Art Rock/Electronica Mixing

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

A: I think the biggest misconception about producers in general is that they are only focused on producing and not on the artistry and the emotional content. This is absolutely not the case, and no producer worth their salt would tell you otherwise. A good producer/engineer not only cares about the emotional content, meaning, and artistry, but makes it their duty to dedicate each and every choice they make in the production process to achieving the artist's goals!

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

A: I would HAVE to take the Teenage Engineering OP-1 as my first choice. It's got a long battery life, has a built-in DAW, tons of presets, an incredible sampling engine, and lots of effects. I could play with that thing for hours and hours. Apart from that, it would have to be my laptop, a nice condenser microphone, my full keyboard, and a guitar. That way I could keep recording and making music of all kinds :)

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

A: I started at Berklee College of Music as a composer of musical theatre. I eventually moved to just composing and arranging, and soon found myself leaning towards becoming an experimental songwriter. While I still write and release music (under various names, but the current one is Moonhorn Anguish Memorial Parkway), I also decided I wanted to help other artists find their voice and create the best possible records I can! As a result, I decided to return to Berklee to get my Master's in Music Production.

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

A: I love indie and experimental music of all kinds, and these are the jobs I most frequently seek out. I think when artists get weird and experimental and are more focused on the meaning of their art as opposed to just becoming famous, they often can create works that are incredibly impactful. Having said that, there are lots of more popular genres I enjoy and have also worked on many times (such as pop, hip-hop, pop-rock, EDM, singer-songwriter, etc)! One of my favorite things to do is broaden my musical horizons in as many ways as I possibly can, so I'm always listening to new music and new genres and studying production techniques in each one to understand how they're best put together.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill, I think, is creativity. Having started my career as a composer and songwriter (and having always been an avid fan of many types of music), I know how the creative process works for writers, and this translates over to my producing as well. I have lots of plugins, I'm quick on my feet, and I'm good at thinking of creative solutions to achieving the desired sound and effect that any artist wants.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I began my career as a songwriter (and I'm still a songwriter to this day). Because of this, I approach producing from the songwriter's perspective—I put the emotional intent of the song before anything else.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I am trained as a full-time professional in music, so I can sit down and focus on recording, mixing, or mastering a track for many hours at a time. When doing a mixing project, the very first thing I do is discuss the emotional and technical intention of the song with the artist. After I have a clear idea of this and receive the stems, the first thing I do my DAW session is to organize the mix into groups (usually types of instruments). After this, I like to take the stems and listen to them unaltered once through, then go through and listen to them individually for a bit more specificity. Once I get the idea of the song and I've discussed the artist's intention (both from an emotional and a technical standpoint) for the track, I begin balancing and adding EQ, compression, and other plugins to fit the needs of the song. I also Melodyne vocals or anything else that needs time or pitch correction (if the artist wants me to). Mastering is slightly more complicated and there are a lot of technical details I go into the make sure the track sounds good and will sound good on any platform. I have iZotope Ozone (full version) which is the industry standard program for mastering. Using careful EQing, light compression, stereo image enhancement, and a maximizer, I bring the mixed track to its full potential.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a home studio in Boston, Massachusetts. I have a pair of studio monitors (8-inch subwoofers), an 88-key keyboard (Korg Kross 2), a synthesizer (Korg microKORG), a very wide selection of high-quality dynamic and condenser microphones, a drum kit, soundproofing on the walls, a rug on the floor, and lots and lots of mixing plugins.

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

A: Producers: Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies, Slint, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Low, Joanna Newsom, PJ Harvey) Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, R.E.M., Pavement); Phil Ek (Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, Earth, Duster, Fleet Foxes, The Shins, Father John Misty); Richard D. James (Aphex Twin, AFX, Caustic Window, etc.); Zach Hill (Death Grips). Songwriters/Composers: Phil Elverum (The Microphones, Mount Eerie); Thom Yorke (Radiohead, Atoms for Peace, The Smile); Nick Drake; Elliott Smith; Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails, How to Destroy Angels); Jeff Tweedy (Wilco, Tweedy, Loose Fur); Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control); Jónsi (Sigur Rós); Roger Waters (Pink Floyd); Michael Gira (Swans); Avey Tare (Animal Collective); Richard D. James (Aphex Twin, AFX, Caustic Window, etc.) Charles Mingus; Miles Davis; Steve Reich.

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

A: I am primarily a mix engineer and mastering engineer, and I usually take client's stems from recording and creatively flesh them out into a fully-produced track. My main goal is to really bring out what individually makes you so special and unique as an artist. I don't want to impose my own sound onto yours; I want to accentuate your individuality! As a result, I like my clients to have as much say as possible in how their music is produced and offer revisions as needed to reach the desired sound! I also often record for people in Boston in my home studio, and I offer remote recording if you'd like to add an instrument to your track but you don't play it! I can play and/or synthesize most instruments (particularly anything keyboard-based or guitar-based), so let me know if you have a specific vision you'd like.