MY STORY – Q&A
A: By the grace of God. When I moved to Nashville in January of 2011, I was fortunate to work at Dark Horse Studios in Franklin. While there I spent time honing skills in engineering. I started helping a producer named Pete Kipley for a time. He helped to connect me with a few other’s in town that might need a full time assistant. Thus began my tenure with mix engineer Sean Moffitt. For about 8 years (give or take a few years evolving and transitioning), I apprenticed with Sean and helped develop his operation. What started as assisting with preps evolved into a real team-based music making machine; where I oversaw the assisting team while also mixing along side Sean as well. That relationship really helped me develop my mixing chops, helped me grow as an engineer and a businessman in this industry. I’m proud, fortunate, and grateful to have been a part of such a successful team. Because of the skills and wisdom developed in that time, I’ve been fortunate to build my own mixing career into what it is now. What has led to and sustained my career is the pursuit of excellence in service and skill while trying to bridge gaps and solve problems.
A: Every song is different, so I can’t always attack them in the same way, but for the most part, here is my preferred process. I don’t approach things with a template, or just start slapping on my favorite plugins. The method of working through a song is the same to harness efficiency, but the subjective moves are different with each song and each unique problem to solve. Knowing how to use the tools to achieve the sound you want is the biggest benefit.
1) Listen to the rough mix and references, and analyze how things are put together… the producer and artist have probably spent weeks or more shaping the sound already, it would be foolish of me to just haphazardly strip everything down and think I can make it better in 1 day. I’ll take a few notes about what needs to change, what needs to be featured, etc.
2) Gain staging, fixing some broad balance issues or tonal issues that I hear along the way. I’ll then play around with 2Buss options and get the needles/meters moving at the right level. This is at the most energetic part of the song.
3) Once I’m happy with the broad feel and vibe of the song and 2buss, I’ll start being surgical: fixing glaring problems, eliminating distractions, and broadly shaping things. Honestly, less is more. Level, automation, and panning will take you farther than having a channel strip on EVERY TRACK. What’s important? What’s needed? What already sits nicely? I then harness each section of the song, getting a stable mix for each section. Then, each how does each section relate to the before / next section? I’ll work on automating those transitions.
4) Next, I turn my attention to the vocal, trying to get the right vocal chain and ride the level. Then, I’ll incorporate effects.
5) Then, I will fine-tune with automation to let things speak, take out misc frequencies, or do last-minute editing to clean up tracks. I’ll also do some fine-tuning to the 2buss again. During the mixing process, I go back and forth between Macro and Micro moves. I analyze the song over and over until each distraction is addressed, each moment emphasized, the flow of the song is solid, and the feel of it is right on target.
6) If I feel I can’t make any more moves, bounce that sucker
A: Whatever is best for the situation. But knowing how to use the tools you have is better than chasing mythical mojo from [insert piece of gear]. The studio has fluccuated over the years between operating in the box to housing a rack full of gear. For tracking, getting the right song up front is ideal, which means having the gear to shape that sound on the front end is solid!
A: The truest answer is anyone that has a style or ethos that resonates with me.
Anyone who writes songs that hit you right in the feels… giving you goosebumps, evoking the involuntary “YES, THAT, MMMHMMM.” But artists I would instantly say yes to working with are Johny Mayer, Foo Fighters, 21 Pilots, Pomplamoose, Couch, Citizens (pinch me that I actually get to work with them), Coldplay, Mammoth WVH, any far too many more
A: Beyond having a great attitude, PRACTICE! PRACTICE PRACTICE! Know the limits of your tools and how to implement/use them. And figure out the things that improve workflow. Go deep in your methods and tools to know things that no-one else knows… I’m talking about the depths of DAW shortcuts, functions, computers, and system troubleshooting, etc. Be the guy that can fix the problem, having already tread those paths and hit those obstacles.
A: A lot of Americana, indie, singer-songwriter, pop, pop rock, rock, country, worship
A: Problem Solving! I look for the best solution for any problem and bringing order to chaos. After that, service! Having a good attitude, humility, gratefulness, and passion is primary.
A: Discernment, discretion, and skill. I’m not looking to impart my own sound on a song. Yes, I have preferences, sonically, and I can interpret sound, but my goal is just to present the song in the best light possible. The song already has an identity when I get it, I’m just polishing it up and letting it “be itself.” But… I also love to make drums punch and vocals cut
A: I have a mix room in the countryside of Nashville, TN that is also Dolby Atmos Certified. It is a well-tuned room with monitoring that tells the truth, and I’m glad to have it. The gear is secondary; if you don’t know how your room sounds, you’re limited in perfecting a mix. It’s like trying to find your best look while staring through a carnival funny mirror; can it be done, yes, is it better to have a flat high quality and clear mirror, yes. Beyond the room, I use ProTools with an Avid MTRX studio and UAD Apollo. Dutch and Dutch 8c are my monitors of choice, which is also why I became a dealer for them. The Arena Studio also has a collection of hardware, preamps, microphones, and instruments to fit my needs. I also use a plethora of plugins from UAD, Waves, Fab-Filter, Goodhertz, Valhalla, SoundToys, Slate Digital, McDsp, Plugin Alliance, Acustica and metric nut ton of boutique stuff.
A: Shoot… a ton. Beatles, Dave Grohl, Adele, Pomplamoose, Twenty Øne Pilots, John Mayer, Mutemath, there are too many
A: Mixing. I carve and polish the sound to fit the style of the song. I also mix songs into Dolby Atmos, which takes music from a 2-channel stereo environment and expands it out into a 3d immersive environment.