Mixer, Producer, Engineer

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

A: Stevie Wonder - always been an influence, amazing song's, play's everything, and made some incredible music Julia Michaels - classic modern pop song's with a twist

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

A: Rock, Pop, Soundtrack, Orchestral

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Pro Tools HDX2 system, and UAD Octo Card - Outboard (Although lot of great ITB stuff too!) Bricasti M7, Lexicon + TC outboard reverbs - 1176, LA2a, La3a, DBX, Avalon, Neve, Drawmer & Yamaha Outboard

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: 1979, The Brothers Osborne, Marillion, Craig Armstrong & Guy Garvey

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

A: It's easy, and anyone can do it.... Experience, along with monitoring and equipment and all the other key ingredients, and understanding how to get something finished and beyond expectation is what I strive for

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

A: Moulin Rouge - as it was a very bold production, and was technically & artistically very challenging! Mixer & Some recoding Rufus Wainwright Want 1 & 2 - Huge productions being honed in the mix, but 2 great pieces of work - Mixer The Space between us - Crag Armstrong - amazing fun to work on, great music from Craig, and very well received album which has just had a re-release! Recorded & Mixed Sucker Punch - Sountrack - mixed

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

A: The Beatles, because of the early experimentation in recording which still endures today, The Rolling Stones for the raw vibe and proof that you can endure! Stevie Wonder for being able to do it all, Julia Michaels for amazing modern pop records, Fleetwood mac for timeless pop, Craig Armstrong & Rufus Wainwright for daring to be different

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital - Analog front end! I grew up on Analog desk's and tape at Olympic Studios in London. I spent a few years doing Tape/Board when i first was a freelance engineer & Producer. I started also using Pro Tools alongside for editing until it took over! The limitations of analog tape & the restrictions of an analog board, plus the advances in digital technology have leap frogged what is possible in the analog domain for me. I get better results faster working in Pro Tools than i ever dreamed of on a desk. I Still have faders! it's control surface so I still have the "Feel" from the analog board. In the pre DAW era 48 tracks was usually the MAX # of Tape tracks - now an average pop production is 80/90 tracks and can be 200+ this is just not funny - even on a 72 channel desk! Sure record through great pre's or a board - no brainer - mix on one? you won't thank me when the recall won't sound the same though!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A fresh perspective - there has been more than a few times people have said "Oh you featured THAT guitar" and I say "I can turn it down if you hate it" and the reply goes something along the line's of "Oh that was a really tricky part and we didn't think it was any good, but it works better than we thought!" Me: it's amazing - I would never have known! = Fresh perspective and no preconceptions can be a good thing!

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

A: Mixing Mostly - Stereo + 5.1 if it's a Soundtrack/ Sometimes Additional Production (if requested and only with approval of client) recording, Production Although mixing sometimes involves a little editing if required - which is fine

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

A: I will work my absolute hardest to make your work amazing - and work with you to that end.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I get to listen to music and work with amazing people all over the world

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

A: How Long Will it take? - depends on the track and what's needed - typically a day a mix + some revisions (The "day might be split if it's a big track to give me some brain space!) What's your go to "X or Y" - I use what feel's and sound's right - there is never a right/wrong answer! how does it feel?

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Be Bold! and don't be afraid to ask me :)

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

A: Talk to me! For me this is the most important part of the process - as we are all spread out over the world these day's - ideally a Skype or video chat is great - or a straight phone call, as i think its very hard to put the creative process down on paper sometimes! When I speak to a client it's much easier for me to understand what he project or mix is and how to get it to the next level.

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

A: Pro Tools, Mac, Monitor's, Rupert Neve 5024 Pre, Aston Spirit I could do everything with that :) maybe only 1 at a time - but hey it's a desert island i have to enjoy it too ;)

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

A: I started age 16 at Olympic studios in London, and worked my way up from a Tape Op to Engineer to Freelance Engineer then Mixer, Producer

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Classic big board mixing in the modern age

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Make sure you listen quietly, and don't be afraid to cut thing's to hear what's going on around parts

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Listening, Making big production's seem effortless (When they are anything but!) Getting what you want out of the production

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Important to get a ruff mix, and talk to the client first. Important to know what is expected (Even if it's just make it great!) Once I have done that I will usually listen a few times and make some notes. Then I will start to look at the multitrack and lay it out how it makes sense to me For very big tracks i will some times do this in stages (going through a few tracks at once, then going back to wok on them later) as that helps to keep the flow going.