French Music Producer

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

A: Yes, Arnaud Bascunana. Excellent professional and super good guy to work with.

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

A: Music is about collaboration not about the ego. Start a new song if you hit a wall. Make sure your songs/production are good. No amount of mixing or mastering can make a bad song a good one. Give as much information as possible and be open to communication. Have a chat to find out if you get along and if you share the same vision. If you found the right person, trust him that they have your best interest in mind and try to move quickly during the mixing process. Because in the mixing-mastering phases unnecessary details and technicalities issues must be behind you. You have a dead line, you have to finish and you have to move on. There is only the MUSIC that counts in the end.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: During almost 15 years I was involved in a band adventure which was great. I was very faithful and all my energy was put into the music, the composition and the tours. I like the idea to be on the other side now and put all my experience at the service of new projects and new artists.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I have my own studio set up. At home I work in the box (Protools 12; WAVES, PLUG IN ALLIANCE, SOUNDTOYS Plugins...). I have access to a studio with outboard gear that I also go to for recording and mixing if necessary .

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

A: 100% satisfaction. I want them to love the work and I do unlimited revisions. Either I will keep working, either I will start from scratch and try to apply a new way of mixing to get the final best final result. Understand your needs and your expectations. A good communication.

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

A: I like Radiohead, Coldplay, The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, QOTSA, Arcade Fire, Kid Cudi, Daft Punk, MIA, Wiz Kahlifa, Rodrigo Amarante, Little Joy, Tom Waits, Manu Chao, Pj Harvey, Twenty one Pilot, The Strokes, and Muse. Why? because my Kids are huge fans and because I can beat Mathew Bellamy if I play tennis with him. Same thing about the others.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: 3 tips: - Mixing in mono (80%). - Do make-up gain always you can in order to make a fair comparison when you change something in a mix. Because the louder the sound, the more interesting it seems to be or attractive. Better in a way. Old memories of our evolution as a human when we have to escape predators! - Studies in Psychoacoustic showed that 80% of the listening pleasure comes from low frequencies so take care of LOW ENDS.

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

A: PhD in Cognitive Sciences obtained in December 2004. The same month my band signed with Universal Music France and since then we released 4 Albums and played in 500 gigs. I am also a sound engineer graduated recently (2017) from the Audiovisual National Institut.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Most important : I take break every hour ... It is keeping the tracks in memory but you have always fresh perspective when you start again. I carefully listen to the song. But I listen without any limitation, any bias, the same kind of listening that one could have when we were child. First impressions are decisive and I write everything on paper. This first memory will always be with me throughout all the work process. I also try to determine the 2 essential elements of the songs, it's one of my rules and this process allows me to be extremely focused on what matters. Very often the artist thinks that nothing should be sacrificed, that everything is important (this is partly true) but I must have another philosophy and another point of view. Finally I arrive on a much more technical listening that allows me to determine the problems, if any, and to have a strategy, a car driving in some way during mixing or mastering. After all this phase approach, I use templates, No rules but I use a method, I am very organised because at this time this is the moment to work very quickly, with impulse, with enthusiasm and I force myself to justify each of my choices and all my moves.

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

A: Nigel Godrich; Andy Wallace; Scott Litt; Andrew Scheps...

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A fresh perspective. I bring fresh blood. I have often made the mistake of believing only in myself and forgetting the goal which is the success of the music. There are very often stories of ego (I do not really know how to express it in English) but having a new person involved in a project, without all the background and only focused on music can be a huge time saver

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

A: No gear, it can't help without electricity. Maybe a guitare and 3 sets of strings and a "caipirinha".

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your goal? Also, I would love to know the Artists references and the songs they love. It is very important to know what they love.

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

A: Mixing can be fix bad recording. Mastering can be fix a bad mix.