Marcelo Navia on SoundBetter

Audio mastering for and by music

With 12 years of experience, and after having worked with all kinds of musical genres, we are ready to offer our experience to the world.

We are passionate about music, and we take care of all the details. We manufacture several of our equipment and we manufacture our speakers, in this way we can offer the artist something that can not be found elsewhere.

Communication is very important for us, through it we go where the artist wants to go, either through a conventional path, or out of the traditional mold.

If you prefer, we can communicate in Spanish.

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

Credits

2 Reviews

Endorse Marcelo Navia

by Lukana M.
Verified
Contento con el resultado, buen trabajo!
by Lukana M.
Quedo muy agradecido por el gran trabajo que realiza Marcelo, En el transcurso de mi carrera como productor e Ingeniero de mezcla me a ayudado a crecer y seguir avanzando para brindar un mejor servicio a los que confían en mi trabajo, Muchas gracias Marcelo por la magia en el Master!!!

Interview with Marcelo Navia

Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both of them. They are simply tools. The important thing is the song, how it sounds at the end.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: Tell the truth: delivery time, difficulties that arise, the state of the mix, what I can and cannot do.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Listen to music every day.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Believe that everything is resolved in the final stage of mastering (including the final level of loudness).
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Usually: How loud do you want to sound? How do you feel the mix is in terms of tonal balance? What do you expect from the mastering stage? What is the audience and the space where your music will be played?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Be clear about what you are looking for and know what the limitations of the service are. No fix for recording and mixing errors.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Monitor, interface, DAC, headphones, computer with DAW and plugins.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I have been involved in music for 25 years, the last 12 years I did audio mastering almost full time.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Flexible. I can do a transparent work, as well as I can give a very marked imprint, everything will depend on the state of the mix and the artist's expectations.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Any reissue, compilation or similar work for Soda Stereo or Gustavo Cerati would be the glory.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Avoid direct comparison with other musical productions. Influence is inevitable, and we often resort to referrals, but it shouldn't lead you to forcefully match or copy.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I work a lot with music made in Latin America: rock, pop, cumbia, electronic, rap, trap and reggaeton.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My experience.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Whatever the song needs. Communication is very important here.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I listen to the mix and evaluate the final format. I usually start by correcting and cleaning if necessary. Then I focus on the heart of the sound, the color it should have, the dynamics, the openness and the tone. Finally I solve the final limitation and set the necessary level. The final loudness level is established at the beginning and I work on it from the first moment, it is a transversal element to my entire chain.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My system is hybrid, I have world-class analog and digital equipment. My monitoring is personalized, I built it by hand with excellent components (ScanSpeak), this allows me to hear what I want to hear, this comfort is unique and allows me to flow quickly at work. Also, I complement with headphones that have become a standard in the field: Audeze LCD-X. I like to work with different plugins (Izotope, FabFilter, DMG) and I have several analog equipment in my chain. I don't mind using or not using my tools, as long as they benefit the music production. The important thing is to get there, not the way, that's my chain.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Many mastering engineers inspire me every day. Some of them are: Ted jensen Greg Calbi Tom Coyne (RIP) George Marino (RIP) Chris Gehringer Emily lazar Idania Valencia Bob ludwig Howie weinberg Bob katz Vlado Meller Matthew gray Alex Psaroudakis Jeffrey de Gans Stephen Marcussen Gavin lurssen Bernie graundman Scott hull Andres May Cana San Martin Eduardo Bergallo Daniel Ovie Francisco Holzmann Chalo Gonzalez Samy Cisternas Joaquin Garcia Camilo Silva Carlos Arturo Silva Luis Felipe Herrera Erick urbina Carlos Freitas Pedro Viñuela Aldo gilardi
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Before starting any work, I establish a communication with the artist. It is important to know his expectations, where he wants to go artistically. Subsequently, a critical and objective listening of the mix is made to establish if what the artist is looking for is reflected in the production, a taste criticism is not made, a comparative analysis is made: artistic intention versus state of the mix. Subsequently, the audio mastering work is carried out, considering the subjective elements and also the technical aspects.