Production/Mixing/Pianist

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

A: I have been a DJ, Piano bar pianist and singer, jingle writer, session musician and now a producer. I have been producing for over 20 years.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Melody depth and giving it a more edge and "hit quality".

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I mix in the box using Logic X and a vast Arsenal of the best plugins from Waves through to Sonnox, UAD, Flux and many more. All High end virtual instruments from Omnisphere to Gforce , the best piano plugins on the market and many many more. Hardware as follows: RME Fireface 800 Roland JD 800 Waldorf Blofeld Alesis Micron Roland Fa06 Kawai Kc 10 spectra Kawai k4 Kawai es100 Kawai CN 35 Neuman KH 120 A nearfield monitors AKG K702 Reference headphones Focusrite ISA One AKG C414

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

A: I produced a song for Alzheimers awareness a few years ago. I produced, recorded and mixed the song. I was particularly proud of it because it was so far removed from my usual style. The production took me out of my "comfort zone" and I am so proud of the positive impact it made and the awareness it brought to the illness known as Alzheimers.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm busy producing my next body of work under my artist name, "Vaughty". This will be my second album under this name and it will be taking a more "singer songwriter approach" but with an electronic spin on it.

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

A: I don't know him personally , but KLASS is a superb producer in the EDM genre and I have always admired his sound.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Hmmmmm. Good question!! This question is often debated but at the end of the day, I believe it is really about the end result. Wether you use digital or analog , I think it is more important to focus on the sound and the end result as opposed to getting caught up in the pros and cons between the two. Modern synthesizers and plugins have come a long way and it is becoming more and more difficult to tell the difference sonically. The new hybrid synths are now very exciting because they seamlessly merge the best of digital and analog and thereby giving the user the best of both worlds. At the end of the day , the focus should always be on the end result and the creation of great music. If its not fun, then you're doing it wrong !! :-)

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

A: I will do my best to give you what you want. I will listen and ask questions and together we will achieve a fabulous result.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love getting something that I've never heard before and then adding something to enhance it. Hopefully make it better without changing it and being true to the genre. I get great satisfaction when I know my client is satisfied with the results.

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

A: I'm often asked what piano grade I have studied to. I'm asked this because my piano skills are really good. My answer is that I have never received any formal training but I taught myself through the sheer desire and love of music. I'm also often asked what my favourite style of music is: This is a tough question because I love most music and I listen to a lot of different styles in an attempt to understand it, I guess my favourite music is music which is electronically based and this is what I specialise in the style I do.

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

A: Hahahha. I guess its that I sit and stare at a computer all day. I do remember a time though that I used to make records using my Roland MC-50 Micro composer. This was an old school sequencer and it had a display like a calculator. This meant that you would actually listen rather than look at screen all day!! A different "world" it was but I'm glad I experienced it!! :-)

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I usually ask them: 1) What are you hoping to achieve with this track/project? 2) Who are your influences? 3) Why did you write the track and what was the inspiration behind it? 4)What type of sonic quality are you going for ? 5)Where in the market do you place this track/song? 6)How precious are you to the way it sounds? Are you open to new/radical changes? 7)Could you please tell me what reference tracks you would like me to listen to whilst I work on this project.

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

A: My advice would be to do your research. Check the provider's soundcloud page or similar pages. Try and find testimonials of the provider's previous clients if possible. Know what you are after because the more clear you are, the easier it is for you to find the right producer and to achieve the result you are after.

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

A: Hahaha!! Great question!! I would definitely take 1) my kawai piano, 2) my iMac with Logic Pro X 3) Spectrasonics Omnisphere 4) My High Definition Neuman studio monitors of course!! 5) My iLok with all my waves plugins!! (is that cheating ??) :-) ;-)

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Electronic based. Very melodic, expressive and emotional. Moody and melancholic.

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

A: I'd love to work with Depeche Mode because they have always pushed the frontiers of electronic music.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: I can share many tips, but I have ONE GOLDEN RULE and that is: Keep listening to a lot of music and most importantly , keep on writing and producing. You learn more by actually doing things yourself as opposed to losing yourself in endless tutorial videos and music production forums.

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

A: Electronic, EDM, Orchestral Rock and piano balllads.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I always highlight the melody!! Melody is the most important aspect of a song. Everything I add (or remove) from a track is in an attempt to highlight the most important melodical aspects of the composition. It the medley that makes a song memorable. For me , melody is GOD!! As the say, "you cannot hum a kick drum!!"

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I do a lot of "backwards mixing". What I mean by this is that I focus on the key and most important elements first. Once the main elements are working , only then do I start focusing on the "smaller" elements. I do a lot of cross reference checking through different sound sources to make sure your mix translates well on various sound systems.

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

A: I really loved the soundtrack to the movie Oblivion as produced by M83. Check out my track called "Across the Abyss", which was strongly influenced by that movie soundtrack. I love the menacing and distinct sound of Gary Numan and Depeche Mode. As a pianist , I have always been inspired by Elton John.

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

A: I do a lot of full compositional arrangements and full productions. I often am given a rough idea which I can turn into a whole track. As I always say to my clients, "You hum the tune and I'll play it". I also do mixing and pre-mastering. Adding piano tracks/synths/efx to existing tracks is also a specialty of mine.