Tomás Rebelo on SoundBetter

With 15 years of experience in the music industry, a degree in Audio Engineering and in Audio Mastering Techniques from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Tomás Rebelo has honed his craft in mixing and mastering, making him a go-to expert for artists across all genres. Heineken, Inês Apenas, Branko, Dino D'Santiago, Irma, Ivandro, Mazarin

With 15 years of experience in the music industry, Tomás Rebelo has honed his craft in mixing and mastering, making him a go-to expert for artists across all genres. His portfolio boasts collaborations with notable artists such as Contentor, Jacob Speake, J Fitz, Irma, Dino D'Santiago, Branko, Ivandro, Pikika, and Tomás excels in using tools like Ableton Live, Melodyne and he is also adept at using a range of analog gear, combining the warmth of vintage equipment with the precision of digital tools.

Tomás holds a degree in Audio Engineering, and continuously updates his skills through workshops and certifications, ensuring he stays at the forefront of audio innovation. His expertise is backed by his education in Audio Mastering Techniques from the prestigious Berklee College of Music.

Whether it's fine-tuning the final mix or mastering a track to perfection, Tomás brings passion, professionalism and approaches each project with a blend of technical skill and creative flair resulting in dynamic and engaging mixes that captivate listeners. His casual yet professional demeanour makes him a favourite among artists looking for a seamless and enjoyable production experience.

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Credits

2 Reviews

Endorse Tomás Rebelo

by ronankilmartin
Tomás helped us with some live recordings, recorded, mixed and mastered a gig we did in Copenhagen with some challenging dynamics. The result was really good and I appreciated the good level of communication and the effort he put in.
by Richard Farrell
A man who knows the ins and outs of EQ, compressors and effects, a wonderful mixer and mastering engineer. He knows his gear inside out, super knowledgable! I have worked with Tomas many times and I can't recommend him enough. If you're looking for precision and warmth, he's your man!

Interview with Tomás Rebelo

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: In 2017 I was hired to record a classical trumpet player that was going to enter an European competition in Germany. We had to record three, fifteen minute pieces in a row without stopping and couldn't edit or process anything pre or post. I recorded a trumpet and a tail piano with my Soundcraft 12MTK, an AKG C3000 and two 57's. So, with a bit of mic placement adjustments and no more than three takes we got the recordings we wanted! I have never heard anyone play trumpet like that before, wild, esquizophrenic, fast, and that was super powerful, I remember at times feeling a bit of adrenaline. When he delivered the recordings, he didn't even got to the competition, he was invited to be the 1st Trumpet of the Royal Danish Orchestra, he was 24 at the time. I was very lucky to be there, that they followed my advice and that the results went beyond our goal.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: At this very moment, I am finishing mastering a 10 song electronic pop album which I produced for a Portuguese artist.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both. Analog because it is much more intuitive, fun, and a lot of outboard gear sounds more natural, Digital because I have more control about the amount and type of character that I want to add to the sound.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I will always be honest, if I feel I won't be able to correspond your end, I will be the first to help out searching for a person that can.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: To be able to work with super talented and lovely people and get recognised about my work.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: How long does it take to deliver the files? It all depends on what the service is and if the direction of the project is clear. When those ends are known, then it is a matter of number of songs to work on, but I would say, in average, between 3 days to 2 weeks the work is usually done.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: The amount of years and hours that it took me to gain my level of experience in order to make my work seem so easy to do.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Does this project have a theme? Do you want this project to sound any specific way? What formats do you need delivered? How fast do you need it to be delivered?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Be clear and honest about what you want, communication is key.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Axe, saw, fire-starter, chef's knife, iron cast casserole.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: From 2008 up until now, I have been working as a live F.o.H engineer both for bands and conferences. From 2014 I started recording and mixing and mastering live concerts, and from 2016 to 2019 that was my main job. Nowadays I work as a freelance live sound engineer on a venue in Portugal, and mix for local and international bands
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Deep, but in your face.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Listen to music, a lot of music.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop, Rock, Electronic
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Richard Farrel, great musician, amazing voice! He is a great music writer, lyrics writer and guitar player. He is working on three bands, one of the bands won the Best Blues Album of 2018 in Denmark and he has a solo project and a pop/electronic music project as well. Check him out Richard Farrell, Kettlefish, Trainman Blues
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Any artist that truly feels their art.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Identifying emotions and making them stand out.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I try to be subtle until I am asked not to. So I like to emphasise the energy of a the song wether it should be in your face, or it should be more delicate. So I would have to say that I'll add a bit more emotion.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I like working mornings, the ear is fresh and I am fresh as well. So I grab a cup of coffee and typically listen to a song or two before I start working, just to get me ears ready.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I love mixing analog, so I bought a beautiful Midas F32 and it is just fantastic to work with. I run on a hybrid setup, I own a Drawmer and a Klark Teknik compressor and use a blend of plugins that goes from Fabfilter, Plugin Alliance, UA, among others.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Pink Floyd, CCR, Fruko, Omara Portuondo, Quantic, Liraz, Amadou & Mariam, Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Tim Maia, Brian Humphries, Fela Kuti, Ebo Taylor, Gaelle, Greg Wells, Robyn, Rune Glæsel, Bobby Owsinski, Tony Maseratti, Jacob Speake, Bruno Pernadas, Mazarin,Soluna, Contentor, the list goes on eternally, there's so many talented people in the world.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Mixing live concerts and/or recording, mixing and mastering them.