Music Producer | Mix Engineer

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

A: For this I'll be choosing a project which has already been released. It is a Brazilian rap album called "Os Rap" by Libra Rap. I was the producer, recording engineer, lyricist, and singer for this album. I basically did everything except for mixing and mastering. I'm especially proud of this project because it contains very amazing beats that range from West Coast to Trap to The Fugees / Slick Rick style. The lyrics are also very contemporary and "street". Some might say it's an "ill-spitter album".

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working in a few projects. The main one in the moment is a project called Low End Bit Station which will consist of 3 EPs and 1 album. The aesthetic concept of the album is adding a bitcrusher to all low frequency elements in the album (kicks, basses, subs, etc.), hence the name Low End Bit Station. It is an experimental/psychedelic/progressive soulish Hip-Hop vibe with tons of details.

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

A: I don't directly know him but he is a friend of my brother's and his sound is amazing. His name is LEV.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog for the sonic characteristics (more colorful), but the difference is so subtle it's almost null. On the other hand, digital is much more affordable.

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

A: I promise that I will work to the best of my abilities to get you the sound that you want and that your music needs.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Both starting and finishing a project. I love starting new projects because I can go a long way thinking about its concepts and aesthetics, and I love finishing them because it is like putting a child in the world and watching it grow.

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

A: The question I get the most is "what's your process?", and the answer is always "listen to the ideas and vision and follow the direction that the music is asking me to".

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

A: The biggest misconception about what I do is that it is all fun and games, that it is easy and that anyone can do it like we do it.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What artists do you find your style similar to? Is your sound unique (or do you want it to be unique)? How comercial do you want to go?

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

A: Talk to your provider beforehand so you know if he is professional or not, and try to get yourself a provider that matches your style/vibe, or else you'll have him work on something he's not used to and the quality fo your project may not be the best.

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

A: Considering that there is electricity I'd take my computer, audio interface, speakers, microphone, and MIDI keyboard or a sampler such as an MPC or NI Maschine.

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

A: I began as a rapper in early 2017, and I quickly began to make my own beats. In mid 2018 I decided that I didn't want to rap for a living, instead I wanted to rap for fun and produce for a living. In 2019 I enrolled in a Music Production college in São Paulo and in Berklee Online as a Music Production Major. I have now been producing for 4 years and mixing and mastering for 3. I've had several clients ranging from Hip-Hop to Pop to Indie Rock and lead several college projects that were said to be "international level" by the teachers.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: If I had to try and put it words I'd say "Jazzy-Psychedelic Hip-Hop".

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

A: I'd love to work with Flying Lotus because he was one of the artists that was most influential for me in terms of production and composing, as well as conceptual development.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't jump in a production narrow-minded and with a fixed vision of what you want. Always be flexible and open-minded. Usually the song itself will ask you for something, follow the direction that the song gives you.

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

A: Hip-Hop and Rn'B music for my clients, Experimental Hip-Hop and instrumental music for my own personal projects.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I'd say my strongest skill is artistic direction and vision, knowing what a song may or not be lacking and what direction to take with the production.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: What I seek to bring to a song is originality. I achieve this by mixing different genres and textures in the song, as well as adding the right amount of detail and "ear candy" so that the song contains enough variations that it doesn't become dull at any time. I also seek to get my own signature sounds in a song, using specific plug-ins.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My work process depends a lot on what my client wants. What I always do is listen closely to my client's ideas and vision as well as listen to reference track(s) and/or artist(s) several times to know which timbers to use and how to structure the song. I usually make a scratch so that my client can send me some feedback about the melody and overall vibe, but it all depends on what the project asks for.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio setup consists mainly of my iMac, Focusrite Clarett 4Pre Audio Interface, Yamaha HS8 Speakers, and MPK 249 MIDI Keyboard. I also have a couple of electric and acoustic guitars (Fender and Ibanez), a 5-stringed bass, a 4-piece drum set, and some other percussion instruments such as bongo, cajón, etc. I have 4 Shure SM57 dynamic mics which I use to record the drums, sometimes bass and guitar amps, and rarely vocals. For a condenser microphone I have a AKG P420 which I use to record mainly vocals, acoustic guitar, and overhead for drums.

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

A: I have a wide range of musicians who inspire me, from different genres and ages. As a producer and composer, one of my largest inspirations is Flying Lotus, because his ability to transition between different vibes very smoothly and add incredible details to his songs, as well as the conceptual development of his projects. I'm also very inspired in artists such as Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars because they both have a very 90's Funk and Soul vibe but are still able to make their sound very contemporary and catchy. As for mixing, my greatest inspirations are Dave Pensado, Andrew Schepps, and Chris Lord-Alge.

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

A: The type of work I most do for my clients revolve around production and mixing. I usually produce songs from scratch or beats (most of the times using a reference track or artist), but I also have a lot of experience producing around a pre-made melody, lyrics, or any general musical idea that my client has. I like to make a creative pre-mix while I produce the songs, so that my client and I can have an idea of how the track will sound like when it gets mixed. Another positive point this practice offers is that in the case that my client also want me to mix the song, I can deliver in less time since a pre-mix has already been made. I focus on Hip-Hop and Rn'B music but I have a fair experience in other genres such as Pop, Rock, Indie, Soul, Samba, etc. I love mixing up genres, so I have produced Rn'b songs that have Indie-Jazz breaks, or Hip-Hop songs that have Samba choruses. These mixtures always increase the depth of the listeners' involvement with the songs.