What to expect when we work together
If you've never worked with a professional music producer before — or if you've had a bad experience and aren't sure what "professional" should actually feel like — here's how the process works at my studio:
Step 1: The conversation
Before anything else, we talk. You share what you're working on — where you are in the process, what you're going for sonically, what your release timeline looks like, and what your budget is. The goal is to figure out whether we're a good fit and what the right approach is for your music.
All inquiries get a response within 12–24 hours.
Step 2: the quote
Every project is different, so there's no one-size-fits-all rate. Full productions can range from $1,500 to $3,500 per song, depending on scope — instrumentation, arrangement complexity, and whether you're booking production, mixing, and mastering together. If you are, mastering is included at no extra charge. This is also the stage where session musicians get sourced if the song calls for it. Getting the right players on a record makes a difference no plugin can replicate.
Mixing is $500/song. Mastering is $50/song. Both run through an analog hardware chain.
You'll get a personalized quote based on what your project actually needs.
Step 3: Pre-Production
Before tracking begins, the arrangement gets worked out — what instruments the song needs, what the production should feel like, and where the emotional center of the track is.
For country music, that means decisions about how live the record should feel, how much space to give the vocal, and whether the production should lean traditional or contemporary. For Christian and worship music, it means thinking about the song's function — congregational anthem, artist track, or something in between. Those decisions shape everything that follows.
Step 4: Tracking and Production
Recording happens in a private Nashville studio built around a professional analog and digital signal chain — Apollo X8 interface, Rupert Neve preamp, SSL Bus Compressor, Focal Twin 6 monitors, and a vintage Baldwin upright piano.
Every record gets treated like a record. Most projects are delivered within one to two weeks from the start of tracking.
Step 5: Vocals
Vocals make or break a record. Full vocal production includes direction, comping, tuning, and editing — with a focus on performances that feel real, not just clean.
For country music, that means preserving the grit and character that makes the genre work. For Christian and worship music, it means making sure the delivery carries the weight of what the song is actually saying.
Step 6: Mixing
Every mix runs through an analog hardware chain before delivery — warmth, depth, and dimension that in-the-box mixing can't fully replicate. I’ll ask for your notes and tweaks before we finalize the mix.
Step 6: Mastering
The final step before streaming. Mastered through analog hardware to translate across every playback system — earbuds, car stereos, Spotify's loudness normalization. Included at no extra charge when you book production, mixing, and mastering together.