Platinum Producer & Mixer

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: I'd like to work with artists who set their bars high, that are proud of their differences with the rest of the artists around, and are eager to do something important in music, to offer something really interesting to the world. That artist will demand me a lot, but I'll be more than happy to give my 200 per cent so that both achieve those high standards goals.I know that I should've said B. Eilish, A. Grande, Ed Sheeran, T. Yorke, Beck, McCartney, but I prefer to look to the future talented artists that are emerging right now. That's a more interesting challenge to me.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I found that the combination of both words makes the sound that most ears like.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I promise that I will deliver a high-end product that best reflects the artist's strengths. I won't let a project to leave my studio if both, the artist and I are not 100 per cent happy with it. I don't sacrifice artistic integrity for a fee. Money is just covering the work hours, it's not the reason for making music.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I feel privileged to work with artists. You see, usually, an artist brings to the table her/his best self, dreams and passions. Leaving outside all what is not needed. It is a wonderful state of mind and we can exchange those good feelings and positive energy. Other jobs have to deal with other situations, problems of the human being that are not so nice as what we can experience on this creative environment.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: My advice is to talk to the professional, ask questions before committing, make sure that he understands what is your goal with your project and that he/she is a good match for your music. Don't by shy about it. I will be happy to clear up any doubts the artist may have.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: On a situation like that, I probably won't care much about gear; more so because I believe that, even though I benefit from the equipment, the real gear that matters is my brain, ears, heart and love for music. No gear can get close to what a soul of an artist can offer to the world. Our decisions is what have an impact on others, the machines just make sound nicer those unique ideas.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: To listen. It seems to be a simplistic answer but If you listen correctly, you'll understand the musicians, you'll get the songwriter message, the potential impact of a song and then you can take the right decisions regarding the production and mix. After that skill, it comes good taste, musicianship, technical proficiency, beat making, arranging, etc.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I started as many of you as a musician, playing keyboards, guitar and singing for a Rock band; although the recording studio was the sci-fi mystery that I wanted to unfold. I started very early to produce music in studios, in the age of tape, but I really got proper education in Boston, at the Berklee College of Music, where I graduated from in 2004 with Suma Cum Laude honors and received a Multicultural Achievement Award for my music production. Based in Los Angeles, I worked for a variety of projects for music production companies and post production houses, producing, mixing and mastering for TV specials, music for Hollywood, making albums for mainstream and indie recording artists, which is what I still do. It was a 20+ years of journey.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I have an eclectic body of work, as I'm always eager to do different things, so in my discography I worked with artists from all around the world on genres as mainstream Pop, Rock, R&B, Indie, Folk, Punk Pop, Reggae, Surf, Latin, World, Jazz, New Age, Christian and more. I had the ability of learning the codes and identity of several styles of music and even nuances within each one. It may seem too general, but in reality it is very specific on each genre, since I really did my homework before approaching each project.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I own a professional recording studio designed by the company of legendary architect and studio designer Walter Stork (WSDG). The acoustics are really nice and controlled in order to record all kind of live instruments I have a mic collection with Neumann, AKG, Earthworks, Sennheiser, Royer and Shure microphones. We go though Neve, Brent Averill, Chandler, API, Grace and AVID preamps to the AVID I/O analog to digital converters. I use a Tube-Tech CL-1B hardware compressor for the vocals performances coming through a Neumann M149 and a Neve 1073 preamp. For mixing, I do it in the box using Pro Tools and a variety of plug-ins. I love using the Universal Audio and Waves collections. I finish my mixes going through analog gear. I take the signal to a 2-Bus Dangerous Music summing amp (16 to 2), a BAX DM shelving EQ and a Waves MaxxBCL (Hardware) for compression (REQ), bass enhancement (MaxxBass) and limiting (L2). I found that the combination transform the digital mix to a "sounds like a record" feeling, warm and pleasurable.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: I grew up listening to legendary Rock, Pop and R&B music producers as Daniel Lanois, Nile Rogers, Jeff Lynne, Rick Rubin, Tony Visconti, George Martin, Quincy Jones, T-Bone Burnett, Trevor Horn, Brian Eno, Thomas Dolby, Jon Brion, Babyface, Chris Thomas and Nigel Godrich, among others, as well as I enjoy listening to Pharrell Williams, Mark Ronson, Max Martin, Paul Epworth, Greg Kurstin, Dr Dre, and more.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: As a producer, my role is quiet different if the artist is whether an established one, an act with some experience, or a new indie project. As I'm focusing in new indie projects or artists who are in a road to mainstream, my work starts on helping them setting their goals and on understanding the strengths of their art. We'll be building the song from there. It can be a full live instrumental performance or an electronic programmed track. I can do both since my studio is prepared for recording live drums, a string orchestra or any other kind of live parts. I hire professional session musicians if needed. I work very close with the artist to make sure we both are happy with the process and the result. As mixer, I listen to what the artist expects from the mix and work towards the sound he/she has in mind. I usually listen to what is recorded and, if requested, I offer suggestions to make the production better before mixing it. I learned that this is very helpful for an artist producing his/her own songs and the results have been always better in order to achieve what the artist was looking for.