via DJ Premier fan blog

A lot of people are misunderstanding the work of an engineer, can you tell us exactly what you did and what the process was?

The role of a engineer is not only to record audio, but to edit and mix it in such a way to make the audio sound the best it possibly can! Times have changed and everything is digital now, but I’m glad I came up in the era of analog. I remember recording on 2″ tape and mixing down to 1/2″ tape. Setting up for live sessions with lots of outboard gear and making sure everything would work properly. It was definitely more work, but it was a great learning experience! I feel there are two sides to an engineer: The Technical and the Creative side, both that I have mastered with my experience over the years. During the recording session, my responsibility is getting clean, balanced recordings of all audio tracks. Beyond that, I can be involved with the creative process as the client wishes. It all depends on the relationship with the client, but for the most part they respect my opinion. Once all of the audio has been recorded, and if any overdubs or edits are needed, the next process is to mix the song. Mixing is
what I concentrate and do more of now. This is what I truly love in taking a song at it’s raw stage and making it bang through the speakers!

You produced Rawcotiks “Hardcore Hip Hop” and a few other tracks, how come so less? Never thought of becoming a producer?

Absolutely!! It’s just a matter of finding time within my work schedule due to all the requests I get as a Mix Engineer. Part of my success as an engineer is because I’ve been doing it for so long now and I’m good at it, so to put my name as a producer on something has to be right and carry the same weight, but I’ve made it a priority to get my production heard this year and beyond. It might take me a little longer like I said due to my schedule, but it will be worth
while, trust me!