Orchestral Composer & Arranger

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I start by talking to you to get as many details as I can about the song and what you want for it. Also, if you have any references I will listen to them. (I love references since they show me what you're into... or not - and this helps me find the right musical direction more easily.) We'll decide together which ideas, styles, influences, etc. best suite your song and which orchestral format we will work with. I will listen to your song EXTENSIVELY for a couple of days and come up with a couple of concepts and show them to you. From here we'll come up with the starting point of the arrangement. I will work on the arrangement for a few more days and show you a mockup. Once we're both happy, we'll move to the production phase, which includes setting up all details for the orchestral recording session. This is the most exciting part! We'll setup a recording date and I'll get the score and parts ready to bring your music to life. After the session, I'll get the files from the studio pretty quickly. Most likely some editing will be needed so I'll take care of that and give you your final files promptly after that. I will also give you your score and parts in case you want to do a live performance at some point.

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

A: A laptop, a MIDI keyboard, a mic, a preamp... and headphones... Assuming that laptop is full with nice software, plugins, and libraries, I'll get the live sounds from the nature world around me... Don't need much more!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Sound is king! Your musical ideas won't shine unless yo treat them with the utmost "sonic respect". A great musical idea will be lost or be greatly diminished in effectiveness if the sound world in which it exists is subpar.

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

A: I will put my heart and soul into your music and I will do my best to create music which perfectly complements yours. My goal will be for you to be absolutely satisfied with the orchestral arrangement I create for you and for it to uplift your music and help you tell your story.

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

A: The biggest misconception: that recording an orchestra requires a super budget. It doesn't! That is, if you know what you're doing ;)

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I try to get as much information as possible in terms of their musical tastes: what they like and dislike, what are their influences and sonic references, if any, for the sound they want to achieve; what to stay away from, if anything. Also, if it's a song, I want to understand the lyrics and the story the best I can!

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

A: Communication is everything! Don't be afraid to ask questions or to show me your ideas. My goal is for you to be totally pleased with the final arrangement, so the more we explore the available sound worlds together the better. Show your musical influences and what you like... and don't like .... Also, even if you don't know anything about orchestral arrangements, tell me what you like or don't like. I assure you, we'll both learn a lot in the process!

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

A: My life has been music from day one. I have a bachelors degree in music composition from the University of North Texas and a masters degree in Scoring for Film, TV, and Video Games from Berklee College of Music. I've worked on music productions from pop artists to video games, to films, and regularly collaborate in music creation and production with projects from USA, Spain, India, Hungary, Germany, Colombia, etc. My life is musical story telling, 24/7.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: For my orchestral arrangements I work with various orchestras around Europe, recording them remotely, which allows for an amazing level of musicians at an affordable price. These orchestras can be heard in Hollywood films, Netflix, HBO, and the like, as their level is top-notch, so they are very in demand today. But it takes a special skill set to work in this way, which I offer you. Besides this, I possess an arsenal of libraries and virtual instruments which can be used as needed to complement. The sky is the limit.

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

A: Do you use a real orchestra? My answer: Yes! I will write a real orchestral arrangement which we will record with a real orchestra. I work with amazing orchestras around Europe which are specialised in remote recording. Such orchestras are used by Netflix, HBO, and other production companies and I work regularly on such projects.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Cinematic, story-driven, evocative, image-conveying.

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

A: You can listen to it on my Soundcloud, it its called Amai: The Messenger of Life. It is the music for a video game cinematic which was recorded at Air Studios in London by a full orchestra of amazing musicians. Also, my piece From Here to Eternity, available on all platforms. It's short, but very special to me.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Various short film projects, an orchestral arrangement for a pop artist to come out soon, and 3 single releases of my own.

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

A: Martin Merenyi, amazing mixer.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: The best of both worlds. Why choose one?!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: To collaborate with other artists and directors and at the end hear them say: "You did it. That's exactly what I wanted!".

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

A: Film scores, video games, instrumental, hybrid orchestral. Also, I work on lots of song arrangements and productions ranging several genres from pop, to rock, Latin, world, EDM, classical, etc.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is my ability to communicate with the artist in order to really understand what she/he wants for their song. I also have also have a deep understanding and intuition for musical story telling and how to use all available musical colours, orchestral or otherwise, to tell the story and evoke the environments in which you want your song to inhabit.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring to your song that cinematic sound that only a live orchestra and an appropriate arrangement can provide. I will help you tell your unique story in the unique way that it deserves.

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

A: Alexandre Desplat, Thomas Newman, James Horner, Johann Johannsson.

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

A: I mostly do strings or full orchestral arrangements, emphasising a cinematic language and sound. I also combine electronic or world elements as required, creating so-called hybrid orchestral arrangements.