about me

I have been an independent recording engineer, producer, programmer, and musician for most of the last twenty years.  I was lucky enough to learn classic analog tape-based methods and techniques, just as digital technology was beginning to transform the way records are made.  Today, my traditional studio background intersects neatly with my affinity for emerging technology, and I enjoy combining old and new to apply my favorite characteristics of both.  I have a traveling digital system and small collection of equipment that I take around with me to make records.

I like making records with life and character.  Too many of today's records are overwrought, overperfected, and made at unnecessary expense; time and money are wasted producing homogenized, two-dimensional output.  I prefer records that express the particular character of the artist and songs, in that particular time and space, and I try to make those kinds of records.  This is usually best done by working quickly and carefully, experimenting liberally and sensibly, and having fun in the studio.

Real Space Noise I've engineered and produced rock records, as well as remixes, drum programming, and other work in a more electronic vein.  I've been doing synth and MIDI programming since the mid 1980s, and I am currently programmer/vocalist in the sci-fi/new wave/electro-rock band Real Space Noise.  I am also a member of Viva Death, in which I handle noises, effects, samples and synth work.  I'm also one-half of the music production team The Legion of Doom, doing remixes, mashups, original music, and scoring and sound design for film and tv.

As an further extension of my musical endeavors (and general DIY geekiness), I and several others have created the independent label/collective Functional Equivalent Recordings, which is making use of new technologies to produce and distribute innovative music without the impediments of the traditional music industry structure.

Viva Death I've toured the U.S. and much of Europe, playing drums for a few different bands (including my own) and doing live mixing.  I've never been a particularly good drummer, but I can always be relied on not to play anything too complicated.  I'm also not a particularly good keyboard player.

Over the years I've also done a good amount of voiceover recording and ADR.  I worked on The Simpsons and King of the Hill for years, and lots of other TV shows and feature films.  But these days I mostly stick to music.  ADR mixing pays well but it isn't especially creative.

I'm an avid reader of Tape Op magazine and a big supporter of the Tape Op community and recording ethos.  I highly recommend a subscription (it's free in the U.S.) to anyone interested in recording music.  I've even written an article (the interview with Leanne Ungar in Issue #30), and I hope to do more. 

I'm also a part of the small team running the independent online radio station Zero Art Radio.  We are up and running with a massive playlist and an extensive community website.  Members (registration is free) can view playlists and request songs in real time, interact in the forums, and maintain their own blogs.  The site also features music articles and interviews, a comprehensive artist database, and more.

I design and code this website myself (along with realspacenoise.com, the-legion-of-doom.com, and functionalequivalentrecordings.com).  If something doesn't work, please let me know.