I help artists release music

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Setup mics and record. Have fun and be excited in the moment. That excitement reaches the listener "forever after". If something isn't working, move on to a new idea and come back to the 'old' idea on another day. Also, I like to try any idea that is presented, as it often will bring amazing results.

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

A: Be sure to clear your schedule on the days we work and "come in" ready to have some fun.

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

A: The T-Shirts were a band I was in. We put out a number of singles, an album (Hey Nate, It's The T-Shirts) and a bootleg (Ruff Stuff for Mary). The band was fairly big in Northwest Ohio in the early aughts. I was one of the songwriters, did the audio engineering and most of the mixing for the project.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Tackhead is making a new record with Adrian Sherwood in London. I'm contributing to the effort by recording a vocalist for the sessions. I've also been mentoring a class of Music Technology Students, The 139 Mafia, who put out a record this past Spring. I'm also getting close to wrapping MAD45 and Little Axe's new album, Under The Sun --it's sounding great.

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

A: Of course! There are so many talented people on SoundBetter. It obviously depends on what your needs are for your project. But I can hardly think of a better place to find a great pedal steel player in a day or two.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I love analog, when it's working and aligned. I still have my 8-track Otari MKIII 1/2 inch and my Otari 1/4" machines and my beloved Tascam 424! However, most often I am working in Pro Tools Ultimate due to both artistic workflow and budgetary concerns. The number of musical and arrangement possibilities, session recall, session sharing and archiving on digital is untouchable.

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

A: I sincerely promise clients that I will do my 'utmost best' to realize their vision for their project. And to make the project 'have legs' through being musically fit, sincere and a blast to hear on speakers.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The best thing is when clients are super excited about the work that they've done. I also enjoy the adventure and challenges that come with making something great.

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

A: When will we know we are done? I always say: "When we've removed all the 'cringe-worthy moments', added the beautiful hidden gems and have a collection of awesome songs that work for our goal --single, EP or LP.

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

A: That I'm tough to work with. Nearly everyone I've ever worked with has had nice things to say about the work we created. A number of people have told me that "I've never had as much fun in the studio as I did with you." Quite a high compliment.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Obviously, what are your goals for the project? Do you have a 'working band' that you want to use? When is our deadline?

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

A: My '64 Gibson B-25 acoustic, my '75 Alvarez J-200, my early 80s Ludwig Rocker drum set, an upright piano and, of course, a M1 Macbook Pro with Pro Tools :)

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

A: I started in band, then I was in bands. My first 'major band', Big Hunk O' Cheese, made it to #146 in the Spring of 1992 as we logged nearly 500 shows over 5 years. We performed with The Dead Milkmen, Charged GBH, RC Mob, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Material Issue, Trenchmouth (Fred Armisen's old band - they opened for us in Chicago), Bebe Buell (at CBGBs), Pigface, L7 and did multiple shows with The Henry Rollins Band. Also in 1992 I spent 7 months working on the Super Mario Brothers movie in Wilmington, NC on 1st Unit Camera and as 2nd Assistant Camera in the VFX Department. Also in Wilmington I was in some great bands including The Wyricks, The Port City Swingers, The Brokedick Sound Machine, Big Hunk O' Love (a rockabilly Elvis tribute) and the Burnley Brothers.

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

A: Gillian Welch is an amazing singer and songwriter. Anything she records has a sincere timeless quality. And David Rawlings is a great guitarist too.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Get to work! :) Get a portable recorder or a phone app. Hit record, close your eyes and then sing or play for 10 minutes. Work with a collaborator to help you find the cool parts and turn them into new songs.

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

A: Local and regional musicians in many different genres regularly contact me to help them with their music productions. While I am primarily known for Rock music, I have worked in many styles, from folk and blues to PBS television. I love music and always find something enjoyable about the projects I am involved in.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Many clients have said to me: "Wow, it sounds like a real record!" I feel my strongest skill is that I make clients feel comfortable and fearless. I am always supportive and I'm fun to hangout with!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Having received a Master of Music in Guitar Performance back in 1991, I bring musical knowledge to sessions and songwriting. I believe collaboration during recording is my favorite aspect of recording music --it makes for the most exciting music.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: The energy of live musicians performing together is my favorite recording style to use, when it is possible. The Wrecking Crew, The Funk Brothers and Cosimo Matassa's New Orleans recordings are inspirations for me. I got to talk with Cosimo for a bit after his lecture at the TapeOp Conference in New Orleans back in 2008. A super nice gentleman!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I am a Pro Tools Certified Expert since 2006. I use Pro Tools HDx 2022.7 (currently) and Reason+ as my main DAWs. I also own Bitwig 4, Ableton Live 11 Suite, Logic Pro X, Reaper 6 and Studio One 5. Using UNIFY to utilize multiple synthesizers as 'one big patch' often reveals great sounds. I own nearly every major plugin (except for UAD) currently numbering 6693 plugins (per PlugInfo). I own and use many microphones and preamps for tracking. I most often mix in Pro Tools HDx for recall and session mobility. However, if the budget allows and at a clients request: I have over 100 pieces of outboard analog hardware that we can patch in via Pro Tools HDx latency compensated I/O.

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

A: I am inspired by engineers and producers that make compelling music that is timeless. George Martin, Eddie Kramer, Glyn Johns, Tom Dowd, Andy Johns, Jimmy Douglas, Michael Brauer, and, of course, Serban Ghenea.

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

A: Musicians come to me to help them complete songs to release online. Together, we work on arrangements, rhythms and their vocals to make memorable songs. I help the artists make decisions to realize their music through tracking live instruments, adding loops, and using drum machines, synths + samples. I also help them get their music released online.