Services
Six things. Most projects need three or four of them. I work as a heavy music producer and mixing engineer out of Sydney, in the room or remote.
Who I work with
PROGRESSIVE METAL·METALCORE·POST-HARDCORE·HARDCORE·ALTERNATIVE·ATMOSPHERIC HEAVY·EXPERIMENTAL HEAVY·AND WHATEVER YOU'D CALL THE COUNTRY RECORD
If the guitars are heavy but the record needs space, dynamics and ideas, we'll probably get along.
I've made records with bands I've never been in a room with. Drums are the only part that really wants a proper room; guitars, bass, vocals and everything else can be tracked wherever you are. Pre-production happens on a call either way, and that's the part that matters most.
I've made a progressive metalcore album, a country record, and a punk single that was supposed to sound rough and does. If you can tell they're all mine from the drum tone, I've done something wrong. The consistent part is the process, not the palette. I was trained as a composer, so my first instinct is always the arrangement rather than the plugin.
I can take a record from first demo to final master, and that's when I'm most useful. But plenty of bands want a different set of ears on the master, or already have a mix engineer they trust. That's a good instinct, not an insult. Tell me where you actually need help and I'll join there. If the honest answer is that you need someone else entirely, I'll say so on the first call.
Vocals
I sing on every record my band puts out, cleans and harshes. That means I know what a fourth take feels like when your throat has gone, and I know when to stop and come back tomorrow. Most vocal sessions fail because someone pushed for one more take. I'd rather lose an hour than a week.
01
Arrangement, structure, performance and the decisions that get made before anyone hits record. This is most of the job. If a song has a problem, I would rather fix it in the writing than fix it in the mix.
02
Drums want a proper room, so those happen in person. Guitars, bass, vocals and everything after can be tracked wherever you are. I'd rather spend the day getting one take right than comp forty.
03
Balance, space and dynamics. Loud is easy. Records that hold up on the fortieth listen are the hard part.
04
The last decision, made by the person who made the first one. If I've mixed it, mastering costs less, because half the work already happened upstream.
05
Co-writing and song doctoring. Sometimes a band arrives with eleven songs and seven of them are finished. I'll tell you which.
06
I'm a vocalist, so I can coach the take rather than just capture it. Cleans, screams and everything in between.
Pricing depends on song count, production scope and tracking. You get a fixed quote before anything is booked.
I'll tell you if a song isn't finished. That's what you're paying for.
How a record gets made
01
Thirty minutes, free, no obligation. You send demos and three reference tracks beforehand and I'll have listened properly. I'll tell you what I think the record wants to be, and whether I'm the right person to make it.
02
The part that decides whether the record is good. We go through every song, section by section, and argue about arrangement. Some songs get shorter. Some get rewritten. One or two usually get cut.
03
Drums in the room, everything else wherever suits. I'd rather spend a day getting one take right than comp forty.
04
Its own stage, because it usually needs one. I'm a vocalist, so I can coach the take rather than just record it. Cleans, harshes and everything in between.
05
When I do both, the master finishes an idea rather than rescuing one. Three revision rounds included. If I've missed the brief we agreed, I'll keep working until it's right, at no extra cost. If the brief itself changes, we agree the extra work before I start it.
06
Masters for streaming, vinyl, CD and cassette, plus your session files. The record is yours. I keep a backup for five years in case you need it.
Revisions: three rounds included at mix · Turnaround agreed up front, in writing
Tell me which of the six you think you need. If I disagree, I'll say so before you pay anything.