Producer, Engineer, Composer

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: That is difficult to define! If I had to condense it, I would say that I work in a pop-acoustic style with a cinematic/filmscorey slant. It would be easier to define my style by listing my influences: Ryan Tedder, Hans Zimmer, Coldplay, Jack Antonoff, Jon Bellion, Alex Lacamoire, Benny Blanco, Jon Hopkins, Brian Eno, Olafur Arnalds, Ludevico Einaudi, Thomas Newman, Sigur Ros, Ed Sheeran. I'm somewhere in between all of them!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: One trick I like to use to boost transitions between sections is what I call a reverse swell. Take the first note played in the next section (could be piano, vocal, guitar, etc) and copy it onto a new track. Then put a long (stereo) reverb on it with at least a few seconds decay time and the mix at about 60%. Then print that onto a new track and reverse the audio. Line the end up so that it ends right on the downbeat of the next section. It really grabs the listener!

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

A: The song "After Me" from Dane's latest album has been very well-received. After it got put on some Spotify playlists, he started receiving messages from fans all around the world listening to his music! I was the producer and engineer for the whole album.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on Dane Hildreth's fourth upcoming album, some more piano-based projects with my family, and some albums/singles for other artists!

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

A: Not yet!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital!! I know analog is incredibly unique and older engineers always grumble that "digital will never sound the same as analog". That's completely true. But I started learning in digital world and that's what I know. I could buy a single compressor for $3000 and only use it once per mix OR I could get a plugin software that emulates it for a fraction of the cost and use it as many times as I want AND be able to recall that session without a problem. Does that plugin sound exactly like the hardware version? Usually no, but it's very very close and still sounds amazing. There's a reason so many mix engineers (Alan Meyerson, Andrew Schoeps, Greg Wells, CLA) are transitioning to at least a hybrid setup, if not fully in-the-box mixing as it's called (see: Andrew Schoeps). Maybe one day I will get a piece of analog gear, but I prefer to spend that money on good microphones and preamps. There are so many tone-shaping and saturation plugins that sound amazing now that you can get some great analog warmth on your mixes.

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

A: I will make sure that whatever we are working on is a pure reflection of you and your sound. While I can have an influence on it, I firmly believe that it is important that we don't stray from the artist's intention in a song. It is my job to enhance your vision.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: As I state before, it's good balance between technical knowledge of engineering and creative skill. Every decision I make in the process (whether it's recording, EQing, compressing, etc) is very much a creative one that has an effect on the final mix.

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

A: Q: Could you send me a bounce of the rough mix? A: Sure thing, I'll send it once I'm done tweaking it.

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

A: Many people believe engineering is completely technical- it's not! While understanding the principle of engineering and science behind it is important, the second layer to my job is very much a creative one. Different mixing engineers can make the same song sound completely different with their own creative bias. That's why I like doing this- I find it is a great blend of technical knowledge executed through creative skill.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How much influence do you want me to have in your project? I can have either a very limited role by simply engineering (recording/mixing/etc.), or a greater influence on the project as a producer. In this case, it becomes a more collaborative effort between us to create the music. I also encourage my clients to be well-rehearsed in their music, as I find that not only leads to a more efficient session, but also creates a more natural performance, which is better for the final product.

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

A: Make sure the person you decide to hire has a style that you are looking for. The process of creating music is very malleable and can be heavily influence by the creators behind it. This goes for every stage of the process- writing, arranging, producing, recording, mixing, and even mastering. Every part can have a very different outcome depending on the person in charge. Also make sure whoever you hire knows what they are doing! It is their job to know about the more technical aspects of engineering and producing, While it can be mundane and time-consuming, these details are just as important as the creative part of the job, and they definitely make a massive difference on the final product.

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

A: 1. my hard-drive (it has all of my samples and everything else) 2. My AKG C414 microphones 3. My audio interface (Focusrite Scarlett 18i8) 4. My Yamaha Motif keyboard 5. a good book or food probably

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

A: I have been producing and engineering artists for three years. I started learning piano when I was four, and then flute at six, electric bass at 11, and guitar at 14. I was trained in classical, rock, pop, irish, jazz, and contemporary styles. Then I studied music composition and music business from the University of Georgia, where I began to learn audio engineering and producing.

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

A: I would love to work with Ryan Tedder! He is a brilliant producer, songwriter, and singer.

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

A: I am extremely inspired by the work of Ryan Tedder, Greg Wells, Jack Antonoff, Benny Blanco, Max Martin, Hans Zimmer, Henry Jackman, Brian Eno, Greg Kurstin, Jacob Collier, and Rick Rubin. Engineers I admire are Spike Stent, Serban Ghenea, Joe Zook, Michael Brauer, and Manny Marroquin.

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

A: I usually work in singer-songwriter, pop, indie, folk, alternative rock, and cinematic genres of music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I think my greatest strength is being able to understand the emotional core of the song, and translate that into the production and engineering to bring the song to life.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: As a producer, my role is to preserve the artist's original vision and intention with the song. By working together, I help take the song from its original idea to a final, fully-produced and engineered track.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Usually I start off with a scratch take of vocals and piano or guitar. Then I work with the artist to fill out arrangements of full instrumentation to create a song together.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: The DAWs I use are Pro Tools 11 HD and Logic Pro X. I have stereo pairs of AKG C414 XLS and Neumann 184s. I use multiple sample libraries of strings, brass, piano, drumkit, woodwinds, choir, percussion, vocal soloists and more. I also program synthesizers using softwares like u-he Zebra, Sylenth, Waves Codex, and my Yamah Motif XS8 keyboard. I have an electric bass, guitars, and percussion that either the artist or myself plays. I mix on Adam A5X studio monitors.

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

A: When I work with songwriters, they will bring me an acoustic demo of them singing and playing guitar/piano/etc. Then I work with them to create full arrangements with bass, piano, drums, guitar, etc and additional layering of any synths, pads, background vocals, strings as needed. When I'm working with bands, they usually have the song ready to go. I'll record them and mix them, and in a more collaborative process, I will do additional programming of synths, pads, strings, etc.