Mixing and Mastering Engineer

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Right now I am remixing the first album of my own band. It was recorded a couple of years ago and my mixing skills are much better now, so I'm curious how it's gonna sound like.

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

A: I am a fan of Graham Cochrane for couple years. This guy has an amazing YouTube channel with recording and mixing tips and I really like his work, attitude to music and life in general.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I am working completely "in the box" which means digital. However, there are a lot of classical analog gear simulations which are pretty accurate. In my opinion, there is no need to work with analog gear anymore to professional mixes.

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

A: I will do my best to satisfy your expectations, always lisen to you and I will not force you to something that you don't like.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The path and result. Scuplting the sound out of the raw material is absolutely satisfactory to me.

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

A: Questions about the price and deadline are one of the firs questions I am answering. I am not mixing for living, it's just my hobby, so the prices can be really low and the job can be done in very short time period. But I have to wanr clients that sooner deadline means less revisions and less time to settle the mix down.

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

A: Assumption that audio engineer can fix everything. There are a lot of issues that can be made during recording session. Some of those issues can be edited out pretty easily, some of them not. It is always necessary to record everything as good as possible and don't relly on future editing.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How do you think your music should sound like? It will always start a long conversation.

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

A: Just ask for what you need and don't worry about the money. Guys like me are usually not mixing for living so the price could be just symbolic.

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

A: Laptop, headphones, audio interface, monitors. I don't have more equipment so its pretty easy for me to choose :) And I think I will need power generator as well.

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

A: I started with music like a bass player and after few years I found a huge passion in music production. My first mix was made in the year 2012 and it was complete disaster. Since this first attempt I made a huge progress and I am learning new things every day.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style combines the best elements of modern sound with classic rock mixes.

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

A: The Virginmarys. They are really talented guys and their music has so much energy it can make my head explode.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Less is sometimes more.

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

A: I usually work on rock music because it is closest genre to my personal taste.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Understanding of the music feeling. You can be the best engineer in the world knowing all the technical details about your gear but if you can't feel the music vibe it is worthless.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I think I can provide every song with a character suitable for its genre, feeling and lyrics. I really like sound of old analog gear used in modern way. There are lot of very acurrate software processors which simulates old analog gear, so it is very easy to experiment with it.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: After understanding client needs I usually search for references and try to break it down. How is the big drums sound made? What do I have to do to get this vocal sound so tight and in your face? What is the most iconic element of the song and how can I apply all of these things to my client song? After answering those questions, I start a mixing session. I usually get a raw takes consolidated to individual tracks and first of all I am cleaning it up from unwanted chat before vocal part beginning or inaccurate drum hits. Then I start balancing all the tracks and start mixing process. Every step I do, I try to do like it was the only thing I can do to the mix. So, I have to be 100 % sure that it helps the mix to be better and not ruining it.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is very small. I work completely "in-the-box" and I am a Cubase guy. My audio interface is Tascam US-1800 and I have Yamaha HS50 studio monitors. I also used KRK KNS 6400 headphones. These headphones frequency response is very close to legendary NS10 monitors and it gives me really accurate reference sound.

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

A: I found a lot of inspiration in all the people around Dave Grohl. It is not just about Foo Fighters or Nirvana, but he did a lot of side projects which were focused on analog music recording in modern world and it sounded just great.

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

A: Most of my work is mixing and sometimes mastering. It is important for me to understand the music and give each song a unique feeling which fits the artist vision. Sometimes you don't have to do much, sometimes it meant very radical editing.