School | Further Education | Professional

School

I am originally from Dundee on the east coast Scotland.

At the age of 7 I had my formal introduction to music when I started Clarinet lessons. While at secondary school I participated in the many and varied musical activities offered including orchestras, choirs, drama and with the purchase of an electric guitar at age 15 I formed a school band which enabled me to play my first gigs and begin songwriting. Also from the age of 8 and throughout my school years I was a member of St. Pauls Cathedral choir in Dundee first as a treble and then a bass which looking back was an incredible opportunity and enviroment for musical development.

During my late teenage years I began to explore the possibilities offered by multitrack recording and MIDI. With the purchase of a Fostex 4-track recorder and later a sound module and sequencer my musical horizons expanded.

Further Education

In 1990 I enrolled at Leeds college of Music my first study being electric guitar and the next 3 years were spent in new aspects of music and performance - I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the enhancements it provided.

My college years were spent studying for my diploma and gigging. I continued to develop my skills in recording, voluntarily spending many hours in the 24 track studio recording jazz ensembles, pop bands and big bands. During termtime I engineered sound for concerts and during the college jazz festival I was given the opportunity to engineer live sound for the headline artists in the civic theatre.

I settled in Leeds after completing my Graduate Diploma with Honours in Jazz, Contemporary and Popular Music and have been based here ever since.

After college I built a career gigging throughout the UK and Ireland as a Guitarist and Backing Vocalist and also teaching music in the Leeds area. Through out this period I continued to work in recording and over time Armley Ridge Studios was born.

Professional

Since 2006 I have worked almost exclusively as a Composer/Arranger, Studio Producer/Engineer and Facilitator in media such as Music, Film, Sound Design and Theatre. I enjoy my work because it is challenging and diverse.

I continue to maintain a keen interest in music and sound with or without computers and embrace any new developments with interest and enthusiasm.

Although I am conversant with Cubase and Logic I am most comfortable with Pro Tools on Mac which in my opinion is the best choice for audio applications.

Please feel free to download a copy of my CV or look at my Credits for more information.