Singer/Songwriter/Producer

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

A: I get a lot of questions like "can you do X?" regarding different skills and abilities. If it's something I'm experienced at, I will say "of course", and if it's not, I will honestly say "I don't have much experience with that, but I can definitely look it up and give it a try!"

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

A: This one seems like a no-brainer, but it's essential: Always start the conversation with a "Hello!". That will set the tone for communication on the right foot. A big part of my workflow is making my clients feel comfortable and welcome, so if we tune to the same vibe everything will go smooth as silk. Also, we tend to forget that providers are also people juggling to achieve balance in life, and being kind from the beginning can brighten their day as well as yours!

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

A: Music has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. At age 3 I sang Rocio Durcal songs to my pediatrician. At age 5 I was signed up to my first choir: Ninos Cantores de Lara in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. At age 7 the choir conductor, Carmen Alvarado, discovered that I had perfect pitch -which was a surprise in my family, since none of my parents are musicians. I was some kind of musical Hermione Granger hahaha-. My childhood and adolescence was spent around choir rehearsals and music academies! Then I went to college at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, and got my degree in psychology while also singing in the university choir, the Orfeon Universitario de la Universidad Central de Venezuela, which is an artistic patrimony of my country. Then I started to have contact with the pop music scene of Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, where I learned a lot about how bands work, genres and ways to make my singing more versatile. I recorded an album with the band Un2x3, which was defined as an "amazing pop-folk experience". The band dissolved after 3 years; however, thanks to my experience with them I learned a lot about studio recording, instrumental arrangement, music marketing and so on. Then, I moved to Argentina, I met my husband, started a family, and I got in the business of recording vocals for people remotely so I could be able to take care of my baby girl. But shortly after I began, the pandemic attacked, and it downed on me that just singing wasn't enough for the career path I wanted, and so, I needed a whole new set of tools on my tool belt. That's how I landed into the world of music production learning. I had the chance to make my first productions with clients that really believed in me, and that led me to producing the music for a full musical (still in development), and scoring the horror short film that gave me the two awards I described in my bio. So, in total, I have been in the music world for 28 years, in the pop rock scene for 9 years, and in music production for almost 3 years. I feel immensely empowered by the fact that I can record my own vocals as well as produce music, and I want to help the people that work with me bring their musical ideas into the material world, so they can feel empowered too!!

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

A: I worked as the vocal producer, singer and arranger for the "20Tu Coral" virtual choir, a project made with friends from the university choir I was a part of during college. We released some videos where I did all the audio mixing and mastering, and in one of them the choir sang an arrangement of my own, which was an amazing opportunity to hone my vocal editing and producing skills. It lasted only for a year, and I still had a lot to learn at the time, but I was deeply grateful for being able to sing with friends I haven't seen in years while editing and mixing all of their tracks myself!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on finishing my first single as an artist for digital platforms, sung and produced by myself. I'm so looking forward to put my art out there!

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

A: I would definitely recommend Kris Bradley from BoomFox Productions, she is my mentor and an amazing woman!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I would go with digital, because of all the possibilities it can provide when used properly. I'm grateful to technology for giving me the power to get my musical universe out of my head and into reality.

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

A: I will do everything in my power to deliver what you need and then some! I always like to present additional vocal ideas to clients for them to use as they like, for example. And even if you have very precise requirements, it's all good: you will always feel heard and validated working with me!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The sense of satisfaction after completing an amazing mix, or finishing the recording of an astounding set of vocals, and then seeing the happy response from people that feel fulfilled by my work!

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

A: Some people tend to mistake music work as being "fast". Sometimes doing fast work is not the same as doing quality work.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I usually ask if they have a deadline for the songs to be ready, I ask about the style and inspiration they got to come up with the idea for the song, and if I have to write a song from scratch, I always ask what they would like it to be about. I also ask about instruments they have in mind for the project, and in the vocal aspect, I ask for references to how they would like me to sing it. I also ask them to send me all the available material they have so I can accommodate best to their vision.

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

A: My MacBook pro M1 with an adapted solar charger (lol), my interface, my mic, a cannon cable to connect the mic to the interface and a pair of AirPods Pro!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: It would be: cool and nerdy with a lot of vocal harmonizing.

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

A: I would LOVE to work with Adele. I love her energy when making music, how strong-willed she is, and the fact that she has kept her essence throughout the years. Another artist I would love to watch while creating would be Stromae. I admire how he takes difficult subjects and transforms them into music that makes you want to dance and reflect at the same time! And I love how I can get the vibe from his music without even speaking french.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: The best way to ensure a great mix is an amazing arrangement! The greater the arrangement, the less mixing it will need.

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

A: I usually work on pop, R&B, pop-rock and rock songs. I also sing music in spanish, with huge inspiration on artists like Shakira and La Oreja de Van Gogh. I have also worked on songs intended for musicals and film scoring, as well as delivering track guides for choir arrangements. And also, I have worked a lot with parody versions of songs for special occasions!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is my ability to always listen. I was "diagnosed" with perfect pitch at the age of 7, and it was quite an advantage in the choir world, but it also came with its challenges. It made me humble and I don't take it for granted, so I intend to use it for doing good :) I am also quite skilled in listening not only to the music, but to the people I work with. It is very important to me that my clients feel fulfilled and represented with the work I deliver for them. I keep my communication channels open to ideas, enquiries, and ways to make the process work for everybody, while also conveying ideas of my own and always explaining the reasons behind them.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I tend to be very intuitive with my compositions. I believe songs have their own essence and personality, and one must be very aware of the needs of the song in order to keep that essence alive. I will act as a midwife for the song for it to be born, so to speak. But also, I'm not afraid to take a song that already exists and make it in a completely different style that still contains that essence. I am very playful and experimental when it comes to arranging.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: First, I listen to the guides my client sends me a couple of times, to grab a hold of the spirit of the song. Then I check with the client about the styles and reference tracks I should listen for a clear work path. After that, I start exploring instrumental ideas, building a rhythmic base and recording a first draft of the vocals. Normally, I'll send this first draft to the client to make sure I'm headed in the right direction. Once I get a green light, I will finish the instrumental and vocal arrangement of the song. I like to work with vocals a lot for ambience of the tracks. I tend to comp my takes as I go, and I normally use a lot of vocal harmonies if those fit the song. I also work with doubles and some ear candy for a more commercial feel. Then, I will go ahead with the mixing. Balance between the elements is essencial to me, so I will make sure to listen to the mix in different devices, such as my monitors, the common earphones I mentioned earlier, a car, phone speakers and so on. Once I'm happy with the overall balance, I will make a basic master of the song to even out frequencies and do some final touches on compression, and then I'll deliver the final product with the separate tracks to the client. I'll be available if any revision needs to be made, and if that's the case, I'll sort it out and deliver the revised version to the client.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a nice setup that I have been building slowly but steadily over the years. I have a focusrite mic that has become my best friend when recording vocal parts. I also work with a midi keyboard and a launchpad, and I have monitors with studio quality that allow me to listen to my mixes in full force. However, I always keep a pair of common earphones nearby to contrast my mixes and make sure the audience will hear my mixes as great as possible, since I'm aware that not everyone has studio quality monitors at home.

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

A: I feel truly inspired by producers like Kris Bradley, Aubrey Whitfield, Bobby Owsinski, Janina Rosado, Ella Bric, Adele, Stromae, and all the singers and producers out there that are brave enough to put their work out into the world.

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

A: Singing and arranging is my main area of work, with an increased request of full productions from my on-going clients. I arrange vocals, instruments, and I do the mixing and basic mastering for the projects. I also deliver stems with raw vocals for the client to edit according to their needs. I have also translated lyrics from english to spanish and vice versa. Another area of work I have experience on is writing full songs for specific subjects or events like birthdays.