Multi Genre Producer & Bassist

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am currently working on producing an indie-rock album, a mellow acoustic r&b record, and a punk album. Oh, and I'm always making beats!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! Always both! There are unique attributes about each that come to shine in various scenarios, and being a stickler about one or the other is not a progressive way to go about it. Digital helps achieve perfection, and analog helps achieve imperfection.

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

A: I promise to be honest about my capabilities and to be completely transparent in my projects.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Engaging in creation. Every track I work on presents new techniques to discover and new musical ideas I haven't encountered yet. I love music and I love sound, being able to use them as a vehicle for my career is beyond what I could ask for.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What are your goals as a musician or artist? What kind of feelings do you hope to inspire into the people who hear your music? Where do you want your music to be played?

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

A: Be honest, communicative, and open to new ideas and possibilities within a given track.

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

A: I've always wanted to master the saxophone, so I'd take a saxophone. It's a desert island so I don't think there'd really be any outlets.

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

A: I've been writing and play music my whole life. I've been producing music for six years. I have a large professional background in software engineering. I left my career in software a little over a year ago to pursue music production and sound design entirely full time.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Energetic, erratic in the most engaging way, and raw.

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

A: James Blake. His impact on electronic music is undeniable, and the way he's permeated several genres of music in significant ways inspires me. Not to mention the impact his arrangements and approach to vocals has had on my production style.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Create and save templates for sessions and effect racks!

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

A: I am usually involved in hip-hop, alternative r&b, and singer-songwriter.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Programming drums and writing bass parts that groove with serious bounce. Writing and recording backing vocal arrangements for lush and unique harmonic support.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a unique sense of a groove and unconditional curiosity into how the song can push the norms of the genre or aesthetic in which it lives. Innovation is what drives me!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I start with prioritizing the most central and important aspect of a song, be that the hook, the main groove, or both. Once achieved, I like writing out the blueprint arrangement of the song, including moments for fills and any potential modulations. From there it's filling in the gaps, and then onto working with the artist to record their vocals and any instrument of expertise. Along the entire way, significant changes can be made at any point, depending on the intentions and feeling of the artist, and no change is too drastic. Ego has no place, and room to see where the vision can go is crucial.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I am running Ableton on PC with several industry standard plug-ins, including the FabFilter Suite, Waves, UAD vocal and drum plug-ins, and the RX 11 Advanced suite. I record vocals with a Bock Audio 195 into an Art Channel II pre-amp. For synths and keys I frequently use the M-Audio Venom, OP-1, Mikrokorg, and Nord Electro 6D. I use the Nordstrand Acinonyx for bass and the Magneto Sonnet for guitar. I have a small drum kit for natural drum sounds.

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

A: I am inspired by musicians like D'Angelo, Smino, Rage Against the Machine, JMSN, and Cleo Sol, just to name a few. I am inspired by many music production professionals like J-Dilla, Monte Booker, and James blake for their taste and style. I am also inspired by producers in the EDM and Bass Music scene, including Virtual Riot, dnksaus, and Au5, as their systematic and organizational approaches to the efficiency of creating music is, in my opinion, unmatched.

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

A: I am usually building songs from the ground up with my clients. I am heavily involved in recording all instrumentation and vocals, as well as production and arrangement decisions. I bring forth my expertise to bring my clients' visions to life.