Mixing, session guitarrist

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

A: The project I am the most proud of is the one I did for Valerie Kuzmuk. She showed me her songs singing and playing the piano for me, and from there we recorded the songs making a full production where I recorded, tracked musicians, played guitars, arranged and mixed. You can follow her to see any updates about the project release. IG: @valerie.folkmus.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on another electro swing EP album. I am also playing guitar for a few artists recording their new singles and I am finishing the production for my upcoming project "Fragments".

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

A: I recommend Berklee graduate professional pianist, composer and educator Jorge Alonso Maldonado.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Nowadays, there are different digital devices and softwares that can function very well for sure, for instance Protools. Nevertheless, guitar wise, I like to use analog equipment, like analog delays, overdrive and valve amps. They respond to dynamic the best way possible, and it feels warmer. But if I use a digital software I will definitely go with digital plugins. In conclusion, I combine both analog and digital worlds and I believe today in 2021 both of these blend and work very well together.

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

A: My promise is guarantee that I am going to put the best I can using my knowledge and passion in the work I am going to deliver.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The most beautiful part about my job is making music and the fact that I can play expressing my creativity. When I make a mix, is like making a puzzle, I have fun putting all the pieces together.

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

A: They would ask me if I can play the guitar in a specific style and in terms of mixing, if I can make their song sound like a specific artist.

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

A: Some people, especially non-producers, undervalue the importance of a great mix because a great mix can totally transform your song in something powerful. A bad mix can compromise the value of your song.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What does this song mean to you? What is the story of this song? How did you write it? What kind of intention would you like to communicate? What kind of sound would you like to have? What kind of instruments do you imagine in this production?

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

A: Do not be too judgmental about the new music that you compose. Trust your feelings and your mood and if you reach out to me, I will make sure to let your idea become a great song.

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

A: Laptop, audio interface, guitar pre-amp, electric guitar and condenser microphone.

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

A: I have been involved in music since 2002. From 2008, I began to work professionally as an educator and performer. I produced my first two music albums between 2010 and 2015. I began to work as a mixing engineer since 2016 until now.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I define my own original music as Jazz Rock.

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

A: I would be honored to create something with Billy Eilish and her brother because I respect their work a lot. What they do as producers is amazing. As a guitar player, I would love to create a song with Steve Vai because he is one of my main influences and of the reasons I began to play guitar.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If you are working on a drum set or percussion, I recommend applying parallel compression. I enjoy using Devil Lock by Soundtoys for this purpose.

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

A: Pop, Rock, Jazz, Blues, Folk/Acoustic, R&B Soul and Heavy Rock.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Being patient with customers and understanding their needs.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: As you understand from my previous answers, I am a very sensitive person and involving emotions into music for me is the first step. I would definitely say that I like to bring a lot of passion and soul to the music I work with. Beyond the emotional aspect, I have 15 years of experience in the music business and I am a very skillful guitar player and mixing engineer.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Mixing wise, I like to get the story about the song I am going to work with. I also like to get in touch with the artist because I want to understand what is the intention my client is looking for. It is very important for me to give the right value to the emotional part of the mix. In terms of technique, once I import the stems, I prepare a rough mix in protools adjusting stems with volume and panning. Finally, I start adding all the plugins I need. In terms of guitar recording, I also focus a lot on the emotional side but if I receive a specific part especially for guitar comping, I just play what my client asks for. When it comes to guitar solos, I can imitate other guitar players if required or I can just come up with something original.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: ProTools, Plugins: Fabfilter, Plugin Alliance, SoundToys, Waves Audio, Avid. Scarlet Focus Right 18i8, Guitar PreAmp Tech21 Fly Rig5, Fender Strat '91, Framus Diablo Custom, Taylor 114E, Classical Studio Lag plus, Shure SM58, Rode NT1.

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

A: Some of my most inspiring mixing professionals are: Chris Lord-Alge, Bob Clearmountain and my Berklee professor Enrique Gonzalez Muller. Regarding guitar players, some of the people that have always inspired me are: Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Greg Howe and Pat Metheny.

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

A: I primarily work as a mixing engineer, spending 8 to 12 hours on every professional mix. This varies depending on the amount of stems people give me. I always work using reference tracks. I also work as a session guitar player.