TJ Vazquez on SoundBetter

I specialize in mixing! Particularly rock and its many variations. I love DIY musicians and DIY music of all kinds.

I've been an audio engineer since 2006. My specialization is mixing guitar music- rock, punk, hardcore, folk, blues, metal, reggae- that sort of thing. But I have experience in spoken word, hip hop, and pop.

Whatever the genre, I take a minimalist approach to my mixes. I'm always shooting for a natural sounding mix that doesn't distract from the material itself.

I also enjoy mastering! My other other job is making lathe-cut vinyl records (kansascityvinyl.com), so I know what it takes to make a digital master that is vinyl-friendly.

Would love to hear from you. Click the contact button above to get in touch.

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Interview with TJ Vazquez

Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Minimalist.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Adding layers doesn't necessarily make things better.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Usually guitar-based music like rock, punk, etc.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Arrangement. Often times, DIY musicians don't have the luxury of a producer to give an outsider's opinion. I'm skilled at cutting things out that are distracting from the most important elements of a song.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I typically spend 15-30 minutes listening to a reference track the client has given me, often while I'm batch processing and organizing the files to be mixed. I spend the most time on the first draft of a mix, quickly mixing and remixing a handful of times before I send it to the client. It's all revision from there!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital! I try to be a rationally-minded person and all the hype about analog gear is insanely irrational. Example: I love vinyl records. I like the way they sound and I especially like the physicality of them. But, scientifically speaking, a 44.1 kHz, 16-bit WAV file (CD-quality) is higher fidelity than even the most expensive vinyl playback system playing the highest quality record. Another example- Jack White is dope, but even his tapes are transferred to Pro Tools, broh. TLDR: Digital and analog are different, not better/worse.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I will make your recording something you can be proud of!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Getting to know and understand people through the music they make.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Well, assuming all the other ingredients like stands/cables are available: an SM57, Logic on a MacBook Pro, ATH-M50 headphones, Fender Telecaster, solar-powered generator.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use Logic on a MacBook Pro and primarily mix on my trusty Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones. I use Waves plugins- particularly the Renaissance series, a tape emulator and console emulator- Slate Plugins, and Apple plugins.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Will Yip, Ryan Greene and Steve Albini for his no-nonsense yet experimental approach to recording and the biz.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I mostly mix for clients. It's my forte (pun intended).