Mixing and Production

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

A: That mixing is mainly about fixing problems. The best mixes are creative. Balance, distortion, space, dynamics and effects can completely change the emotional impact of a song. My job isn’t just to make everything technically correct. It’s to help the record communicate.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are your reference tracks? What do you already love about the song? What isn’t working yet? Are there any sounds or performances you consider untouchable? And when the song is finished, what do you want it to make the listener feel?

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

A: Hire someone whose taste you trust, not just someone with the longest gear list. Send references, explain what you love about your rough mix and tell me what you absolutely don’t want changed. The clearer the creative target is, the better the result will be.

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

A: I studied at the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences and have been working with audio for about 16 years. I’ve worked in studios and live sound, while also spending years writing, recording and performing as a musician. I eventually built my own studio so I could bring all of those experiences together under one roof.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Emotional, dimensional and a little imperfect on purpose. I like records that feel powerful and finished without sounding scrubbed clean. I’m drawn to big guitars, deep low end, natural movement, creative effects and vocals that feel like they belong inside the world of the song.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Make decisions earlier. A great source sound, performance or arrangement choice is worth far more than trying to repair something with 15 plug-ins later. Commit to tones that excite you and build the record around them.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Hearing what a song is trying to become. I’m good at identifying which sounds, performances or arrangement choices are helping the record and which ones are getting in the way. That usually matters more than any individual plug-in or mixing trick.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Taste, perspective and a musician’s ear. I’m always asking what actually makes the song work. Sometimes it needs more weight or atmosphere. Sometimes it needs less. I’m comfortable making creative decisions, but I don’t want to erase the personality that made the artist interesting in the first place.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: First I want to understand the song, the artist and a few reference tracks. Then I get the session organized and make broad decisions about balance, tone and arrangement before getting lost in details. I try to get the emotional direction right early, then refine editing, effects, automation and final polish around that.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work from a private studio in the San Diego area built for both tracking and mixing. I have a hybrid setup with UA Apollo conversion, Warm Audio preamps and compression, real drums, basses, guitars and amps including an Orange Rockerverb and 5150, plus UA OX boxes for flexible amp recording. Monitoring is through Kali IN-8s with room correction, and I mix primarily in LUNA with SSL control surfaces.

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

A: I’m inspired by people who make records with a strong identity: Steve Albini, Butch Vig, Brendan O’Brien, Nigel Godrich, Dr. Dre and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Very different worlds, but all of them understand that tone, space and feel are part of the composition.

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

A: Mixing, production, in-studio tracking, guitar and bass production, vocal editing and tuning, drum editing and reamping. I’m often brought in to help turn good recordings into something that feels like a finished record.