Bass Guitars & Double Bass

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

A: One that springs to mind is a film project a composer called me about. He sent me a 3000 bar PDF (lots of rests interspersed with the bass guitar cues) and a huge Logic file. Since I read music I loaded everything up and sight-read the PDF, fast forwarding the Logic track to the audio sections. I did feel pride knowing that years of working on skills from reading to DAW production came together to get the job done. The whole thing from start to bouncing the files took around 2 hours. The client was very pleased and very surprised at the turnaround!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Online sessions from around the world. Mostly singer-songwriters, bands, composers and producers. All types of genres.

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

A: I've only just found out about it and am really looking forward to joining this amazing community.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I can't do my job without BOTH! A 1968 Precision bass going through Universal Audio Apollo digital conversion allow this industry to exist.

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

A: I'll put everything into making the bass line on your track sound awesome and I won't stop until you're happy with the result. Your track isn't just another one on the pile. It's really important to me that the bass sounds amazing on it so I work until it does.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Remote sessions are the favourite part of my job. Being able to connect with musicians around the world and get paid for recording bass for them is amazing. I honestly have to pinch myself sometimes as I always wanted to be a session musician and then studios started closing down. The rise of the home studio was the best thing to happen to the industry, allowing more connection and more creation.

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

A: Q. Can you record a bass line for my new track? A. Yes, of course! When do you need it by and what are you looking for?

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

A: People have always thought that musicians don't have a 'real' job! I think people really don't realise quite how much work goes into it and how professional you have to be to maintain a career.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I ask if they know what they want from the bass. Do they have a guide bass or no idea? Do they know what bass they want me to record with or not? Chart or no chart? The process is actually really simple but I like to be really clear at the beginning. Plus when do they need it by...

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

A: This applies to booking anyone online. Get in touch and make sure you get a quick reply answering all your questions. It's difficult to find someone online who is trustworthy and professional enough to give your song 100%. You need to find someone who is available, professional, has great gear and top communication.

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

A: 1968 Fender Precision 1978 Fender Precision (my number 1 bass) My 130-year-old double bass 1978 StingRay A boat to get off the island

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

A: I've only ever been a full time working musician - for 15 years now. I've played all kinds of gigs for all kinds of artists and bands. I have been recording online for 8 years now and have played on 1000s of tracks for 100s of clients al over the world.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Serving the song with style, groove and flair.

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

A: Well, unfortunately, David Bowie, Prince and George Michael all passed away recently. They were amongst my favourite. A jazz artist like Pat Metheny would be amazing as I've loved his music for years.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: The parallel use of effects. This is particularly brilliant on bass. Use my clean DI track alongside the amp signal. Add overdrive or whatever effect you want on one track (compression works well) whilst the other track retains the solid, fat bass tone. You can then blend to taste.

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

A: Pop, rock, funk, blues, world, jazz, hip-hop, dance, electronica, singer-songwriter.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Communication and speed. I have spent 26 years (and counting) studying great bass lines and tones. However, when working online, it is crucial that you are able to give the client what they are looking for on a song. I think my strength is being able to translate what a client wants into a great bass line and to do this quickly with no fuss or friction.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Every song is different but the fundamentals of great bass playing tend not to change. These are providing a solid foundation and groove to a song. I believe that the bass line is the heart and soul of a track and that it should - along with the drums - provide a comfortable armchair for the rest of the instruments to sit in. I do like to bring some flair and movement to the song if I can! I'll usually record some simple lines alongside some busier ones with more movement. Again it's about options.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I first make sure that I have all the information I need from the client. I listen to the track and write a quick chart and then come up with ideas. I'll usually record 2 or 3 takes as standard to give the client options. The clean DI signal is recorded flat with no compression or EQ and the second signal I record has more character. With double bass, I record fingerboard, body and bridge microphones. With bass guitar or double bass, the aim is to provide options to the client in terms of both lines and sounds.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a setup that is ready to record with the click of a few buttons! I track to Logic via a Universal Audio Apollo interface and use an Avalon U5 for a clean DI signal and a Jules Monique handmade tube bass preamplifier. This provides a slightly more characterful second signal. The rest of my setup revolves around great instruments: vintage Fenders, MusicMan, Gibson and Rickenbacker as well as some more moderns basses. My upright is an old German bass that I capture with Neumann microphones.

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

A: I'm always inspired by great musicianship and I often go back to the classics. With bass, that means James Jamerson, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Jaco Pastorius, Tony Levin, Pino Palladino and the like.

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

A: The work is very varied but the most common is either coming up with a bass line from scratch (with or without instructions) or replacing an existing guide bass (usually MIDI).