Fabio Sá on SoundBetter

Latin Grammy Award Winner and various nominees. Over 20 years of experience in recording, producing and mixing. I want to help you make awesome music.

Hi, I am a professional music producer based in São Paulo.
I'm a certified audio engineer, having worked with prominent producers like Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys, Jack Johnson), Liminha (Mutantes, Gilberto Gil), Paul Ralphes (Inner Circle, Bliss) and Andreas Kisser (Sepultura). So I know how capture a great sound and give creative ideas for every music style.

You tell me about your project, what kind of vibe you want and I'll deliver you 2 options and as many revisions you need so you can get exactly what you want!
I have a production studio with pro level equipment where I can record high quality parts for your music.

I've been recording and touring all over the world with MPB legend Gal Costa since 2015. My recordings include the Latin Grammy Award Winner album “Maria Rita” and I also performed at the 9th Latin Grammy Awards.

I love to play all kinds of music, and I had the honour to work with amazing artists such as Milton Nascimento, João Donato, Caetano Veloso, Mulatu Astatke (Ethiopia), Quantic (USA), Elza Soares, Jai Uttal (USA), Zimbo Trio, Nástio Mosquito (Angola), Debi Nova (Costa Rica), among others.

Other offerings:

- Pro tools editing/mixing
- Vocal comp/ tuning
- Esraj recording
- String arrangement

I look forward to working with you!

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Fabio Sa

Andreas Kisser
DJ Patife
DJ Patife
Tiê
Tiê

Discogs verified credits for Fábio Sá

Maria Rita
Gilles Peterson
Projeto Alfa
Projeto Alfa
Bruno E.*
Bruno E
Rafa Barreto
Andreas Kisser
Zeca Baleiro
Vanusa
Ayrton Montarroyos
Negro Leo
Gal Costa
Various
Ceumar
Nana Rizinni
Gal Costa, Marina Sena (2)
João Donato
Alaide Costa
Àiyé
Various
Maria Rita

10 Reviews

Endorse Fabio Sá

by Jordi M.
Verified
We're all very fortunate to know that a musician like Fabio Sá decided to hold space here. Not only did he understand the exact vibe of the song to be but he made it happen exceeding my expectations. There are many very talented artists on SB and at some point we should consider if we want to work with someone that sounds like someone else or someone that is unique in their style. These reviews help us choose collaborators, choose the song, pick Fabio. Delivered on time and with a lot of soul
by Gloria C.
Verified
Fabio is a very diligent artist. He is gives you at least three samples so that you can decide. He even willingly provide me with a sample of what the bass would sound like before I hired him. I am always impressed with those who go the extra mile. He is also generous with his time and gave me a bonus guitar to go with the recording, and I thank him for that. The bass he provided captured the essence of the song.
by John D.
Verified
This is my third time working with Fabio, each time he has gone the extra mile always surprising me with his understanding of the song and what it really needs . That said I always feel comfortable and confident I’m be heard .
by 森優.
Verified
Fabio is the greatest upright bass player!
Smooth communication, very fast and high quality performance.
He really understand what I want.
I'll surely ask him again!
by adam
Verified
Great experience working with Fabio! Really talented and skilled bass player. Great tone and pocket. He gave me 2 different takes to choose from and they're both great! Great communication and really quick turn around too. 5 stars across the board.
by Tessio N.
Verified
Fabio did an excellent mixing and mastering job on one of my songs, transforming something rough into something beautiful.

He reacted pretty fast to my messages and made sure I was completely satisfied with the outcome, what happened already after the first revision.

I can highly recommend him!
by Dani K.
Verified
amazing job! It was beyond my expectations, Fabio got my idea and took it to the highest level. I'll certainly work with him again :)
by Emilio Martins
Fabio is a fabulous musician and producer ! Amazing bass player, composer!
Great to have him working here at Soundbetter !!!!!
by Tessio N.
I know Fabio for about twenty years and I've seen him perform with some of the best artists of Brazilian music, i.e. MPB. He has been my musical mentor for years and has also made excellent mixing and mastering jobs on my recordings. I am happy to endorse and recommend him.
by Marcelo Effori
Fabio is a creative and solid bass player. I've worked with him on several musical projects of many different styles over the last years, and it is always a pleasure. I hope to work a lot more with this awesome musician.

Interview with Fabio Sá

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started playing professionally in 1999 with a lot of different bands and singers. Then I started recording, playing and producing.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Take notes when something work, like a miking technique for example. You can use it in a different situation and it can save you a lot of time.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Creativity, open mind, excellent technical skills.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Marcelo Effori, a great drummer with whom I constantly work, both in studio and live performances. Also Andre Lima, an amazing piano/synth player and songwriter.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Fiona Apple, I love her voice and compositions.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm touring with singer Gal Costa, just finished arranging the Brazilian version of David Bowie's musical 'Lazarus'. recently played at the Ceumar album release, recorded a string sections for the rapper Sintese and Domenico.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both !
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: To make people happy. I love the whole music creation journey, and getting into the soul of the song I'm playing is magical.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What is the vibe you are looking for in the song, and tell me a little bit about the lyrics , so I can understand the exactly feel you want.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Tell me everything, the more information you give the better. Music references, ideias, written music, dreams.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: First an acoustic guitar, in case the island doesn't have electricity, haha! Fender Jazz Bass, Ampeg Classic, Neve 1073, Neumann TLM 103.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Classy, energetic, sensitive groove
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop, rock, MPB, funk, brazilian music, reggae, hip-hop, contemporary.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I like to give a finger print to it, and listen to what the song is asking for in terms of arragement.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Listen, play along a few times, listen and if it doesnt please me, go in a different way and record.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use Pro Tools 12, Neumann mics, Universal Audio, Dynaudio Speakers, Apogee, UAD plugins, Waves Audio, and other digital tools.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Beatles, Billie Eilish, Tame Impala, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bob Marley, Steve Wonder, Miles Davis, Rick Rubin, Jon Brion.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Recording bass (Electric, acoustic and synth), recording Esraj (indian bowed instrument), string arrangements, production and mixes.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: With only 21 I recorded the “Maria Rita” album in whitch I had a lot of freedom to create. The album won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Album, Best Song and it reached #3 in the Billboard chart in USA .The bass intro of the song "Agora só falta você" was used in the movie After the Sunset with Hale Berry, Pierce Brosnan.