Creative and Colorful Mixing

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

A: Mixing can make any song sound good. As I said, the earlier a decision is made in the process the greater its impact on the sound. If a vocal is poorly recorded, it will be very difficult for the mixing engineer to make it sound good. A mixing engineer can’t change the music they’re given—their job is to enhance what has already been recorded and produced. That said, a mixer also can’t claim they can’t do their job just because something doesn’t meet their personal standards. There is always something a professional mixer can do to elevate a song at least one step further, using the material provided and the tools available.

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

A: Listen to their work and make sure it has something to do with your music but also and most important, always communicate everything you consider important to the sound of your song.

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

A: Realistic: My guitar, laptop with logic, a mic, headphones, 2 octave midi keyboard and I'm good to continue making music. Mixingwise: Fab filter, split eq, SSL channel strip (any brand), CLA 2A, valhalla fx.

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

A: I started on music as a kid studying formally music composition and guitar. I have been producing music for ten years now and I'm working with some of the best artists on my area.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Warm, organic, textural. I like to create space between the elements of the song and make it feel bigger and original.

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

A: Jorge Drexler. He is a genius and creates super original and emotional music.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: The earlier a decision is made in the process, the greater its impact on the final sound of a song. For example, what changes the overall sound more: cutting 6 dB at 1 kHz on a guitar and 4 dB at 500 Hz on the bass, or changing the chords and melody of the chorus? The answer is option two. Changing the musical arrangement has a much bigger impact than EQ—what happens earlier in the process will always create a more noticeable change. That’s why I always recommend thinking ahead: making arrangement decisions with production in mind, and producing and recording instruments and vocals with the mix in mind. In other words, solve problems at the moment they arise instead of passing them on to the next stage. The final sound of a song is only the result of summing all the decisions made through the process.

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

A: I'm also a musician formed at Universidad de Costa Rica in classical music, but I have a lot of background performing rock as a guitarist and singer. I constantly mix my band's music (Flor De Doppler) and often mix for singer-songwriters on my country (Fernanda Morgan, Simón Avilés, Alelí Prada, Vic Pérez, Matías Muñoz). I also have a lot of experience recording and mixing classical and jazz ensembles.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Creating a unique dimension and space for the song.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Separation, dimension, warmth, understandability and shine of the lyrics.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: My work starts by talking with the artist and understanding the ideas behind the production. I always try to have the artist vision of the track in mind throughout the process. Once I have that information I start with a basic mix focused on organization and cleanliness, using only balance, panning, and minimal EQ and compression to get a sense of how the song presents itself in its most essential form. After that, I move on to refining and enhancing the instrumental arrangement, starting with the element that carries the most character or tends to be the focal point. To me, the instrumental alone should already create an emotional connection. For that I give enough detail to each instrument trying to understand its role in the specific song. For example: drums may have to be agressive and punchy or warm with soft transients, it all depends on the song, always. Then I work in detail on the lead vocal, shaping it into the central element of the production and making sure the lyrics are clearly understood throughout the entire song. Finally, I add the background vocals, which should support the lead and help elevate the song even further.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Two JBL 308 monitors aligned using Smaart. Soundcraft Ui24r as control center. Behringer x-touch control surface to enhance the workflow. Carefully and professionally treated studio to give nice acoustics for mixing.

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

A: Mixing wise I like a lot Andrew Schep's concepts and philosophy. I also love and admire the work of Bob Clearmountain, Michael Brauer and Andy Wallace. They're legends and they all have in common that they aren't afraid of following their own process and instincts to make the song shine.

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

A: I am focusing right now on mixing. But I can also work on almost every part of the process: producing, arranging, performing guitars and backing vocals.