Audio — Portfolio
Sound design.
Live production.
Performance.
Live production.
Performance.
During Covid I picked up guitar out of boredom, and then figured I might as well learn how to record it. Once I could record guitar, I realized I needed more instruments to make a complete song — and since I didn't know anyone who played them, I just learned them myself. Drums, trombone, piano, bass, keys. One after another until I could build something from scratch without waiting on anyone else.
The engineering came out of that same impulse. Below is a selection of work across sound design, live production, and instrumentation.
The engineering came out of that same impulse. Below is a selection of work across sound design, live production, and instrumentation.
01 — Live Production
Project Coordination & Keys
Jussoul — Taste of Chicago
Coordinated the full production for pop artist Jussoul's set at Taste of Chicago — one of the biggest free music festivals in the country. That meant handling communications with the City of Chicago, coordinating with the visual media company on site, generating stage plots and gear lists for the backline rental company, and managing the selection and hiring of a monitor engineer, rhythm guitarist, and DJ.
Oh, and I was also playing keyboards in the band the whole time. Simultaneously rehearsing a set and producing the logistics around it is a particular kind of chaos — the fun kind.
Oh, and I was also playing keyboards in the band the whole time. Simultaneously rehearsing a set and producing the logistics around it is a particular kind of chaos — the fun kind.
Also —
WGN News
Jussoul — "Take Me Away"
Before Taste of Chicago, Jussoul performed live on WGN News. I was on keys. You can watch the full performance below.
03 — Mixing
Example mixes
Two tracks mixed and produced. 5eight is an original. Golden was recorded live at Navy Pier with Vic Luna.
5eight Demo
Harr Music
0:00
Golden (Live @ Navy Pier)
Vic Luna
0:00
04 — Instrumentation
Multi-instrumentalist.
All of them, actually.
All of them, actually.
Guitar was first. Then drums, trombone, piano, bass, keys. I don't play trumpet or saxophone yet — emphasis on yet. Every instrument I've picked up has made me a better engineer, because I understand what players need to actually perform.
Guitar
Electric + acoustic. Rock/metal focus. Solo composition. Alt. tuning experimentation.
Drums
Session drummer. Live experience in children's theatre. Dominican University performances.
Trombone
Chicago Symphony Center. Sheet music + improv solo.
Keys / Piano
Chord composition + songwriting. WGN News. Taste of Chicago.
Bass + Vocals
Jazz combo w/ Gustavo Cortiñas. "Legally Blonde" musical pit. Vocals for original production.
In studio
Rax Trax + home studio
Produced and tracked piano, guitar, bass, and drums for artists at Rax Trax. Started in production re-recording guitar tracks, and grew into full session work. Hosted local band rehearsals in a self-built home studio for years. Post-production mixing and mastering is where the engineering and the playing connect most directly.
Also
Sound & Backline Rental
Three years running live sound for corporate events and festivals in spaces that weren't built for it — ballrooms, planetariums, waterfront stages. The clients are high-profile, the environments are unpredictable, and the work happens late. It taught me how to carry myself in rooms where audio is a detail, not the main event, and still make it sound like it was planned all along.
Also
The Songwriters Association at Northwestern University
Contributed guitar solos to "DROWNIN" and "Right Connection" for The Songwriters Association at Northwestern University. Came in, played the part, and let the songs do the rest.
Also
Bitter Jester Foundation
Multi-track recording for 10+ bands per night across two simultaneous stages. Figured out a smarter workflow that cut staffing needs in half. Fast, loud, repetitive, and exactly the kind of thing that builds real technical muscle.