I specialize in songwriting, production, mixing, and programming. A Berklee Alumnus (Songwriting), my focus is on solid composition and making people dance. I've also done many voiceovers for the Brazilian corporate world over the past five years.
Short Version:
Songwriting, production, remixing, beat programming, top line writing, voiceovers, mixing. I am a people person and speak Native English and Portuguese, so feel free to contact me for Q&A about rates, pre-production and anything else that comes to mind.
Longer Version:
We discuss your needs (scheduling, deadlines, rates, and goals, to name a few), flesh out the terms of our agreement, and sign off on them, avoiding future surprises of a negative nature. Surprises of the positive kind are, of course, always welcome.
If you're looking for a voiceover, easy: you send me the backing track, script, and video (if any) and your voiceover will be sent back to you edited and, if you wish, processed.
If you are looking for one of my other services, the process is a walk in the park:
Pre-production ⇨ You send me whatever tracks and references are needed ⇨ Production ⇨ Your input ⇨ Production continues ⇨ Your input ⇨ Production is concluded ⇨ the mixdown goes to the engineer of your choice (which might be me, for example). Microwaving popcorn is harder than this.
An important detail:
Brazil's currency is now greatly devalued 😄; my pricing is therefore very competitive. If you would like to negotiate the average prices seen in the Specialties, by all means, feel free to contact me with a proposal.
Remember: if you don't ask, you won't know. So ask away.
Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Credits
8 Reviews - 3 Repeat Clients
Endorse Rafael Kasinski (KZNZK)
check_circleVerifiedBrilliant work! Rafael created a remix which definitely will rule every dance floor in the world! I´m so thankful for this excellent sound!!!
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It´s always a great pleasure to work with Rafael together. His ideas are unbelievable, his creativity is explosive and his tracks are absolutely professional. He´s extremely talented and I´m sure that I´ll love to work with him again very soon!
check_circleVerifiedWHAT CAN WE SAY! HUMBLE, PROFESSIONAL, GREAT AT HIS CRAFT!!!!!! WILL DEFINITELY BE WORKING WITH HIM AGAIN...
M- check_circleVerified
what can I say... an amazing professional, great engineer, that really know his craft!!!!!
M. - check_circleVerified
FIRST OF ALL I HAVE TO SAY WE LOVE RAFAEL'S SPIRIT AND HIS GREAT ATTITUDE!!!! THAT'S WHY SOMEONE LIKE HIM WILL CONTINUE TO GET MY VOTE FOR FUTURE WORK...HE REALLY KNOW HIS CRAFT, IS VERY SKILLED AND GIFTED IN ALL ASPECTS OF MUSIC. THE SONGS SOUNDS LIKE A AMAZING!!!! GREAT TO WORK WITH!!!!
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Great work! I´m happy about the remix which Rafael created. Sounds really great!!! Concentrated energy and a lot of fun! It was a great pleasure for me to work with Rafael together. He is an excellent collaborator and very professional and creative musician. Looking forward to work with him again very soon!
check_circleVerifiedWhat can I say about Rafael, he has magical ideas and helps you all the way, gets really involved in the project from the beginning till the end.
He has a fabulous musical ears and know what you want to hear in your project.
It was reallythreat to work with him, getting ready for our next project- check_circleVerified
I had a great time working with Rafael. He really listens to your ideas and tries to make them come together. He delivered a great beat for me. I highly recommend him.
Interview with Rafael Kasinski (KZNZK)
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I took a country-type song by a Brazilian artist and transformed it into a 90s-flavoured Tropical House number. I'm quite thrilled with the end result 😃
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: My own material (which, naturally, I greatly enjoy doing) as well as work with Soundbetter clients and produciton studios here in São Paulo, Brazil.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Michael A. He's sent me quite a bit of (wonderful) material to work on, and is as solid a client as one could hope for.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital, but only because everything in Brazil is so awesomely expensive and hard to get (e.g. Ableton won't ship their controller here because its price will more than double in real, not nominal, terms). A proper setup would offer a mixture of both worlds.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: My promise depends on what they are looking for. If they're looking to dance, they will dance. If they're looking to cry… they will cry.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started out as a singer/songwriter. I then played in various bands (metal, funk, classic rock). One night, I went to a club and saw the crowd pack the floor in 0.3 seconds when the DJ dropped Poker Face. And so I bought a computer and Logic 9 and set about making people dance and smile.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: To paraphrase João Cabral de Mello Neto, what matters is work; inspiration is like an unreliable lover. And so I set goals and work.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Assuming there's electricity on this island? My current computer's setup in some out-of-this-world Macbook Pro, a Martin, a Telecaster, an audio interface, and Push 2. If it's a desert island with electricity, I'm sure it'll have cables and extensions.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: A vivid attention to detail, devoid of perfectionism.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Nowadays, electronic-oriented pop music.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: There are two moments. One is when lyrics, melody, harmony come together. The other is when the production suddenly clicks and everything falls into place and people start dancing. These two moments are The Meaning of Life.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: A question I usually get is, "Can you make it sound exactly like (producer's name here)?" I tell them, "Yes, I can, but why would you wanna do that?"
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That I don't understand the beauty of analog just because I don't own the hardware versions of the world's most famous compressors. The reason I don't own hardware is because I live and work in Brazil, one of the world's most closed economies.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What are you looking for? Are you open-minded? Are you OK with (constructive) criticism? Are you aware that my asking for payment does not make me an a-hole?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Make sure you have some idea of what you want. If you're looking to do songs, they have to work with only voice and a comping instrument, or else they start sounding like filler tracks off a Britney record. If you're not too concerned about structure, then all's fair.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I dream of working with Brian Eno. Because he's The S@*t. He's so good he makes U2 sound great.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Just because you like a particular style, sound, or idea doesn't mean it's going to work in your current project. This is why I've used the Simmons sound in exactly one track.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: A vast repository of knowledge concerning what does and doesn't work in popular music, especially good ol' fashioned Pop. I also don't care about what people think of my tastes and predilections. That's why I listen to Hanson with a totally straight face.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: In all seriousness... I bring KZNZK. There, I said it.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: One computer, one controller, a guitar, two D-90's and coffee. When I need to use hardware, I go to a couple of studios in São Paulo.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Production, remixing, mixing, and voiceovers.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Prince, King Crimson, and Brian Eno get me up in the morning. Chaka Khan's singing keeps me up at night.
- ProducerAverage price - $300 per song
- RemixingAverage price - $300 per song
- Beat MakerAverage price - $200 per song
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $250 per song
- Mastering EngineerAverage price - $70 per song
- Singer - MaleAverage price - $170 per song
I typically allow two revisions. My turnaround time will vary depending on the project, but is always reasonable. Hiring Brazilian musicians will involve additional but very manageable costs.
- Ableton
- lots and lots of plugins
- coffee
SoundBetter visitors who hire me to produce a track get 20% off said track's remix.
