Atmos Spatial Mixing Mastering

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Working on a couple of incredible records by a legendary artist for a major label at the moment. Can't disclose yet. Also, recently finished a couple of songs on the new Gerardo Ortiz record No Tengo Rival (BadSin--Sony Music Latin) mixed by my amigo Luis Diaz. I did the Atmos mastering on Destapando Botellitas and No Tengo Rival. I am also working on the Atmos mixes from the multitracks of Viceode I from the alternative band Viceode. Really cool cinematic alternative rock stuff that works great on Atmos!!!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: After about 3 years in the making (thank you Covid, wars, world crises!) the new The Living Room Studios has opened its doors to the public! We are a Dolby-accredited facility specializing in Atmos Mixing & Mastering for Music and HE (Home Entertainment: Netflix, Hulu, etc.). Yes, we also do your traditional Stereo Mixing and Mastering, as well as edit, mix, and produce both stereo and immersive audio for AudioBooks, Podcasts, and Video Games. The Living Roon Studios is a 220㎡ (2368sq.ft) facility with an amazing-sounding control room built around a 5.1 D&R Cinemix II 48 channel analog console and Barefoot Monitoring, and a huge live room with 5m ceilings (16ft) designed by renowned acoustician/studio designer Jeff Hedback (Ozzy, Christina Aguilera, Lifehouse, Mozart Studios). Have to hear it to believe it! For recording sessions—if life brings you to Athens at some point and want to combine “work” and vacation!!—we have the great rooms and an extensive collection of modern and vintage gear and instruments that would take your productions to the next level!

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

A: We provide Dolby Atmos mixing services from both stems and the multitrack (which in many cases is much more flexible and a better choice when it comes to quality). We also do Atmos Mastering and the traditional Stereo Mixing and Mastering gigs. We are a full service recording studio as well. We also produce immersive audio records.

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

A: It'll have to be the songs I Atmos-mastered for Gerardo Ortiz's record. It was such an honor to be a part of this project by a huuuuuge Mexican-American artist (from Pasadena, CA where I spent quite a bit of my time while in the US--lived in Arcadia for a few years, which is next door!). So it was kind of emotional for me!!! I am also really proud of producing and mixing (it was mastered by Brian Lucey in LA) the Viceode I record--which went to a double audiophile 180gram vinyl and for which now I'm doing the ATMOS versions. This was a project from the olden days of the music industry! Took about a year to finish and it is just a masterpiece!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Hmmm, you want to get me into this now huh? OK. Fine! Analog sources and processing, digital recording. Real gear sounds more 3D to my ears, plus I LOVE twisting knobs and I'm also faster mixing on my console. But, I print everything and do recalls and final touches ITB for convenience (for the client) and because of the nature of the beast these days.

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

A: 100% musical bliss guaranteed!!! Let's make some magic!!!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The people and the music!!! OK, the sense of accomplishment too!!! This is hard stuff!!!

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

A: Can I get this for free? Answer is NO! Hahaha! I kid, I kid!!! I think the most common question is whether if they don't like something they get a chance to change it, which is why we provide 3 revisions for free (though to be honest that is just there to protect the studio from unreasonable requests though, again, there hasn't been anyone so far that has utilized more than 3 revisions, EVER!). IF someone does, that means that something else is wrong, but as I said before, communication and understanding is key!!! We can solve it, whatever it is!

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

A: That you slap on some plugins, select a preset, and you're done!!!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: If they have done this before and what their experience has been. And what their vision, goals, and expectations are for the project they are considering booking us for.

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

A: Clear communication is key!! Let's chat about the project and figure out the best way to make it happen!

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

A: There is the desert island question! OK. Here we go. Man, this is tough! OK. Shure SM57, Chandler TG2, Rupert Neve Master Buss Processor, Lynx Hilo, Mac with Logic Pro. I know we said 5 but can we throw in the cables? hahaha :-)

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

A: I've listed my journey above in the "What do you bring to a song" question. For the second part, I have been producing, recording, mixing, mastering records and owning a studio for the past about 15 years (with a brief pause during COVID...)

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Servant of the song! The song HAS to win EVERY time!!! The artist, the label, the producer, every one else take second seat! The song is the driving force! In the production process (and in mixing, mastering) I am always the advocate of the song!!

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

A: Oh man!! Tough question!!! Would have LOVED to work with Carmen McRae just to witness her greatness up close but she is no longer with us. So, it would be very fun and interesting to work with Dua Lipa cause I would be very curious to see what we could do with her almost baritone voice and a more organic production.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: I share a few on my YouTube channel (The Living Room Studios) but from the top of my head: little things make a huge difference, so get as much as you can right at the source! And as an example: changing the guitar pick when recording guitars is like adding 3 different EQs after during the mix! (OK I exaggerate but you get the point!)

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

A: Any and all but lately we've been getting songs from Alternative Rock to Regional Mexican.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Communication and understanding! Hopefully, or at least I've been told, I can be inspirational and motivational for the team and the artists. Always professional!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Almost 40 years of experience in all facets of music and the music business!!! Music (Musicians' Institute & PCC), Humanities & Communication (UCLA-BA & USC-Masters), Audience Development/Marketing (Melisma-Arista Records BMG), Publishing (ONE WAY Magazine, where we listened to literally 100s of records per day to choose for editorial coverage), Recording and Producing (Recording Workshop, Ohio, Los Angeles), Studio Owner (The Living Room Studios I), Marketing/Social (ONE WAY Digital), Atmos Engineer at a Dolby-Approved facility, and husband and dad of a gorgeous almost 4 now daughter! All of this, every day, in music!!!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Depending on the project, but ALWAYS, we spend as much time as needed to get under the skin of the project and we communicate with the artist to find our what drives them, what their vision is about their project, and try to stay true to that while offering our own honest and constructive two cents!

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

A: Currently I have been very inspired by the work of Brian Wilson (on occasion of the release in Atmos of Pet Sounds). How many lightyears away this guy was back then!!! Just incredible!!!