Gorgeous Acoustic Guitars

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

A: How many acoustic guitar tracks / layers does the Acoustic Guitar price include? - As many as the song requires! Same goes for the Classical Guitar. You'll receive separate audio files in the form of stems. What's included in the Full Instrumental Production? - For this service all the instruments at my disposal can be used in order to make a full and complete arrangement for you, according to your needs. Here's a list of instruments: Acoustic guitar, classical guitar, octave mandolin, ukulele, electric guitar, bass and a variety of light percussive instruments and virtual instruments. The second song of my audio sample is a good example of what can be achieved!

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

A: An album titled Nylectronica, co-written between me and the talented Gabriel Gould-Davies, with the following concept: Organic acoustic guitar, delicately placed over smooth, sophisticated electronica. We basically wanted to create an interesting fusion, I wrote the nylon string guitar arrangements, he took care of the electronica part and we decided to name it Nylectronica. We presented the idea to Sony and it was a success. I remember going to a meeting at the Sony ATV Music Publishing building in London and being told that we had invented a new style which did not exist in their music catalogue. I could not believe it!!!

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

A: Some people think I need a muse or a visual source of inspiration such as a beautiful landscape to write music. I know this for a fact because I've been asked, more than once. This might work for some but my source of inspiration simply consists of pursuing beautiful sounds, chords and melodies. It's a sonic inspiration, rather than visual.

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

A: Develop your song as much as you can and make it sound as good as you can before I come into play, cause that is the starting point for me to keep on developing your work...Starting from a solid base will likely produce greater results!

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

A: That's an easy one for me, my computer (so I can use my DAW), monitors, interface, my Shure KSM 141 stereo mic pair and a solar panel charger! Hopefully it's very sunny out there on that desert island! That and my acoustic and classical guitar (that does not count as "gear", does it?), plus cables to connect everything (please!)

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

A: I actually studied Architecture but wanted to be a musician ever since I can remember. I always had the feeling that it was a risky path, but I was not feeling fulfilled and decided to take a leap of faith and study Audio Technology and Guitar Performance at London Music School. This combination of subjects was perfect for me and it eventually led me to co-write my first production music album which got published by KPM in 2014. From that moment on I kept on writing music and signing contracts with publishers and I currently have more than 160 published tracks. Some of these are the result of solo work and many are the result of collaborations. I've now decided to use my expertise here at Soundbetter to help other artists elevate their tracks and reach the sound they want.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both, as long as the end result is great!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: It's a minimal yet very effective setup for what I do, got a great RME babyface interface and over the years I've acquired some outstanding mics that work really well for guitar recordings. As for the electric guitars I've got a couple of sweet pedal boards that allow me to explore a vast array of sounds. Apart from that, I have many instruments, both percussive and melodic, plus a MIDI keyboard and some virtual instruments too. The walls of the room are soundproofed and have sound panels that are strategically placed to control the reverberation. I work with Pro Tools and use Citronic ST active studio monitors.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Always working on my next album!

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

A: I've worked with the mixing engineer Travis Ference a few years ago and I was quite satisfied with the whole process and end results, everything was very easy.

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

A: I promise to put all my attention and focus on your music as if it were mine.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I enjoy the whole process, but when a song is finished and you hit play, that's a glorious moment!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I ask for musical references! It's also important for me to know if the client has a very strong idea of what he wants, or if there's a certain degree of freedom for me to experiment. Every case is different!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Aesthetic, detailed, pleasing.

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

A: Jacob Collier because who wouldn't!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: When working on a song I often just go for a walk and melodies start appearing in my head, so I just sing and record those melodies using my smartphone. Later on I try them on the guitar. Works for me at least!

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

A: Acoustic & Folk however I've worked with other styles that I'm also comfortable with, such as bossa nova, latin music, flamenco, classical and jazz.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My guitar playing combined with years of experience recording and producing.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I'm always searching for interesting fingerpicking and/or strumming patterns that can elevate your song and make it more unique.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I choose the guitar best suited for the brief and start with chord progressions. Once the structure is there then I start adding melodies and/or more colors and textures. I use Pro Tools and record quite a few takes and edit a lot, as I strive for perfection. I always ask clients to send over STEMS, whenever possible.

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

A: So many...from artists such as Nick Drake and Elliott Smith to film composers such as Hans Zimmer, Thomas Newman and Gustavo Santaolalla to crazy supertalented Snarky Puppy and Jacob Collier! Also, if you haven't yet please check out MARO, she has such an amazing voice.

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

A: I mostly record and mix guitars, I can either create something from scratch or follow defined guidelines, that's up to each client!