String arranger & producer

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

A: My band's most recent LP - We Are There (Fire Records). I recorded and mixed it all, arranged strings, played bass and cello. It's a belter of a record!

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

A: I'd take two violins, a viola, a cello and a double bass and teach the monkeys to play.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Whatever is required! Sometimes I'll look enhance or strengthen what's already there, play off it to give it more significance, or poignancy, or humour - or sometimes I look for space to bring something new, melody, movement, or depth. Every project is different and can lead in different directions - this exploration and discovery is the source of so much joy in the process. But I always like to bring some of myself into my writing - something that nobody else would do.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I'll take a rough mix or demo of a song and map out a score for the whole song - even if I'm just working on a small section, I find this helps to keep the whole piece in view). Then I'll usually start my writing based on some recorded improvisation, developing anything that sticks. I'll generally score it all up in Sibelius, then import as MIDI to a DAW so that I can hear it played through a number of Spitfire string libraries on Kontakt Player. It's an iterative process - at every stage there's scope for alterations. I often like to be able to rest on something for a few days and then come back to it - that usually brings fresh perspective before committing to a final version.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is in a beautiful church building nestled in rural Perthshire, Scotland. The large live room is wonderfully responsive to strings, and brings the best out of my session ensemble. I use a UAD interface, with Grace Design and Neve pre-amps, and microphones by AKG, Schoeps and Coles to offer recordings of transparency or character to taste.

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

A: I approach every commission as if everything I've done before has led to it.

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

A: Can you do that for less money...? Everyone wants to get the best results for the least money, but there's such a range of possibility with strings that there is an approach to suit most budgets without compromise.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Several string arrangement projects, building some shelves, getting round to mending a fence.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I love analogue setups, and I've a few outboard bits and pieces here - but I'm predominantly digital, as this gives me the capacity to work fast, edit easily, and keep the quality high.

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

A: A string arrangement can be for anything from a solo instrument up to a huge orchestral section, and the range of cost can be huge. It's possible to build up string sections in all sorts of ways, but by far the best results come from what can be recorded in a single pass by a live ensemble, so be on top of your budget.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I'd ask if they have any references in terms of style or content, and what they envisage a string arrangement bringing to their song.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Bit of a cliche, but less can be more. If you're struggling to make something fit, try getting rid.

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

A: I guess it's that strings are only good for pads or beds, when they can actually come right up front and carry a song.

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

A: Started playing cello at the age of 8; went to university to study music; joined a band and fell out of university; went back to university to complete my degree; spent a decade recording around Edinburgh with a mobile setup and doing cello sessions, writing for strings, managing a string ensemble; moved to Perthshire ten years ago and set up a permanent studio.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I have a good ear for a countermelody. And I've extensive insight into how string instruments work - if one can write parts that the players can get into then they will bring even more sincerity to their performance, and therefore the song.

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

A: Mattie Foulds is an exceptional drummer and studio wizard.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the variety of music I get to work on, and the extraordinary talent of the musicians who employ me. At the heart of it, I love writing arrangements and bringing them to fruition - the day when you bring humans in to play what has previously only been mechanical is always special.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I'm adaptive, so I can step into a number of skins - though if I was to be pushed on this I'd say gritty, melodic, and detailed.

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

A: I've been lucky enough recently to work with someone I've wanted to work with my entire career. I'll rest on that one for a bit before rethinking my ambitions.

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

A: Whatever comes along!

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

A: I love arrangers who have character and are bold with their writing - Robert Kirby, Wally Stott, David Campbell, Van Dyke Parks...

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

A: I write string arrangements, which I'll either submit for recording by another ensemble or record here. I'm a cellist, so solo cello work is a common request too.