Producer, Musician, Mixer

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

A: My solo project J. Laser is something I'm quite proud of, it took me a while to work up the courage to release my own music and I learned a lot about working with others by finishing tracks on my own

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Finishing up a few albums for clients, I love working on full length releases

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

A: My friend Nico Essig is another great producer and engineer that I've worked closely with

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I enjoy serving artist's vision and providing them with something they can be excited about and proud of

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

A: That producing and mixing is a technical process, it's really just as emotional as writing or performing music can be.

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

A: My computer, Sequential Prophet 6, Korg MS20, Fender P Bass, Fender Stratocaster and a microphone.

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

A: I've been playing music for 20 years and professionally touring and working in studio environments for 12 years. I started as a guitarist and gradually increased my skillset to be a jack of all trades, mixing, producing, songwriting and providing all instrumentation if necessary

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

A: I'd like to work with Brian Eno, he's one of my favorites and one of the few who's still living!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I'd say my strongest ability is the full breadth of my skillset, I can write your track, produce your track, mix it and master it

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I usually start with files for the session provided by the artist and spend a few days getting it the track to a place that I'm really excited about it, from there I'll send it over to them and we'll have a discussion on where it needs to go from there. We don't stop until everyone is super excited about the end result.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: At the end of the day, it's about what's coming out of the speakers. I enjoy a hybrid process, leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of the project's vision and the feeling we aim to create.

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

A: My journey as a Producer began as an artist pursuing the sounds I heard in my head. I can promise if we begin work together that I will go deep with you and make certain that I've accommodated your vision for the piece of music you've entrusted to me.

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

A: 'How did you do that?' I enjoy being transparent about my process and sharing the knowledge I've acquired over the years with others to empower their decision making process

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I'll ask about vision and what inspires the music they make, that can be anything from films, books, life experiences. The more detail the better! I want to understand where an artist is coming from so I can make decisions based on their point of view.

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

A: Be confident, trust your intuition and never give up on your vision!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I aim to fuse a modern, eclectic production style with classic musicianship and song craft. I adore intricate electronic music and production as well as the raw and vital performance elements found in the previous eras of contemporary music.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Try playing it backwards.

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

A: I specialize in Electronic Music and it's many eclectic subgeners, indie, pop, hip hop. I enjoy mixing styles and drawing on a wide tapestry of genres to create something that sounds fresh.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I like to let the song dictate the direction of my contribution and that can be different with each time. Whether that means adding sonic intrigue as a producer, making the track more broad and powerful as a mixer, rearranging or contributing as a songwriter or lending my skills as a classically trained instrumentalist.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a comfortable live/work scenario, I work out of a dedicated space filled with tons of Analog Synths, Guitars & Basses, Amplifiers & Mics, effects pedals and outboard equipment

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

A: Prince & David Bowie are like gods to me

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

A: I can accommodate many workflows but I typically like to start with an artist's idea and building it into it's most realized form by whatever means necessary using my skillset