Producer / Songwriter / Sync

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Cinematic, Melodic, Emotional

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I own a purpose built soundproof studio. Allowing me to work at all hours. I have built up a serious amount of quality gear over the years including - Monitoring and Studio Hardware - Apogee Symphony MK2, Amphion Two15 Monitors, BAE 73 Pre, Empirical Labs EL9, Serpent 1176, Focusrite Liquid Channel, Kemper Profiling Amp, Slate Fox Pres, Audeze LCD, Slate VMS, Avid Dock, Two Avid S1's, UAD Satellite Hardware Synths - Moog Voyager, Prophet 6, OB6, Virus Ti, Roland TD27 V Drums Mics - Pearlman 47 Mic, Chandler TG Mic, AEA R88, AEA N22, Blue Kiwi, Avantone BV1, Warm WA14, Golden Age Ribbon, King Bee Electric Guitars - Gretsch White Falcon, PRS Custom 24, Gibson Les Paul HP, Vintage Fender Duosonic 66, Rickenbacker 4003, Fender Mustang Bass, ESP Stephen Carpenter Signature, Two Custom Built Strats, Ibanez RG550, Acoustic instruments - Atkin L36 Acoustic, Eastman E20SS Acoustic, Gretsch, Fender Resonator, Piano, Cello, Violin, Breedlove Acoustic, Ukulele World Instruments - Charango, Ronroco, Dulcimer, Pan Amor Hand Pan, Sela Handpan, Zephyr Handpan, Cigar Box Guitar, Greek Bouzouki, Mandolin, Balalaika Computer - Mac Studio 2022, Logic Pro, Countless Sample Libraries and Plugins including ... Spitfire, EWQL, UAD, Waves, Slate, AudioEase Altiverb

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

A: To be honest.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: That it doesn't feel like a job. Being my own boss and in control of my time.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I want to know if what they are writing is real to them, if it has any real meaning,

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: I think getting the desk setup is one of most important things and hardest to get right. The layout of your desk, what do you need in front of you? What don't you need? Get an ergonomic chair. When you are comfortable and relaxed with everything in it's right place you will be more productive and be able to work longer hours at ease. I think it's essential to have a Keyboard controller in front of you at all times. So as nice as they look, get rid of that fancy mixing console .. you don't need it. A tip for life I like is from Richard Branson - "If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes - then learn how to do it later." I have lived by this for years.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I’m currently working on a personal solo artist project and multiple TV briefs.

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

A: I've gained a reputation for my cinematic orchestral scores and this is what I get most requests for. For my electronic artist project Hider I have recently started to crossover cinematic elements into innovative pop music with meaningful lyrics.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I have a good ear and am always striving to push the song in ways to make it the best that it can be. Wether that’s lyrically or musically.

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

A: Mike Mogis - Bright Eyes producer, always an interesting palette of instrumentation. Jack Antonoff - I like his unconventional approach and how he can turn his hand to many styles. George Martin - Everything he did on Revolver. Danny Elfman - a fountain of creativity with a distinctive sound. Avicii - an innovator unafraid to try new things, to try interesting voices, mixing up genres to create worldwide hits. Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, how they has sustained a career playing instrumental guitar music true to themselves and have been innovative along the way.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I don't waste time. I don't record 100 vocal takes. For myself I usually just do one 1-3, maybe drop in the odd line. I rarely autotune, but am not opposed to it, I would just use it to fix the odd note here and there. I'd rather keep the human element in the song.

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

A: Around 11 years ago I gave guitar lessons to a 9 year old boy. His hands were too small for the guitar and he found it really difficult to press the strings down. It's also hard to keep a 9 year olds interest, so I had an idea to write songs with him. We wrote a song called 'I Hate School' and as a fun excercise recorded it in my flat. The song only has two notes G and E, I had to hold his fingers in position and push them down whilst recording. The song turned out better than expected and I made a video for it. I put the song on iTunes/Youtube and pretty much forgot about it ... 10 years later the song went viral on TikTok racking up over 15m streams and counting. ‘Ruben The Understander - I Hate School’.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I’ve yet to find a digital synth bass sound as good as a real analogue Moog. Same with 1176 compressors, I think the hardware is better and use them when vocal tracking. However the convenience and speed of a digital daw wins when mixing and I don't like to mix using hardware processors in real time.

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

A: I’m looking for artists who want a collaborative approach. Although I’ll be producing the music, I expect the artist to have some input and some general idea of how they want to sound. I’m looking for ambitious artists who believe they have what it takes to achieve international commercial success. I'm looking to build long lasting relationships where we can improve and succeed together.

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

A: Laptop, Audeze Headphones, Doepfer 88 key Keyboard, Atkin Acoustic, Apogee One with inbuilt mic,

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

A: I first picked up the guitar at the age of 10. I wrote songs through my teens before joining metal bands at music college. In 2004 I left my hometown in the north of England and moved to London to 'Make it' as an artist/Singer-songwriter. After just a few gigs I had industry interest and offers from labels and publishers. Following Manchester In The City I signed to Bucks Music Group and did some recordings for Universal, Island Records. My debut single from my debut album was licensed in the Apple iPad advert in 2010. From the money I earned from that placement I invested in some home studio equipment and sample libraries. I composed an orchestral album 'Something More' and within a few months of its release it had gained recognition from Hollywood trailer houses and for my first trailer placement my music was used in the same trailer as Hans Zimmer. Over the last decade my music has featured in campaigns for - eBay, Google, Expedia, Porsche, Volvo, Skoda, Toyota, Volkswagen, Visa, The Walking Dead, Game Of Thrones, Wilkinson Sword, Suffragette Trailer and many more.

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

A: Someone that no-one knows yet. Someone with a unique voice, ambitious and not afraid to try new things, open to failure in order to find success.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I never use templates or presets, I always start from scratch, I don't want to go into the session with a preconceived idea, I want to try new things, make mistakes and hopefully stumble on something new and special. I typically start by sketching out the song by first recording a guide piano and guide vocal. I then record ideas as they come, improvising without much thought and then as if by magic the song starts to reveal itself.

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

A: As a composer for TV commercials I am asked to produce a complete production of any style that suits their needs. Most commonly I'm asked to compose to picture and have become known for my cinematic orchestral work. I'm almost always asked to work within a tight deadline and always deliver.