Music Producer, Songwriter

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

A: One of my favourites has to be an indie rock album called 'Labrador' which I produced for my friend Johnny Brock. It was an impulsive group decision to make it as he was moving to London in a few months, and was a mad rush from having a couple of jam sessions through to fully tracking and producing the whole record before he left. I played drums on the record and some guitar, recorded and edited everything, and mixed it for mastering. It was a particular highlight because the record was mastered by Brian Lucey of Magic Garden Mastering (Arctic Monkeys, Black Keys, Royal Blood). Labrador is currently on Spotify.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: At the moment I'm working on production music, my 9-5 audio-post job, and producing music for my wife.

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

A: Unfortunately not yet. I'm new to SoundBetter.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. I think both digital and analogue have their pros and cons. Digital is more convenient but less tactile, and analogue can be more fidgety and require expensive maintenance but sounds great. My ideal would be to move into a hybrid set up where I can get the best of both worlds.

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

A: To deliver the best result possible within the boundaries of the job - whether they're big or small.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Two things: 1. The smile on my clients face when I've done a good job. 2. Knowing that if I'm vibing it and my client is vibing it, then there's a good chance that their audience will feel the same.

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

A: There's a wide variety of questions I get asked, from price to creative decisions and more. I'm always happy to answer anything.

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

A: A big misconception about music production is that it's relatively, and doesn't take time and effort and therefore doesn't hold as much financial value as other skills.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you want to get out of this process? What's your voice as an artist that you want to develop? Which artists influence you? Are you open to me making creative decisions to help your song - which may change what you've already done?

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

A: Find a producer, mixer, or session musician who suits you for your style and your desired outcome. As an client and artist, you want someone who is on your level and can interpret what's in your head to bring it to life.

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

A: My telecaster, headphones, UAD Apollo Twin interface, Macbook Pro, and external hard-drive.

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

A: I've been recording and mixing music for 8 years, but started out playing guitar before that. I started out working more with hardcore/metal music at first, then moved through a bit of folk and alt music, then settled more into something close to pop music. I've worked with a lot of local artists in my area, and have made about 10 records. Recently I've made my way into post-audio and have worked on hundreds of adverts - mixing for broadcast in NZ, VO/ADR recording, dialogue editing, foley & SFX.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Percussive, elements of ambience, punchy and polished - I like crafting mixes that compete with what the Top 40 artists are doing.

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

A: Ariana Grande. Her vocals are amazing, and her production is always clean and cuts through while having a present low end. Her mixes are fantastic.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Try recording the sound in your head first and get it right instead of relying on "fixing it later". Crap in, crap out.

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

A: I've worked on a lot of genres, but what I've produced most has been female pop artists.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Vocal production: melodies, harmonies and vocal arrangements.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A sum of all my influences, personality and ambition. Coming from a guitar background, I like a bit of punch. I also like a bit of polish so I would align my style with pop that's in the Top 40. Having studied a BMus in popular music and songwriting, I help write top line, vocal arrangements and instrumentation. I also love reverb (but not too much).

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I generally like to meet with my clients first, get talking, hear about them personally, their tastes and listen to their demos (if they have any). Then we record a scratch track and get to work on producing a full instrumentation for their song including vocal arrangement. From there we record the final vocals, then I go away and edit/mix and prep the track for mastering. I usually don't mix and master, but have done so in some instances.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work mainly in the box unless I have access to outboard gear. I run the latest version of Pro Tools, and use industry standard mixing tools like UAD, Soundtoys, Waves, FabFilter and plenty more. I've also invested in a large library of samples, sound effects, synths and Kontakt instruments. Guitars: Fender USA Telecaster, Gibson SG (USA, 1970s), and a good studio bass. Monitoring - Adams.

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

A: Music wise - Matt Corby, John Mayer, Tame Impala, Ariana Grande, Kendrick, Ryan Adams, MJ, Timberlake and their producers. Their work is all amazing.

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

A: The bulk of my experience is in two areas; music production and post-audio. With music, a lot of my work has been working with an artist and developing their demos into finished products - singles, EP's and albums. With post, I do a lot of VO and ADR recording, mixing for broadcast, dialogue editing, and sound design/foley depending on the project.