Sam's story

I was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and grew up with a love for music — playing in bands and somehow always becoming the guy who knew how to make the sound gear work.

After my days as a government-sponsored surfer / student, I landed a job at Revolver Studios in Auckland city. I learned the trade quickly, with a few good dips in the deep end, and was inspired by some brilliant people along the way — including Tchad Blake and many others.

At the ripe old age of 21, I flew to the other side of the planet to work at Real World Studios. That only lasted a few weeks, but I soon took the role of house engineer at West Side Studios in London, owned by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. It was an excellent couple of years sharpening my skills and learning from some of the best in the industry.

I moved back to New Zealand in 1997 to help build a studio and work with Neil Finn recording his solo projects. It was a real privilege to work with Neil, and with many of New Zealand's top artists during those years.

I briefly lived back in London, Sydney and Nashville before finding my beautiful wife, Tasha, in Hereford, England.

In 2003, I set up shop at Chapel Lane Studios in Hereford. It has been a great journey recording, producing and mixing so many records. I was always fully passionate about mixing, so around 2009 I decided to become a full-time mix engineer.

On the home front, Tasha and I have four children: Annaleisha, Levi, Ruby and Indie — all born in Hereford.

In 2016, we moved down to Cardiff, Wales, where I built a mix room in the city centre.

In 2021, the home-studio-in-the-garden dream was finally realised: SMG Ashby Road, with a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos setup and plenty of space to surf skate.

My faith is of the utmost importance to me. I love to focus on managing sounds for maximum spiritual impact.