Mixing & Mastering, Guitarist

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

A: As of now, my role as recording engineer on Miguel Zenon and Luis Perdomo's El Arte del Bolero, we were nominated for a Grammy and a Latin Grammy! First nominations for me, so I'm extremely excited and happy about that.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: A little bit of both. Digital is so simple and things are very close to sounding analog. Analog has the tiniest bit of warmth that we just have not achieved yet but are so close to. Hybrid setups are ideal!

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

A: That I will make it right for you!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love music and I love being part of the genesis of a project. I also love working on my own time without having to report to anyone other than a client.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What do you want this to sound like (give me some audio references)? What general vibe are you looking for your project? Everything else usually comes up in conversation.

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

A: Make sure your files are well recorded and organized properly. Try to save your engineer time by having everything lined up for them.

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

A: Macbook (with Logic), guitar, interface, microphone, and midi keyboard. You can make a whole record with that setup!

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

A: I started as a guitarist (and I still am), but was always interested in recording. I grew up in the Dominican Republic and didn't have much access to gear so it was never something I could figure out. Youtube also wasn't much of a thing when I lived there so it wasn't as easy to find resources. When I moved to New York in 2011 I started getting more into audio when I got a midi keyboard and an interface. I then started working at a music venue where my job was to do everything! I was the manager but also had to do the production, meaning I was doing live sound. I learned by doing! We eventually incorporated a recording setup and I was getting more and more requests from bands to multitrack them. At the same time, my bands were also starting to record and as broke music students, we decided for me to give the records a shot. So I recorded a few projects that I played in which turned out okay, but I was also being asked by more people to work on their projects, so my results just got better with time. I am now over 8 years into engineering, and over 20 years into playing guitar and love where I am at now! I am now just looking to expand my horizons and work with artists I normally wouldn't work with as well as artists outside of my geographical area.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Organic. I've mentioned my experience with acoustic instruments, and I like to make everything sound like it was done in real life, whether it's a synth or a programmed drum. I feel like that's something that listeners appreciate.

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

A: Everyone and anyone!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Whatever you learn, learn it from more than one source. The internet is beautiful and has so many resources, but it also gives a voice to those who haven't mastered a craft. When you trying to learn something, you might be getting something from the wrong source or even getting plain wrong information. A good way to verify that you are learning something correctly is to check that it's something that people commonly do. Another benefit is seeing how two different engineers will apply the same technique!

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

A: Everything! Most of my experience is in jazz, but I've worked on a lot of rock projects, hip hop projects, and a lot of genre bending things.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My experience with acoustic instruments. A lot of engineers don't get the chance to work with real instruments given that a lot of music is produced inside a computer. I have a lot of experience not just mixing acoustic instruments, but also recording them in professional facilities.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: My own voice, which is ideally what any good engineer should do as well!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Hard to say, every project is different! I can answer that I cater to each projects individual needs and will try my best to realize the clients vision.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Over the year 2020 I setup my mixing space at home due to obvious circumstances. I have a fully treated basement space with a very powerful computer (custom built PC/Hackintosh), a lovely Omnirax desk, and dual monitor screens. My speakers are Genelec 8040b and Amphion One18s with a Jim Williams modded Adcom GFA-555. I have two Apollo x8p interfaces giving me 16 channels of input and a whole lot of DSP for plugins. Speaking of plugins, I have a large assortment of UAD, Soundtoys, Fabfilter, Waves, NeuralDSP, and Line 6 plugins. I am in the process of turning my studio, which is currently in-the-box (all processing done inside the computer) into a hybrid setup with a nice assortment of gear. Fun fact, I like building my own gear! Some of my mics and analog hardware are projects I've built myself from kits available by some great companies including microphone-parts, Hairball Audio, and DON Classics.

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

A: So many! Although I started working in jazz projects, I take a lot from pop and hip hop producers as I find many modern jazz records are not caught up to modern production standards. I'm a big fan of the production style of Charlie Puth and Tennyson. Some engineers I like include Manny Marroquin, Dave Darlington, James Farber, Serban Ghenea, Derek Ali, Evan Marien, Nate Wood, Steve Wall.

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

A: It's an equal balance of two things. I primarily do mix jobs, and am often asked to master projects I've mixed. I also often do editing work (comping, tuning, quantizing, etc) for projects to be sent to other engineers as well. As an active performer, I am often hired to play guitar on people's live shows or recordings.