Mix & Master Engineer

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

A: When I was in community college me and a few of my friends decided to make an album. It was made completely by us with no help and we made sure that every aspect of the album was done at on campus. The cover art, the recording, the mix+master (even though we decided not to master it for metaphorical reasons), the promotion (the college had a radio station and we got two or three of the songs played there and we were featured on the campus' newspaper), songwriting, etc. We appropriately called it "College Kid" and every track features a certain experience that the majority of us faced while on campus ranging from racial profiling, partying, romance and even the feeling you get when you actually do better than you thought for once (Another Level featuring Isaiah [now C.I.S]). I was the producer, the recording engineer, the mix engineer, the lead artist and the lead songwriter.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am currently working on 3 singles (one which I am featured on, and two of my own where I bring along features), a compilation album and a collaborative album. I am also producing two EP's for local artists and a full-length album for one of the previously mentioned.

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

A: Not as yet. Hopefully, I will be able to meet and get to know other engineers, producers, and artists and keep the dream of music alive.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital because even though analog has a special feel to it and it has a sound that digital cannot replicate, Digital has a lot more capabilities and uses that Analog cannot provide. Its more versatile and gives us more to work with. If in the event that I need the "Analog Sound" I will use Analog but for now its Digital for me.

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

A: I promise to listen to and collaborate with my clients. I do not intend on being a Yes-Man. I will listen to all of your ideas and try to make them work to the best of my ability and if they do not work I will reach out to you, tell you what I've tried and why it doesn't work and offer alternatives that I believe will make both parties happy.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The feeling that I'm doing something right. I work non-stop and the music I create or help create gives off feelings. Every song has a feeling behind it and I love how my emotions fluctuate with the song. I get to feel empowered after a rainy day. I get to feel happy when I'm mad. I get to feel alive after a funeral. I get to feel hopeful when the world constantly tells artists no.

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

A: That I try to take the easy way out or I don't work hard enough. The only people who say that are the people that don't stay up all night with me on Skype calls keeping me company while I'm adding effects or compressing a vocal.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What direction would they like to take a song or project? What's the feeling expected when hearing it? Why? (for the previous questions).

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

A: Come with ideas and a dream.

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

A: Laptop, Headphones, Interface, Solar Panel, and a mic.

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

A: Musician for 7 years but Mix Engineering for 2. Do not let the short time fool you I've done nothing but grow and grow. I have not limited my abilities to my age or the amount of time spent doing it. I've worked day and night and have been training over and over until I got closer to my potential and I'm still continuing to grow.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style contradicts itself constantly. One minute I'm creating Kanye - Yeezus type music, the next I'm creating early day Noname music. No matter what I do however I always reflect me. The hopeful boy from the Islands that comes from a long line of hard-workers.

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

A: I would like to work with Pharell because he never ceases to come up with new things. Kanye because he is a perfectionist and I want to perfect my craft. Travis Scott because I love the energy and the ability to synthesize your voice while making it still sound organic, Rihanna because BAJANS gotta stick together. Noname because I love her style in storytelling. The list goes on but those are the main ones... for now.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Parallel Compression works wonders. Send all your sounds (except the drums) to a separate bus and squash them. Then add that to the mix you already had and it will work wonders. For a more in-depth explanation look up Andrew Scheps. That, and make sure you're happy with it in the end. If you're not happy it makes no sense.

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

A: Hip Hop, Rap, Trap, R&B, Soul, Spoken Word, Reggae, Dancehall and every now and then Gospel.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is Production and Engineering. The behind-the-scenes creation of the masterpiece at the end.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring whatever was in the artists' mind to the song along with my own little twist. Plus I have a specific ear that can bring the weirdest parts or the most unusual parts of a song to being the highlight of the whole project.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Listen to tracks 5-6 times and lower all levels down to zero. From there I raise one by one each sound/instrument until I have a good sounding mesh and then EQ+Comp from there. After that, I use sends for generic effects like Reverb & Delay and one by one make subtle changes to each sound until the music flows together in unison.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Florean BM700 Condenser Mic, Samson GoMic, Presonus AudioBox v1.2, Technical Pro IA1200 PreAmp, L+R Near Field Studio Monitors (Hi-Low Frequency Support), Pro Tools 12 w/ Complete Waves Package.

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

A: James Brown, Michael Jackson, Sonny Carson, Rick Rubin, Nina Simone, Guru (Jay-Z's Engineer), Dr Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Adaeze (Barbadian Artist), 2 Mile Hill (Barbadian Band), Du-Wayne (Barbadian Artist), Mad Mixy (Barbadian Producer & Artist), Jimmy Iovine, Sir Paul McCartney, etc.

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

A: The most common type of work I do is probably the engineering. Usually, artists send me their songs as separate files and my job was & is to make it all come together and work.

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

A: Usually, customers ask me why my prices are so low and my answer is usually because I dislike putting prices on art and making the resources needed for artists to grow inaccessible.