Hugo Somosierra on SoundBetter

Music producer and mix engineer from Paris.

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Interview with Hugo Somosierra

Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I am, on different projects, recording, mixing, producing. But I do have time for new artists to work with!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both! Analog combined to digital is the way to go, because it allows you to use technologies from the past with advanced gear of today. HOWEVER: a good song is a good song, is doesn't require analog gear to be great. So if i had to choose, I'd keep digital day and night, for its versatility.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: You will want to keep on working with me!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Meeting new people every week, because every project if different. I never get bored of my work.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That mixing a song is purely technical.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Whate are your reference? What do you want to achieve with that song? What is the color you want for that song? Do you want it warmer or brighter? How do you like your drums to sound? Etc.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Always discuss about your project with the producer/mixer BEFORE actually make an order.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My laptop, headphones, MIDI keyboard, Microphone and audio interface.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I'm pretty versatile, but I produce music in order to make if feel organic. That goes with using analog sounds, real percussions when needed, and not to quantize everything. Make if feel alive! The music I produce is mostly Indie Pop, Retro Pop, and Rap.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Dua Lipa and The Weeknd, because they combine perfectly retro and modern sound, which is something that I always try to achieve.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Most of the time, I work either on pop music and hip-hop.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Versatility and communication with artists.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring my own vision, my experience in production and sound engineering to make the song sound professionnel. My goal is always to achieve a warm, deep and clear sound that is pleasing to the ear, and at the industry standards level.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I always start discussing with artists about how they like to work. So if the artist likes to be there while I'm working, we can have a virtual session where I share my screen and the artist can follow what I do. If I work on my own, the process is quite similar, except I send a first version in the end, and the artist gives me feedback, and this goes on until the artist is satisfied!
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I work on Ableton Live, on a Macbook Pro M1 Max. My reference studio headphones are the Beyer Dynamic DT770 Pro. For producing I use all the best VST in the market, such as Kontakt, Omnisphere, Arturia synths, Diva, Keyscape, Modo Bass... For mixing, I work mostly with Waves, Arturia, UAD and others companies like Pulsar Audio and D16.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I have a lot of admiration for Mike Dean, because he's such a visionnary, in the way he combines producing and mixing, with a perfect mixture between digital and organic.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Help them bring their songs to life. So I always discuss with artists the vision they have on their song, and I put a lot of work into respecting this vision, either in producing or mixing and mastering.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been producing music for the last 9 years. At first I was only mixing my own songs, but 2 years ago I realized I also wanted to work with other artists, with production, recording and mixing. So I took part of a sound engineering school, that I graduated from. After this, I started to work every week in professionnel studios as a recording and mixing engineer. And I also started to work on producing and composing with artists, mainly in Indie Pop and Hip-Hop.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: In most cases, less if more!