MyNameIsNaldo on SoundBetter

Multi-disciplinary creative with an art-centered approach to creating. Facilitating visions.

I’m a Los Angeles native musician, producer, and overall vision-facilitator. I’ve worked extensively as a recording and mixing engineer for the last 7 years, and I’ve been playing and writing music for 15. My musical influences are as diverse as LA’s people.

I take an art-centered approach towards all my creative endeavors. Working on a variety of music with many different people has given me the foresight to put the artistic integrity of the project first. I’m trained in rhythm section instruments and experienced in multiple genres, both acoustic and electronic. My philosophy is to serve the song; my mission is to meet and exceed artist expectations.

Please feel free to contact me. I'm eager for projects to work on and can be flexible with your budget!

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Interview with MyNameIsNaldo

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: There are two full-length projects that I'm most proud of: a hip-hop mixtape for a local LA rapper and a ska band's EP. The mixtape showcases and stretched my vocal production skills to deliver an experimental approach to a rap vocal while maintaining the sonic integrity of the genre. The ska project put me in band producer role, where I not only facilitated each member towards their best performances, I was also able to use the full extent of the studio to add musical elements to take the record from sound to heightened musical experiences.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital: if done right, even the most trained set of ears will not tell the difference, and digital gives you more options than analog can deliver due to the physics of the medium.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I vow to put your vision first and to always have the artistic integrity at the forefront of the decisions made.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I'm a huge music fan, so working on any music in any capacity is already a huge treat.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: I'm often asked what my rates are. I have a base rate for smaller projects, but the larger and more complex a project is, I like to do work with the customer to accommodate (within reason, of course).
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: As much as the digital world can do plenty, it ABSOLUTELY cannot do everything. An uninspired performance, a terribly recorded track, missing pieces to arrangement - the computer cannot fix what a person cannot deliver.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I want to know what you want to accomplish with your piece. Is there a reference or idea that you're trying to channel? What would you like your project to sound like?
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been playing guitar for 15 years, I've been recording and mixing professionally for 7 years. Growing up, I didn't have musician friends to collaborate with, so I was always left to my devices when it came to production, songwriting, and recording. I built my skill set around the notion of having to do it all for myself, and now I'm eager to use these skills to bring life to others' visions.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My workflow is methodically implemented, musician-informed, artist-centered, and listener-focused. My musicianship is tastefully-restrained and rhythm-oriented.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: As of late, I've done a lot of R&B/trap vocals, but I've also done plenty of work with many different types of bands and music groups. As a musician, I've done session guitar work for singer-songwriter projects and R&B and hip-hop production. I've also been involved with musical theatre performance and direction almost 10 years.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I'm very adaptable. I enjoy working on music, so anything that comes my way, I take with open arms and a willingness to provide the best experience.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Michael League is an extraordinary arranger and producer: his art of leading a large ensemble displays a level of wisdom that I channel with my workflow.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Every production move must be done in moderation. Mixing choices, musical tricks, performance sweeteners: everything has to be tasteful and purposeful.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I'm enthusiastic to bring the vision to life. I'm a huge music fan, so my eagerness to work makes my process a fulfilling experience, which translates into a product that often exceeds expectations.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I usually listen to the project a few times, take a step back and listen to a reference track, and I get started in outlining and defining a vision. Drums are taken care of first, and everything comes in from bottom to top in frequency range. Then I set the vocal on top so it sits well over the instrumentation.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: My biggest influences are musicians who work in the big picture level: Alex Lacamoire, Quincy Jones, Michael League
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I've most recently been doing a lot of vocal recording and vocal mixing, but I'm also experienced with full band production, writing, and arranging in most genres.