Produce - Mix - Master

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

A: Hmm well there's this topline I wrote called warrior that has over 20 MIL streams by now so that was pretty cool :) I recently produced an EP for a new artist named Isla Rose who I actually have never met in person! She came to me on Soundbetter and we worked together on this EP for over 2 years, we did the whole EP super interactively on facetime and with live streaming, so it was a really interesting process. The EP has gotten a ton of great support from blogs and editorials so that's been really nice.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on a ton of music for my own artist project, and also an EP for a really talented pop singer/songwriter named Judd Harris who was an American Idol Finalist. I'm also working on a new song with this artist named GOMEY who is super talented.

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

A: RIVIERA

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. But mainly digital these days because it still sounds great if you know what you're doing with it, and it's super fast and streamlined to work in the digital domain.

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

A: I will always do my utmost best to make you happy. I hate mediocrity and I strive for perfection with everything I do, and your project will always be my top priority. It's an honor to be trusted with your song, and I will always respect that during our process.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love translating the artist's vision into something tangible, and I love the look on someone's face when they hear a final mix that they love. That's incredibly rewarding for me.

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

A: Hmm, maybe the most common is how long does the process take? And that's really difficult to answer because every project is different haha... there's some hit songs that have been made from start to finish in 10 hours or less, and others that people spent hundreds of hours on because there were so many people and versions involved. I mean I can make an awesome sounding instrumental idea in 1-2 hours, and I usually turn around projects in a week or so if the process is streamlined....but how long it takes to finish something depends on how much experimentation is required, and so many other factors... so it's difficult to generalize.

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

A: I think the biggest misconception is that there's one right way to do something or one right way to create or mix a song. Music is all about energy and emotion, so it's a very personal and subjective thing.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: If an artist has released music before I always ask to hear a few things that they're the most proud of. I also love to ask clients for references for what kind of sound they're going for. We don't need to stick to the references super closely, but it can really help to steer everyone in the right direction if you have something to guide you.

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

A: Don't be afraid to ask questions! I want to create something amazing together, I want us to be a team, and I want us to have a great time doing it. The more we communicate and collaborate the easier it is for me to realize your vision and make it a reality.

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

A: Macbook Pro, UA Apollo Interface, Weighted midi controller, Fender Strat, Neumann U87

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

A: When I first moved to New York I was an assistant for Grammy Award winning producer/songwriter Adam Anders (Backstreet Boys, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and Glee).  I then got a job as staff engineer at legendary NYC studio Sear Sound where I had the chance to work with alot of incredible Organic pop/rock and jazz artists -- Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, Death Cab For Cutie, Norah Jones, Sting, Scissor Sisters, Blonde Redhead, the Gipsy Kings etc.  I then went freelance and moved to Europe and started producing a lot of music for TV and Film and a number of artists.  It was in Europe that I started getting more interested in Dance music and DJing, and I also honed my skills writing lyrics and melody and started writing toplines for people.  I also transitioned away from engineering and recording bands and focused more on my own production and writing techniques.  I was in Europe for about 6 years and then moved back home to New York.  Since then I've built a great network of co-writers, collaborators, and clients.  I've been freelance for over 12 years!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Regardless of the genre, I think my style is polished, punchy, and big.  I like to make my choruses or drops as big and wide sounding is possible... I want my music to be all around you, it should be an immersive experience when you listen to my final mixes.

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

A: In the pop world I've always loved the Killers.  Hot Fuss was one of my favorite albums ever, I'd love to produce something for them!  In the dance world I'd love to collab with Tiest because I mean.... he's just a legend!!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't be afraid to color outside of the lines a little bit.... your ability to bend the rules and think outside of the box are what will set you apart.

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

A: In the Pop spectrum I guess it would be most commonly Top 40 Commercial Pop and Indie/Alternative. I also do a decent amount of rock and hybrid work. In the Dance music world I would say mostly Deep House, Tech-house, Future House, Melodic.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Turning someone's voice memo into something that can be played on the radio :)

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Emotion. I want to make you FEEL something when you hear music that I've produced. This can be a number of emotions depending on the song and genre, but you have to feel something when you hear it. I also have a really diverse musical and technical background, and I combine a lot of organic and electronic sounds, so I bring a really fresh sonic palette with me to every project.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: The process varies from project to project, but I always start by discussing the vision and creative direction. Then I usually work on an idea on my own and show my first draft to the artist and we make changes to it together from there. It depends how hands on the artist wants to be though. Sometimes it's better for me to just "do my thing", and sometimes it will be very collaborative with the artist. In general though, I think the best music happens when people can bounce ideas off of each other, so while it's not essential, I think it's often advantageous when an artist wants to be hands on with a project.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work in a number of different studios so my setup is often different.... but wherever I go I like to produce in Logic Pro, and I have 3 different pairs of reference headphones that I take with me everywhere, and I know those headphones inside and out.  I also have a production/writing room in Union Square, so I work out of that a lot when the artist and I just want to vibe together on something.

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

A: I've always been a huge admirer of Max Martin -- his production and songwriting sensibilities are absolutely incredible in the Pop spectrum. I'm also a big fan of Flume, his sound design and sound choice are really amazing. And don't even get me started on bands and singers.... there's SO many :)

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

A: I'd say the most common types of work I do are 1) producing and co-writing a song from scratch based on references, or 2) an artist will send me a demo of a song they're already written, (often just a rough voice memo), and then we produce the song around that. I also do a ton of finishing and re-producing tracks for other producers. They will often come to me for help when something is 70-80% of the way there, and then they need me to help bring it home and finalize the production and mix/master.