Elevate your music with expert bass performance and precision mixing. Versatile, experienced, professional, but above all, personable. Let me help you make the track YOU want to create.
Ruben II Kasala (Benjo) has been performing on the bass guitar since 2011. His journey began with the band "Area Five," where he and his friends crafted original compositions and performed at various local venues, including the renowned Wish Bus of Wish107.5. In 2017, he continued to hone his skills with La Salle Green Hills' high school music ministry, "Kundirana," a prestigious group known for nurturing Filipino music legends like Gary Valenciano and Ogie Alcasid.
Benjo’s passion for Hip Hop led him to create music as the Filipino artist "L!FE," blending his bass guitar expertise with a unique hip-hop sound to develop a distinct style. Alongside his solo work, he has collaborated on various projects as a bassist, music producer, and mixing engineer. Notable collaborations include working with R&B/hip hop artist Teddy Travis, who has garnered nearly 200k streams, and composing a fantasy soundtrack for Joan Kendrick's "The Realms of Lahr," featured at the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival and nominated for Best Sound Design at the Los Angeles Web Series Festival 2024.
Benjo believes creativity trumps credentials every time. He’s eager to collaborate and ready to use his skills as a bassist and mixing engineer to make your ideas shine.
Would love to hear from you. Click the contact button above to get in touch.
5 Reviews
Endorse Ruben II Kasala- check_circleVerified
Benjo did a great job on my song! He demonstrated an understanding of my vision and brought it to life. His attention to detail is also good.
He made sure to incorporate my feedback while offering his own suggestions. I recommend Benjo for your mixing/mastering needs!
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Just got the mastered track. Really great quality and I really enjoyed how everything turned out. Definitely gonna be working again
Benjo, has mixed and mastered an EP for me and recently a new single. I am very happy with the results and that when he tells me the deadline he'll send me the mastered track he delivers. He always has delivers high quality masters.
Working with Benjo has always been a great experience for me. Ever since high school, I immediately knew he had a great ear for music production. Benjo has an incredible ability to understand the vision and vibe I want to convey in my music. Whether it's a sad song, an upbeat song, or something entirely different, he always knows how to properly bring my ideas to life. His attention to detail is impeccable, and he never settles for anything less than perfection. If you’re looking to take your music to the next level, I can’t recommend him highly enough.
He's very easy to work with and the beats he produced for me for my upcoming EP were very on brief! He can also produce various styles, so I really only go to him now whenever I'm working on a new project.
Interview with Ruben II Kasala
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Currently working on a debut project with an upcoming P pop group as well as more independent music releases as my own artist and other artists.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: none as of the moment.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: If i had to choose, digital, just simply because it's something feasible and more importantly simple. I'd have some fun using analog gear though.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: Their artistic vision will always come first.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Getting to work with artists and help them release their music
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Usually how long I've been working on music and what is my biggest credential in my career. I've been professionally working in music for since 2021 but making music since 2012 and my biggest credential is an artist I work with who has garnered close to 200k music streams across all music platforms completely independent with no major label support, just good music.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: The biggest misconception about what I do is that it's easy and that they can do it themselves. I'm all for being independent but It has taken me purposeful learning throughout the years to execute what I can do. I believe my prices are fair for what I can offer.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I like having a better working relationship with all my clients so I typically like asking how long they've been working on music and what are their goals. Sometimes people do this leisurely and sometimes people are trying to make this their career, either goal is commendable and I'd like to help out in however way I can help.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: You should have a somewhat clear understanding of what goal you're trying to accomplish and how you want to achieve it. Sometimes when that's more clear to you, you might realize I'm not the right fit for your project and I can recommend one of my peers to assist you instead. Don't go into this without a plan.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Firstly, I'd probably bring more important things to survive but that's not the question I guess. I'd bring A macbook pro, a Shure SM7B, a Volt 276 interface, A pair of mixing headphones, and a table. Good posture helps with my creative process.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started pursuing music as a profession officially in 2021 after graduating college but I've been making music starting with performing as a bassist since 2012.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I describe my style as simple with purpose.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I would love to have a record with Russ just because of how much his music inspired me to pursue music. Aside from him, I'd love to work with J.Cole, Logic, Charlie Puth, and even Bruno Mars.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Less is more.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I typically work on Hip Hop, Pop, and R&B.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skills lie in music production, encompassing everything from performing on the bass to mixing and engineering. As a music producer, I excel in bringing all these elements together to create polished tracks.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: What I bring to the song is support. As an artist myself, I understand that an artist's vision may not always be conventional, and I embrace non-traditional approaches to music creation. My role is to honor the artist's vision first and then add the professional touch that makes the music appealing to the everyday listener.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I begin by listening and humming bass lines before picking up my bass guitar. I love catchy, melodic bass lines and find that humming helps uncover these elements. Then, I use the bass to lock in with the groove and rhythmic parts. When mixing, I prioritize getting the drums and bass to work perfectly together because a solid rhythm is essential for making people dance and groove. A strong connection between the drummer and bass player forms the foundation of great rhythm. A strong relationship between the drummer and bass player is the foundation of great rhythm.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I record straight in to my DAW (Logic Pro) through my Volt 276 interface with my Yamaha TRBX304 4-String Electric Bass Guitar and mix with my Audio-Technica ATH-M20X Studio Monitor Headphones and KRK Rokit 5s G3.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: As a producer, I've grown to really appreciate Charlie Puth's Pop production by blending Pop and his knowledge of jazz into a record. I'm deeply inspired by Finneas O'Connell's production work with Billie Eilish, particularly how his simple yet impactful sound choices create such full sounding records. Any musician and music producer that understands the beauty in simplicity.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I have produced multiple independent music projects, handling a range of responsibilities from crafting original compositions on the bass to programming drums and arranging the overall composition. Additionally, I mix and master tracks to ensure they’re ready for radio and major streaming platforms.
- Bass ElectricAverage price - $50 per song
- Mixing EngineerContact for pricing
- Vocal TuningAverage price - $50 per track
- Vocal compingAverage price - $30 per track