Production, Mixing, Mastering

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

A: Communication is the key. Clear all your doubts and concerns before hiring, and make sure he or she is understanding your vision. Feel free to ask for advice in the case you need it, and make sure this advice is strongly supported by facts.

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

A: A Neumann TLM103 microphone, an Avalon VT737SP preamp, an Apogee Symphony I/O, a MacBook Pro with Logic Pro and a pair of Yamahas HS7.

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

A: I started demagnetizing heads in a Studer A800 machine back in 1987 among other service duties. Then I became Tape Operator, I learned to mike all kinds of instruments and participated in no less than 20 records during the next decade. By entering the new millennium I moved to all-digital studios attending advertising and TV markets. A few years ago I returned to music production this time blending the best of both analog and digital worlds.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I like to know the artists that I am going to work with. I try to understand their particular point of view. I attend shows, or look videos in order to study every fact that my team can use or even improve at production time. We like to advice at every stage of the process, but respecting the true spirit of the artist. If the artist asks for more, we gladly offer guidance. While mixing and/or mastering I personally like to share the working progress, encouraging the artists to give feedback along the way.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I use Logic Pro as my main DAW, set up with a short list of carefully chosen plug-ins from Waves and others, because I believe that less is more. As a team, we record analog through Avalon preamps using selected mics for each job focusing on what we are recording instead of particular brands or models. The studio is small, so I'm in the process of installing a small console to fit the needs, with the client's quality requirements in mind.

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

A: There are many, just because I love music. But if I would have to choose one, I would say Steven Wilson because he is an artist who is always reinventing himself and is not afraid of experimenting.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: When the final work gets published and everyone involved are happy and satisfied. I mean, when the artist can see/hear their hard work materialized and ready to accomplish what it was meant to.

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: We are proud of every work where we put our hands (and ears) in to. No matter the size, no matter the names.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: It depends. When the music is well done, there are no special issues related to this topic. Go analog if the work needs it. Go digital for every part that benefits from it. Nowadays everything goes digital in the end, so why suffer?

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

A: We mostly work on Pop productions. But recently we have a more global approach and we have been working from people from as far as Saudi Arabia and Egypt. So we are not tied to something in particular.

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

A: Production, Mixing and Mastering. In Luzazul we advice about workflows. If the client has already a production plan, we stick to it polishing on every step. But we also help artists to find the best possible way both artistically and technically.

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

A: Bob Clearmountain, Alan Parsons, Phil Ramone, Rhett Davies, among many others.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: We are working in a release due next month. Is an album from a Mexican rock band. Also, we are working songs for a children's book, that will be released on CDs.

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

A: You are going to sound way much better, not only in quality or high fidelity, but in your true spirit.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: It's expensive? No.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: We are not just a kind of recording machine where you click the record button and let go. We are a group of experts who can improve your sound and take it to the next level.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What's the primary intention of this particular work? What do you want to communicate? Can we see you performing (live or video)? There is some previous work that you can show us? Have you rehearsed enough, or are you going to improvise a few? How many tracks are we going to produce? How many people is involved? Do you want a minimalistic approach (few mics, just a couple of instruments) or do you want to sound big and wide? Will you go physical (CDs, Vinyl) or just digital platforms?

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Strictly methodic, yet simple.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: A musical piece needs to communicate something, always. So try to find what is its most important part in order to achieve this. Don't try to rely on a particular piece of gear because of its famous brand, or a particular plug-in or piece of software just because everyone uses it. The hammer does not make the carpenter.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I can perceive if a production is lacking a true spirit. This is not related to hearing or mastering a particular piece of software or hardware, it is more related to really listening. Many years of living by and for music helped me to develop this skill.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Fidelity.