have produced them. These songs have a James Bay/Bon Iver vibe to them and it's something I've always dreamed of producing!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am currently working with my artist project known as The Swoons. We are currently in the process of touching up the masters for our EP "Lost", which is scheduled to come out soon!

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

A: I will deliver the best sound I can give when working on your projects - productions are a very personal thing to me and it's not something I will overlook in order to make a fee.

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

A: I would love to work with either Skrillex or Bon Iver. They are both such unique and eclectic artists. Bon Iver has such a distinctive winter/woods-ey vibe that's both haunting and beautiful. Skrillex is such a hard-hitter when it comes to the song's energy and flair. I honestly can't get enough of both artists music and I hope to achieve the same sounds personally.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: When it comes to mixing, always mix in mono here and there to check the mix is dynamically and tonally balanced. If the mix has good proportions in mono, there's a better chance that the mix will sound more balanced in stereo.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I like to bring the artist's emotions, encapsulating every element of a song's production. I want the listeners to feel exactly how the artist intended them to feel. At the end of the day, music's magic lies it how much it can influence a person's mood or emotion; even help them with their struggles or woes. I want to produce the best music that I can for my clients and their audience.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I like to get to know my clients first: who they are, what are they writing about, what their vision is for their record, and any other details necessary to produce and compose the record my clients want. Then after gathering the details about the songs (like tempo, key, genre, the lyrical content, song length), I will do a rough sketch of the song's arrangement with the client. After the song is mapped out in its arrangement, I'll work on the song section by section, where that's going chronologically or jumping around various parts of the song. Once the song has been pieced together, I will lay down any transitions to make each part of the song smooth and seamless. Once the majority of the production has been established, I will go through the song and fine-tune the song, even more, to ensure that the client is happy with the song's production. Proceeding from there, I will mix and master the song if the client wishes me to. That is my entire process in a nutshell!

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

A: Yes! Go check out Pablo San Martin! He's a fantastic mixing engineer!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both have their purposes. I'd saying digital is better for packaging a song and sending to clients. Analog can be better for sound design and production.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I really appreciate the fact that I am creating art that could affect listeners in a positive way. At the end of the day, I want my music to take people on a journey.

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

A: Most people ask me how did I create certain sounds or effects. Other than that, they mainly ask me about my college experience at Berklee.

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

A: People can easily misconstrue that because of my easy-going nature that I don't take care of business. I keep things professional and strict when it comes to business. All I hope is that everyone is happy after the project/product is finished. I'll consider discussing different financial propositions based on the person's current situation.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Who or what excites you the most about music? What are some of your favorite artists/songs?

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

A: Please be abundantly clear when it comes to discussing what you are exactly looking for production-wise. Please understand my terms when it comes to song revisions. I will be needing to carry on with other projects in line; I want to try transition from project to project as soon as possible. Please be honest with your time, scope and resources.

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

A: Hmmm... Probably a Prophet 5, TR-808, Fender Tele, OP-1, and my computer.

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

A: I have been producing for about six years now. I first began with Ableton Live and still use it to this day. Ableton's interface allows me to have a quicker work-flow for laying out ideas. I have been playing piano and guitar for close to fifteen years. I also sing while I'm playing music live.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I like to think of my music as universal. I like to take influences from as many musical cultures and speech that I possibly can. I have a passion for experimenting with sounds and seeing what I can create. At the moment, I've been working on a darker/vintage sound (sort of like The Weeknd or Tame Impala).

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

A: Primarily Pop and Electronic

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I am a very easy-going and understanding person. I am very flexible when I come to working with people's schedule and handling their project.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Since I recently moved to Los Angeles, my roommates and I have collectively built our own studio room. We have treated our walls with Auralex foam and bass traps to ensure that sound will not be tarnished by any reflections or unwanted reverb while recording. We also have a comfortable furniture setup for clients and guests. I personally own various dynamic/condenser mics, Ableton Live, Komplete 9, Melodyne Studio, VoiceLive 3, Fender electric guitar, Taylor 114e, a Yamaha Motif XF8 , and Yamaha HS8's Monitor speakers.

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

A: I am impacted by so many different musicians and artists out there, but here are a few of my favorites: -Skrillex -Max Martin -Quincy Jones -Bon Iver -Charlie Puth -Nobuo Uematsu -Koji Kondo -Dr. Dre -Gotye -Jacob Collier

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

A: My strength is in composing/producing records and beats for my clients. I primarily have prior experience in working with Pop and Electronic Dance genres. That aside, I have also produced Indie Electronic/Folk records as well. I also mix and master my own music. This is a third option I usually present for my clients. I am also a huge fan of video games and have done compositions for games as well!