Versatile Producer Engineer

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

A: I got to produce a Ska album for Kicked by a Hand. I also got to arrange the horn parts, and writing horn parts is like a treat I don't get to do too often. I've also been a huge ska fan since I was a teenager so getting to co write and produce a kick ass ska record was kinda dream come true.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both! Neither! I don't know! If the Beatles had Ableton they would have used it. Both are different colors for different purposes. I also believe you're allowed to use things cause you like them without further justification. If something brings you any joy, then use it! See if you can get the good feelings to translate.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love a good tune. My favorite tho, coaxing a special performance out of a client or a musician or an artist. It's that feeling when you can just feel the electricity on a track.

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

A: Just how much time different parts take. When you listen to a song it's not immediately obvious how much time went into the production. People have a vision of what the recording process looks like but until you've been all the way through it, it's hard to truly respect it.

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

A: Choosing a producer is a lot like choosing a doctor, typically people don't know what to look for and unfortunately it makes all the difference. A Producer used to be a very specific job in the early days of record labels and tape but now days there's a million different varieties of producer. Whether you're stitching loops together into beats or recording 20 musicians at the same time you have the same job title. The only thing they have in common is being responsible for the product. That said, think of it like finding a hair stylist. You don't just want them to be good at hair, you'll also want to get along with them. You're going to be spending a lot of hours with your producer ideally, so it helps if you like them personally.

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

A: Ukulele, Satellite phone, Mirror, Hatchet, Blood Stained Volleyball.

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

A: I decided I wanted to do music for a living in high school and put all my eggs in that basket. Went to Millikin University to study recording and music. Graduated in 2014 and I've been producing, engineering, writing, and performing ever since.

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

A: I used to listen to the Duncan Tussle Family Hour podcast for a bit and he kept complaining about how hard of a time he has working on his music. I'm just tired of hearing him complain about it.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Breathing. If you forget to breathe while you're recording, you'll pass out from lack of oxygen. It's a bad look.

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

A: EVERYTHING. Oh my god I work on all the styles. Folk, Rap, Easy Listening, Adult Contemporary. I grew up listening and playing Celtic Folk Music, Classical, Rock, and Jazz. In my 20's I diversified into Techno, Hiphop, Indie Rock and folk, Industrial Doom Metal, Funk ect. I'll never turn someone away on the basis of style, in fact I quite like the challenge and variety. A good song is a good song and a good recording is a good recording regardless of style.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For songs, the first step is to listen to the song. Then I'll ask you what you want to do with it. Then we'll make a game plan. Typically though the work flow will be brainstorming, planning, tracking, mixing, and mastering.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I've got a recording studio in the far western Chicago suburbs. I've got a control room and a dead room. It's a hybrid digital analog setup consisting of... Mackie 32.8 Mixing Board 4 x Behringer / Midas ADA2800 Optical Preamps RME Digiface Audio Interface Logic Pro Focal and Avantone Monitors I've also got loads of different instruments, pedals, and plugins. I designed my setup to be versatile so I can tackle whatever projects come my way big or small, weird or conventional.

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

A: I'm a huge fan of Steely Dan and Pink Floyd. I love the meeting of precision and creativity like that. I also find myself inspired by Kevin Parker of Tame Impalas work. He does a great job of not just creating unique tones but building an atmosphere that feels fresh but still draws a feeling of nostalgia and familiarity to his tracks.

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

A: Since opening my recording studio I've worked on a pretty staggeringly wide range of projects. I've recorded everything from rock bands to rappers and podcasters. The largest demographic of my clients are solo artists tired of self recording who enlist my help to bring their vision to life and fill in the crack where their imagination left off.