Education and Experience

I am a Louth based audio engineer who graduated from Dundalk Institute of Technology in May 2023 with a BA (Hons) in Audio and Music production. Over the course of my degree I developed my technological knowledge, particularly how to use multiple DAWs; Pro Tools, Reaper and Ableton. In 3rd year I went on work placement in Ail Fionn studios where I became proficient in running sessions and mixing using Logic Pro as that is the studios primary DAW. Since then I have worked part time as a studio assistant in Ail Fionn Studios which is a small, client focused studio in Dublin. My main duties as studio assistant in Ail Fionn are to organise any necessary equipment ahead of the sessions, assist the head engineer Chris throughout the sessions with running cables, patching, microphone adjustments and setting up headphone mixes as well as setting up appropriate mix templates inside Logic Pro. Outside of the recording sessions, I maintain the cleanliness of the studio and maintenance of the equipment.

I teach traditional Irish music to children aged 6 and upwards once a week with a fantastic cultural organisation that is local to me. I also sit on the executive committee of this organisation as the assistant musical director. I work as part of a team to manage and promote the weekly music classes that have over 110 children attending. The organisation recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and I was honoured to record a commemorative album which is currently in the mixing process to then be mastered by myself. The album was recorded in Black Mountain studios which gave me the opportunity to expand my experience working on a large format console, recording with outboard gear and running a large session with over 30 musicians.

I am incredibly passionate about music, I enjoy listening to a wide range of genres including, rock, indie, pop and traditional Irish music. I love going to gigs and festivals around Ireland and in England and expanding my mind to different genres and musicians to widen my reference library as a recording and mixing engineer. I also spend any spare time writing and producing my own music for fun. As I am a guitarist I have honed the skill of creating my drum tracks, bass-lines and key tracks using Midi controls within Ableton to produce my music.

Along with the guitar I play the bodhrán at trad sessions which has allowed me to network with local artists which has led to some freelance mixing and mastering jobs. Similarly I have met multiple filmmakers through networking and as a result a lot of my freelance work is currently on short films. Although not my preferred area of audio, I enjoy the challenge of working large film mixing sessions and it also helps expand my understanding of Pro Tools.

Why?

I struggled at the start of my college course in 2019 as I had little knowledge on recording or mixing music as well as working in studios. I continued learning and attending classes, constantly trying to keep up until 2021 where my feelings changed. I started working in Ail Fionn Studios where my passion for recording and mixing has grown and grown with every session I am a part of. Everything started to make sense and I was finally able to put the skills that I had learned into practice. With every week, if I am not in the studio I am behind a live sound desk or my own computer doing freelance mixing or mastering projects and I want to convert this affection for music and devotion for the craft of audio engineering into something real, something that I don’t need to set alarms for in the morning.