Hip Hop Producer + Engineer

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

A: I would say it would have to be my most previous work Pocket Jams 2 Deluxe and I know that sounds biased but ive been making beats for a long time but this is the first album where im playing piano on a few of these songs aa the basis of the beat instead of a sample. The sounds are so distinct that I had to create a patch in my Nord from Omnisphere just so I could perform it live.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Right now i'm working on marketing a new album Pocket Jams 2 Deluxe all produced mixed mastered recorded and written by me

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

A: Umm not at the moment i'm new here.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog. Because warmth.

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

A: I promise to abide by my turnaround times and give each project and job my all as if it was my own passion project.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: What I love most is actually being the chef on this side of the spectrum and being able to hear whatever I want, whenever I want and I never have to wait on an artist to make something I want to hear. Because I can do it, and I usually do.

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

A: They're usually music production questions, like what equipment should they get, and i'm always recommending equipment I have. Buy once, cry once

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

A: Please always share with me your ultimate vision. If you want to hire me for just one part of something just me knowing it's a part of a bigger plan of yours creates more energy behind us working together. I not only want to help aid your primary vision but I want to help your ultimate vision as well.

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

A: Speaker. Mic. Beat Machine. Mac. Piano.

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

A: I've been doing this for about 15 years now. I started out making beats and engineering at age 18, i'm 35 now. By the time I was 19 I was an in house producer for the underground group Clear Soul Forces. By the time I was 22 I was overseas doing sold out shows selling records via Fatbeats. Things with my group ended but I kept making music and thats why i'm here.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Funky. Upbeat. Smooth, Hard Hitting, Fusion, Exciting.

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

A: Kendrick Lamar and ya'll know why.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Yes! If you want your drums to bang and you don't know how to mix, EQ your sample by taking the low end out, (put the eq between 70 and 100hz and drop it around 5 db) Then gradually turn your sample down, turn up your kick a little bitch more and you should have the same effect my drums have in my beats.

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

A: Hip Hop, Funk, Dance. usually something 90 bpm or more unless its double time.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Its a toss up between production or songwriting.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Magic. Detroit Funk. Experience.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My typical work process is starting with a sample, learning the chords to a song first, or freestyling to a melody. All three of these are how I start a process of building a beat. Most of the time that I rap or write a song is because no one was in the studio with me at the time and I just wanted to hear what it would sound like with a professional song a recording. After I build the beat im usually writing as I make it, so by the time I finish the beat I'm about halfway done writing the song. Once I finish the song, I take the beat from Maschine and track it out inside of Logic, record myself, then mix and master it.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have 2 studio setups, a travel one, and a stationary one For my stationary setup I have a 1 M1 iMac running Logic Pro 11 with Waves 12 plugins 1 TB 16GB Macbook Pro (2013) running Logic X with Waves 10 plugins 1 RME UCX II interface 1 UA LA 610 1 Blue Kiwi microphone and I run it through the 610, to the UCX 2 Yamaha HS8's 1 KRK 12 Sub 1 Triton Extreme 1 Apogee Duet 2 2 Maschine MK3's 1 Maschine MK1 Mikro 1 Maschine MK2 1 MPC Live For my travel studio I have 1 M4 Macbook pro with Logic Pro 11 1 Tascam Model 12 3 Shure SM58's 1 Beyerdymanic M88 1 iPad pro running Beat maker 3 and logic 1 Nord Stage 4

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

A: J Dilla, Kaytranada, Rick James, James Brown, Prince, Morris Day & The Time, DJ Battlecat, Monte Booker, Pharrel

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

A: I do production (beat making) audio engineering (recording, mixing, mastering) & songwriting. (hooks, verses, ideas)