The Online Session Guitarist

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

A: When covid first sent the world into lock down I recorded guitars and mixed a track which became the first split screen charity single. It was a cover of Anytime You Need a Friend by Mariah Carey. Recorded by a 100 piece choir and full band. Even one recorded remotely from home. Mariah even heard the track and tweeted about it. It was an amazing focus for everyone involved.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on numerous tracks for clients. Also, I have a solo acoustic album about to be released. You can find the videos I have released on YouTube.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both please! Because both have amazing things to offer.

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

A: I will continue to work on your track until you are 100% satisfied.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love being creative. It really satisfies me.

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

A: Question - Can you bring my track to the next level? Answer - YES!

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

A: People don't realise that things can all be recorded and produced remotely now

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I always start by asking what my clients vision for the project is. It's so important to listen. I ask them to suggest any guitar parts, players, band, songs or artists they want me to take influence from.

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

A: Great question! An acoustic guitar would be an obvious one. I think some kind of amp/speaker and loop pedal would be great as I could create arrangements as well as record and perform them. I guess a microphone would help (even though I'm a lousy singer). My Kemper head would be great so that I could use different sounds and effects. Finally, I would probably smuggle a plectrum in to make 6.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I have played for over 30 years, studied and taught music in many institutions along the way. I have listened to such a broad scope of music over the years. So I have developed skills across many genres instead of becoming an all out expert in just one.

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

A: It's been a long dream to work with Stevie Wonder. One of the true geniuses of our life time!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I think communication is a skill that needs to be strong when working online to produce music with people. Also, I feel I am strong at interpreting exactly what my clients request.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: The more people work online to create music the more we rely on digital tools to create our tracks. I can add that human feel and organic textures to a track which can help bring it to life. I record real guitars, with real microphones, amps and effects.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I start by listening to the client about their vision for their track. I play what they send me, I listen to their reference tracks and read their requirements. I'll take all this on board as well as offering my own suggestions if required. I'll then record all the parts I my guitar studio. I upload these edited and mixed stems to a Dropbox folder which I share with my client. I also create a rough preview mix containing many of my record parts blended with their demo (if supplied). This helps the client quickly hear my work in context. My stems are labelled and numbered clearly so that they drag and drop easily into a project in the right place. Once my client has listened to my work I am always happy to amend and add recordings until they are completely happy with my service.

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

A: Yes, my long term friend, Dom Morley. I first met Dom 20 years ago when he was working as an engineer at Metropolis Studios and I was just answering phones, trying not to get fired (I got fired in the end). Dom has worked on sessions with Michael Jackson, Sting and endless others. He even won a Grammy for engineering Amy Whinehouses Back in Black Album. Whenever I need to record outside of my own studio I go to Dom's. He's the best and I totally trust him with my music. Look him up!

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

A: It's all about trust and communication. Especially when you are working together remotely. I'm very clear that I am very dedicated to every job I take on and that I will always be happy to amend and rerecord parts as many times as it takes until the client is completely happy. The reason I never end up having to do many amendments is because I have such thorough communications with the client before and during the project to ensure I'm chasing exactly what they are after.

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

A: I've been playing for over 30 years. I was lucky. I knew I wanted to be a guitar player professionally from about the age of 14. I payed no attention in school as I was too busy practicing guitar. I went on to study music in a couple of institutions in England. I started off working for any artists I could for free, I busked, I took every opportunity I could to play and record. Slowly things grew and about 15 years ago I opened my first studio space and started recording guitars online.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Tuning. I am constantly checking the tuning of the guitars I am recording with. I have two different tuners set up in my rig at all times so that I can quickly and easily check.

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

A: I work on a lot of different styles. This year I completed a sample library for Samplephonics which was 200 'Cinematic Guitar' samples. I also contributed to a southern Italian folk band's album, a German House hit and a ton of rock and pop tracks. Most days are different.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a dedicated guitar studio in South London. I have about 20 guitars and basses, various microphones, Neve pre-amps, various tube/valve amps, numerous effects, amp modelling hardware, Neumann monitoring, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Allen and Heath Qu16 desk. I really have everything I need to offer any sounding guitars.

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

A: Any artist, musician or producer who makes it look really easy. These are the guys you know have invested thousands of hours to their craft. It's a thin line between being inspired by these people and feeling like you can't compete. But that's ok because music isn't a competition and we all have our own voice.

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

A: I record guitars remotely for artists, producers and composers from my dedicated guitar studio in London. It always starts with a conversation about the clients vision. I listen to their requirements, their references and understand their expectations. Sometimes they have very few of any which is no problem. Either way I'll always help suggest ideas and options to suit the track, the time frame and the budget.