Recording & Mixing Engineer

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

A: I worked on The Horrors of Dolores which was a podcast that I was able to work on from beginning to end. This was a huge accomplishment for me because it was my first time working in post-production and learning about sound design as well as a whole new industry that music never taught me about. I love the work I was able to do their.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am currently working with some independent artists just growing and cultivating their talents. I am also very big into the podcasting scene so I work heavily in that world.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I constantly go back and forth on this issue as EVERY engineer does but if I had to choose it would be digital. At this point Universal Audio gear along with thousands of other emulation plugins have made the process much easier to stay in the box and still get the same sound and quality (if I can use a mixing board I will always choose that still lol)

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

A: I promise to always work my hardest to give you the most professional best sounding song I can provide.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I just enjoy creating and experimenting with new sounds. Being able to have a blank session and grow that into a whole song for fans to listen to is a great feeling.

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

A: Usually they will ask how soon they can book a session which is always ASAP. Also I am asked how fast I can mix a song before release and I usually say about 3 days depending on workload and size of the session.

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

A: Probably that we all make beats!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I like to ask for some references from other artists that they may want to have their music sound like. I also like to see what their studio experience is so I know how to converse and help them grow.

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

A: I started in PA working in a basement with my friends. We did well and I eventually moved to NY to grow my career as an Engineer. I interned at Engine Room Audio on Wall St and eventually made my way up to one of their freelance engineers. I then helped my friend open a studio in Brooklyn where I am the head freelance engineer.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style really depends on the genre. I always like to make sure that my clients are getting clean professional quality sound before anything else then I'll bring in distortions and delays to put my sound on things if necessary.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I like to show up to sessions about 30 minuets before to setup and get into a vibe by listening to some music similar to what I'll be working. I usually setup lights for the room and make sure my clients will have water and coffee. Then I meet up with my clients and bring them into the studio and have them settle in before they send me instrumentals. I always make sure to have the recording booth ready for whenever the artist is ready to jump in.

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

A: I would recommend Blendworks and my good friend Daniel Sardi. One of my mentors and a phenomenal engineer.

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

A: My only advice is to invest in your craft and respect the art form. We as engineers work hard to make records that sound incredible if hire us and we will make sure to take care of you.

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

A: Computer, Hard Drive, 1073 pre amp, pair of NS-10's, and the Universal Audio interface.

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

A: My dream projects would be to work on an album with Frank Ocean and Kings Of Leon. All these artists inspire me daily.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Make sure to use side-chaining when mixing a kick and 808. A lot of producers don't know this trick and it really helps you kick cut through the low end.

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

A: I usually work on Hip-Hop and RnB with a lot of Pop music. These 3 genres are my favorite and I have spent hundreds of house working in all of them.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill would have to be my ability to capture great performances. Sometimes an artists needs to know that they can experiment and the best things they do are being saved and captured properly.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a creative environment where any artists can step in and feel relaxed and vibe to their work. I like to make sure I'm in touch with the emotions and vision of every person I work with so that we are creatively in the same space. I think the most important asset I bring, besides my professionalism, would be my ability to connect with the people I work with.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a studio setup that includes a U87 running into a BAE 1073 preamp which is then routed to a full Universal Audio setup. Thanks to UA we have hundreds of different plugins that sound like the analog models that we can use at any time.

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

A: I enjoy a lot of work from artist like T-Pain and Tory Lanez who really know how to layer vocals and create a different type of sound. I also am inspired by a lot of pop music like Camilla Cabello and Trey Songz because of how clean and full each record feels.

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

A: I normally record and mix songs for all my clients. Usually we spend about 2-4 hours on each song we record, depending on the speed of the artist. I will work on a rough mix in the studio that way they can enjoy the song until it is properly mixed. I will then spend anywhere from 4-8 hours mixing the record and doing revisions for each of my artists.