Mixing and Mastering

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

A: My absolute dream client would be Blink-182. I just love their songwriting, arrangements, and it's exactly what I like to mix. They took punk music and made it accessible to a worldwide audience, really changing the genre forever.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: After receiving the multitrack, I bring it into one of my custom mixing templates, where I have my go-to plugins and organization system ready to go. I make sure everything is easy-to-find so I don't get lost in the project. When I get to mixing, I bring the tracks up one-by-one as I process them and make them fit in the track, making sure every element is heard and fits well, while remaining interesting and filling its unique role in the song. Add in some time, a whole lot of careful listening, skill, know-how, and a bit of magic, and I send you a great mix! After a couple rounds of revisions (if necessary), I master the track and you're ready for publishing.

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

A: I grew up listening to a wide variety of music, from grunge to acoustic pop and everything in-between, and I've been inspired by elements of all of them! I love the heaviness of Nirvana, the widely-accessible punk sound of Blink-182, the never-boring production of The 1975 and Bleachers, etc. Some of my other favorite artists include Coldplay, Angels & Airwaves, and Walk the Moon.

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

A: I most commonly mix and master alternative, rock, punk, and some pop music. I love to mix punchy drums, energetic guitars, and captivating vocals!

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

A: I'm especially proud of the EP I recently finished, Erasing Elation by Scouty. I co-produced it and have helped teach my client how to record himself in the future. But I'm particularly proud of the mixes! They are some of my best work yet and I'm very happy to share with the world.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I don't really like to pick a side in this debate, actually. There's a reason analog sounds good to our ears, but modern digital emulations are incredibly accurate to those sounds as well. I understand and fully support usage of all analog gear, but I personally like the convenience of in-the-box.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Put simply, I am infatuated with the fact that using my skills, I can make an artist's work sound infinitely better. I also love how happy the artist is when I'm able to fully bring their vision to life, or even add something to it that they love!

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

A: I think the biggest misconception, especially in this DIY age of the music industry, is that you can mix and master your own music with no training or practice. Not to say that it's impossible to engineer your own stuff, but a good mixer does way more than just put your tracks together. There is so much to consider in terms of mindset, approach, ear training, and there are so many decisions to be made over the course of a mix that must be well-informed. And that's not even considering all the skill and knowledge of your tools that is required. For some things, it's just better to hire a professional.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are your inspirations? What are some examples of how you want this project to sound? What are your aspirations as an artist? If you could perform with any other artist who would it be?

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

A: I've been involved in music as long as I can remember. I've sang since I was a kid, played guitar since high school, and began writing/producing my own music in college. Through working on my own music, I discovered a passion for mixing and mastering! I fell in love with the role of taking an artist's baby that they've poured their heart into, and bringing their vision to life, making it sound as good as it possibly can. I dropped out of college, moved across the country, and started working on making it my profession.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Make sure to record and edit doubles of your vocals! Especially for a big chorus or even on a lot of verses, having doubles can really boost the energy and thickness of the vocals, and bring the whole song up with it.

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

A: I have worked with a variety of music from hip-hop, to punk, to alternative and more. I generally prefer and usually work on alternative and punk-inspired music simply because of the energy, but I have a soft spot for heart-wrenching ballads and pop tunes as well.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Mixing drums and bass is one of my strongest skills. I love the feeling of emphasizing a powerful groove by having the kick drum and bass fit together like a glove.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I love to take thin arrangements and make them full, but also find great satisfaction in make a full arrangement fit together well. I try to bring energy, excitement, clarity, and emotion to a song. My goal is always to bring out what makes the artist unique, while increasing professionalism and accessibility to the largest audience possible for you and/or your band.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I mix fully in-the-box in an acoustically treated room, with Kali Audio professional studio monitors. I use a Presonus control surface to allow for tactile automation to help give my mixes natural and powerful dynamics. My large plugin collection includes analog modeled compressors, EQs, channel strips, preamps, and much much more. I also have a variety of mastering tools from Ozone and other manufacturers.