Mastering Mixing Editing

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

A: I'm really proud of my thesis which involved Horacio Burgos Grupo, consisting of 8 people, with guitar, drums, percussion, vocals, flute, keyboards, bass and double bass. They are challenging instruments to record all together in one room and in one take. It was the most technically ambitious recording I've ever made. I had to modify Horacio's house to make it a suitable place for recording! It was crazy, and the result was great. Also really proud about producing both of Paraway's albums. I had complete control of the production logistics and a respected opinion on the arrengement. Editing, mix and mastering were my responsability. The band and I worked perfectly as a team, there wasn't a single tense moment in the whole production process!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: On 10 different projects, which include a few LP's, a 'music concrete' production, some recorded-in-studio theater plays and composing the sountrack of a 50min film.

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

A: I will commit 100% with your material, trying to understand it as you do to be able to make the best decisions.

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

A: Take a look at that provider's past work, if you like it for your project then hire the provider. And then trust him/her on wichever non-artistic decision they make, it's in the best interest of your work!

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

A: PC, plugins, a Neumann interface, my focal monitors and one dinamic mic (electrovoice re-320).

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

A: I made my first recordings at the age of 11. And the first paid one at 14 (it was a punk band). I've never stopped since then. I moved temporarily to the capital city to study Sound Engineering and got work in a commercial studio there for 2 years, during that time I learnt a lot and gained many important contacts (musicians and colleagues). Then, I came back to my town and built my own studio a few years ago where I currently work on about 35 different local projects. Today I'm available for your music!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Always determine a process to follow during production, and let the process influence the work on the project. Finish a part of the process and go to the next. No stopping.

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

A: Singer-songwriter, folk, alternative rock, metal, pop, tango.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Being able to identify what's needed in a production. Sometimes nothing is needed.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: 14 years of listening and enjoying professional music making.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a pair of Focal Solo 6be in a treated room, which took me 3 months to design (I have a degree on sound engineering, which includes acoustics). Together with a Tascam DM-4800 and an SSL2 as control surface and interface. I use Beyerdinamic's DT770 as a comparison listen for my mixes and edits.

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

A: I usually recieve songs to mix or master (stereo or stems), and editing full songs or following through the recording process (the band records drums, I edit drums, then they record bass, etc.) I also give advisory about recording procedures that might best suit your project.

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

A: Whats does mastering do or what is it for? Mastering is the process that not only gives the song its final commercial volume, but also the final touch on general tone and feel. A final correction of the overall mix if you will. Also if you master an album we try to "normalize" the songs so that they feel cohesive as an album, so the listener doesn't feel any uncomfortable change in volume/tone/etc inbetween songs.

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

A: Maybe that in mastering I can solve a particular problem of the mix like for example one of the guitars is too loud. Mastering is more about the full picture that the song provides, the overall tone, feel and volume of the recording.

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

A: Chris Cornell or Gustavo Cerati, such great songwriters. They knew a lot of the technical world of recording and understood the importance of choosing the right guitar, pedal, sinth, etc while recording, which made their records sound amazing.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Yes, Andres Mayo. Absolutely excelent mastering engineer.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Hybrid setup. Both worlds have pros and cons (digital: recall is perfect and is easier to make corrections, also Inter Sample Limiters. Analog: beautiful saturation and harmonics that can add depth and 3D feeling to a recording and make it even better). My philosophy prevents me from choosing or defending just one, I'm pragmatic.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The camaraderie after a job well done, when I'm happy and the client is also happy. Being able to move people emotionally is unique.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What type of music do you like in general? Why do you make music? What does this project mean to you? Have you had any difficulties in the process of your project?

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I love making warm and meaningful recordings that can transmit a lot. I'm also pragmatic; I'll do anything needed to achieve the result I aim to.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: First of all, I talk to the client about records, shows they might have been to, music experiences, and everything that can get me on the same page so that I can see a path to follow while working on the song. After that, I listen to the recording and if necessary, I send feedback asking the client for corrections. If the corrections can be made by me, I send the feedback anyway; I see it as a way of helping in the next project. Finally, I do the work and check it two or three days later to see if something has changed. Then, I send it to the client and wait for the feedback myself. Once the corrections are made, we finish the project.

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

A: Daniel Ovie. Andres Mayo. Nigel Godrich. Radiohead. Gustavo Cerati. Andrew Scheps. Tchad Blake. Jonathan Wyner. Gavin Lursenn.