Studio, Production & Mixing

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! I believe analog has a lot to offer before stuff goes into the computer (good mic, good pre, good eq, good compressor, good guitar amps and pedals). Once the vibe is captured, I believe digital offers a lot of flexibility and possibilities. I love both.

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

A: I promise I will not force my own preconceptions, muscle memory, and preferences onto you and your project. I am well aware I am not the star of the show...you are! I also promise honesty, if I believe I am not the right professional for the job, I won't take your money.

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

A: After careful consideration about budget, availability, overall quality, please make sure you get a good sense on the personality/style of the individual you're about to work with. Talent, experience and gear are not enough if two people aren't on the same page as human beings and communicate differently, that can instantly kill the vibe and poison the project.

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

A: A solar generator, my computer, my Apollo, my guitar and my mic (cables don't count, do they?)

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

A: R&B, Pop, Singer-songwriter, Alternative, Electronic, Hip-hop

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Resourcefulness.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A drive for originality, honesty and craftsmanship. Sometimes music theory is a necessary tool, sometimes less is more. I bring all my own references, my own personality, my favorite chords, my desire not to have favorite chords, an open mind, all in one package.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: No matter what genre, what job I'm hired to do, I always try to put myself in the artist's shoes and understand their perspective and expectations. After that's taken care of and I really understand what is the goal I was hired to help them achieve, I write down the steps I see necessary for me to get there and start working. If it's a production/beat making job for which the artist has references, I listen to a bunch of the songs to put me in the right place for the project, open my template in Pro Tools and start building.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work in Pro Tools 12 on a Macbook Pro 16". My interface and converter is the Universal Audio Apollo x6, so I also use UAD plugins. My favorite microphone for vocals is a Neumann U87ai and I also own a Shure SM57 for guitar, hi-hats, snares and vocals, sometimes. I really love the original Neve sound, so I got myself a BAE 1073MP mic pre which gives me that warmth. It's a stereo unit so I can run virtual instruments and samples through it as well. My room is a bedroom converted into a studio so the vocal booth and control room are the same exact place, but I make sure sessions are comfortable, cozy and that the vibe is right! I have proper acoustic treatment on the walls, ceiling and corners. Yamaha HS8 monitors, a Fender Stratocaster, a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp, a pair of Sabian Hi-Hats and various plugins and instruments by Native Instruments, Waves, Soundtoys, UAD are also members of the roster.

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

A: Kevin Parker (Tame Impala), D'Angelo, Jordan Rakei, John Mayer, Tom Misch, Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Pharrell.

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

A: I'll talk about something I am working on at the moment: currently I am producing an EP for an R&B female singer from Toronto. She handed all aspects of production (beats, aesthetics, instruments), arrangements and mixing to me. She brought in all songs with a loose structure, melodies, lyrics and chords. I started building the music around that, with her references and personality in mind. Something else I do is help with beats/songs that are already in the demo stage and add some of my own ideas and work on the arrangements, textures, etc. Then comes mixing, where sometimes I also have some creative freedom as far as the production goes, but where usually my job is to take what the producer has created and make it sound closer to the intended goal. I also get tracks where more guitar parts or a solo are desired and have an opportunity to enrich the song with my guitar sound and personality.