Music arrangement and music production: how I work

“An arrangement is effective when it manages to enhance the song and its lyrics, enhancing their soul..”

In my view, a music producer is like a tailor or an architect. The key thing is to create a personal sound for each artist’s music and unveil a unique element in the voice, song and style.

To do this in the best possible way your presence in the studio is preferable, at least in the first phase, the pre-production phase.

It is also possible to work remotely although the best choice is always to work together.

My work is on the artist even before the song.

Usually I propose two different kinds of productions:

1- Electronic (with virtual library)
2- Acoustic sound (with real musicians)

Obviously, in the second solution I both work with electronic sounds merged with musicians

The choice of the two productions should be made not only on the basis of economic considerations, but also on the style of the sound we want to reach.
And for this reason it is essential for me to listen to the song before accepting the job.

In any case, in each of the two solutions indicated above I will divide the work into three steps:

1- Preproduction:
Your presence in the studio allows me to try the song with you before arranging it.
We will do tests on keys, structure and velocity and I will follow you step by step on how the vocal interpretation can be the best.
It will also be about experimenting with a few different paths.
In fact, there is more than one way to arrange a song. We will then work on the best path for your project.
After that I will create a rough arrangement to be refine and record with real musicians.

2- Production:
This phase will have two different paths based on the choice of rhythm (electronic or acoustic) made in pre-production.

In the case of electronic rhythm, we will work on programming, sound editing and optimization of drum machines (I have a rich updated sound library) until you obtain a current and optimized sound on your song.

However, in the case of acoustic rhythms (which does not mean “classic drums”) I used to record the drums in London.
The English sound in general is cool.
Personally I work with Alex Reeves (Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, Elbow, Bat for Lashes).
In any case it is not the only possible solution, I also work with other great drummers; we will choose the right musicians for your project together.

Once the recording of the drums is completed, we will proceed with the real bass and then with the guitars (usually I work with Andrea Morelli who plays with Cesare Cremonini, Il volo, Lordeana Bertè, and many others).
Once the backing trackis completed, I will send it to you so you can study and at this point we can start definitively recording the voice here in my studio (in London or in Italy)

If you prefer you can also send me the vocal track
It will then be edited in terms of intonation, editing and timing if necessary.

3- Mixing and Mastering:
This is the last phase of the work.

Once all the tracks are ready (vocals, rhythms, bass, guitars, etc.. we will proceed with the optimization of the sound (mixing) and with the mastering phase which will give the song a radio/streaming-like volume, ready to be listened on any devices (tablets, car radios, smartphones, hi-fi, computers..).

The work, even if done remotely, will be continuously updated via email, mp3 and phone calls in order to take care of the entire production together step by step.

Who I work with – My Team

In over twenty-five years of activity I have collaborated with so many musicians, sound engineers and producers.
Today, after so much experience, I rely on a team of professionals that I know and respect.
With them I can guarantee the result that every artist asks of me.