Music Producer, Remote Mixing

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! I love what my analog desk and outboard bring to my sound, but I'm in no way precious about being an analog purist - I also love the infinite creative options that plug-ins offer. They are all just tools and all part of the palette I use to create.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love creating music recordings and mixes that you can get lost inside, and that invite you into 'another world'. I love that the studio is an instrument every bit as much as a piano or guitar, and I love using all the tools available to me to take something from 'documentary' to 'cinematic film' (to use a metaphor from moving pictures).

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: - What do you hope to achieve from this project? - What would you like it to sound like? But since descriptions can be very subjective: - Can you name some other bands/artists/tracks that you like and describe what you like about those songs/sounds? - What are you looking for me to bring to the project (I'm always delighted to step into a production role, but also I won't overpower a musician's own creative path, so it's helpful to know how much the clients will be looking to me creatively as well as technically).

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

A: I'm delighted with the new Pyramid Park album (released 4-24-20), which I engineered, produced, mixed and played keys on. This was a particularly creative project where the artist and I spent our overdubbing days surrounded by synths and guitar pedals, creating a sonic world that inspired and excited us both. I think the mixes worked out really well and I hope that this project propels Pyramid Park to a much bigger audience!

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

A: I studied music at Strathclyde University, specialising in piano performance and studio production. After graduating in 2005, I set up my own studio space and started producing music for friends and colleagues. The business has grown since then and I have worked with hundreds of artists over the last 15 years,

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My work is typically described as 'full', 'warm' or 'rich' sounding. Not afraid to be aggressive, but never sounding thin or harsh. Stylistically I definitely favour a more 'analog' sound and enjoy using compression to colour sounds to paint a full picture in a mix.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: When EQing drums (or any multi-miked source) in a mix, it's always worth checking the phase polarity of each element as you continue to build the mix. EQ can introduce phase shift and you might find that you actually prefer the combined sound with the phase reversed on one of more of your channels once you've applied your EQ. There's no 'absolute' with phase in this context - if it sounds better, it is better!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Since I am trained as both a musician and an engineer/producer, I'm able to understand a recording musically, and communicate on that level. This makes communication much easier, and sessions flow much more smoothly.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For mixing, my normal process is to have my mix assistant receive all the files ahead of time, and organise and prepare the session for me, including routing things to my preferred desk channels. I like to listen to the rough and then start building a mix, usually from the drums, but I'm open depending on what feels like the 'core elements' of the song. I mix analogue on the SSL console, with my own version of a 'multi-buss' technique with outboard compression, but I'm not afraid to use plug in processing to mould the sound before it hits the desk. I like to ask for reference tracks from any clients along with descriptions of what they like in the tracks, as they can be a very helpful way of understanding how a client hears music - particularly when working remotely. For full album production, I like to start with the rough demos, a conversation with the client about what they hope to achieve, and ideally a reference playlist of other music they like, again to help me understand how they hear. I'm very hands on with production all the way through the process, but at the same time my core goal is to help the artist realise THEIR vision, rather than just imprint my own vision onto everything I work on.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: GloWormRecording is a 2 studio facility. I work mainly from Studio 1 which is centred around an SSL AWS 948, 48I/O on Pro Tools HD Native, Burl B2ADC for mix capture, Barefoot MM27 Monitoring and a high end selection of outboard (Retro Instruments, Inward Connections, Tube Tech, Neve, API, Empirical Labs, Kush Audio). We have a fantastic microphone selection, catering to both studios working simultaneously. Studio 2 is based on a UA Apollo, with Barefoot MM45 Monitoring, Burl B2 ADC, and a small but high end outboard selection (Neve, AEA, Kush Audio, Mohog Audio, Warm Audio).

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

A: I love Michael Brauer's mix approach - the fact that it's all about emotion and connection with the song, movement in the mix, and creative use of compression to paint different colours. I'm also a big fan of Joel Hamilton and Tchad Blake, both of whom are not afraid to use bold sonic choices using saturation or effects.

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

A: I am regularly involved in producing a full project, from tracking drums and bass, to overdubs, vocals, editing and the mix. Outside of that work, I am busy with mixing projects from clients who have recorded elsewhere. I work regularly with a top London mastering engineer who masters all my work, and offers a very affordable indie rate.