Manuel Villar Lifac

Music Producer and sessionist

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25 Reviews (23 Verified)
Manuel Villar Lifac on SoundBetter

I have been working with many of the most renowned musicians from Argentina such as Pedro Aznar, Rodolfo Mederos, Mario Parmisano, Patricio Villarejo, Luis Salinas, Litto Nebbia, Rata Blanca, Pablo Agri, Franco Luciani, Roberto Tapia, Marcelo Moguilevsky, Adriana Varela, César Franov and many others.

My Master is the Integration of what seems impossible to integrate (read the description below!)
My experience as a Multi-Instrumentalist in Popular & Academic Music has led me to a proficiency in the fusion of the Eastern an Western Music of the World at the highest levels of performance in Classical, Folk, Ethnic and Film music in Buenos Aires.

After my studies of Hindustani music and Sitar in Varanasi, India, I have explored the fusion of different kinds of folk music of the world through many discographic works, such as Kunturi Ensamble's self titled album, Vilvsevind's “Dag o Natt” and Alejo Nobili's “Constantinopla”.

I have toured in México playing Tango with Quinteto Varietal, of which I am co-founder with Rodolfo Roballos with whom I also developed in The Melbourne Tango Orchestra in Australia.

Regarding Contemporary Academic music, I have been the soloist double bass player in the Orquesta Música Nueva (New Music Orchestra) conducted by Ricardo Hegman, playing the works of composers such as Ariel Hagman, Julián Galay, Nahuel Carfi, Marcelo Katz and Julio Viera among others.

I have also been Double Bass player in the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Argentina working with Maestros César Iván Lara and Tarcisio Barreto.

I have been double bass professor in Maimónides University.

Send me an email through 'Contact' button above and I'll get back to you asap.

25 Reviews - 3 Repeat Clients

Endorse Manuel Villar Lifac
  1. Review by Jacob L.
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    Manuel was great to work with and the tracks he created sound fantastic! Highly recommended.

  2. Review by Mark T.
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    Another great one with Manuel!

  3. Review by Mark T.
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    A pleasure as always. Writing this right before starting another one with Manuel! Highly recommended to work with.

  4. Review by Mark T.
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    Amazing as always

  5. Review by Mark T.
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    Always a pleasure working with Manuel. His sense of melody along with instrument skills are absolutely stunning.

  6. Review by Sun Curse Studio
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    Manuel did an amazing job playing the cello from sheet music I composed for an indie track. It sounded fantastic and I'm really happy with the quality of the playing and the recording. Also incredibly quick turnaround! Overall amazing job, would recommend in a heart beat.

  7. Review by Mark T.
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    By far the best instrumentalist and one of the top musicians I've come across on SB

  8. Review by Mark T.
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    Another great one with Manu!

  9. Review by Matthew M.
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    Manuel is extremely prompt on delivery and a very skilled standup bassist : )

  10. Review by Sister S.
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    Great job! I even received the files before the deadline.

  11. Review by Mark T.
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    Highly recommended to work with!

  12. Review by Mark T.
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    Always such a pleasure to work with. Highly recommended!

  13. Review by Mark T.
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    There is nothing this man cant do. You just name an instrument and he plays it and works with a seamless flow. Highly recommended to work with.

  14. Review by Mark T.
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    Another great one with Manu, always the best to work with. Highly recommended!

  15. Review by Chad M.
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    I've worked with Manuel several times. Why do I keep using him? It's pretty simple - He's really easy to work with, always makes my songs sound better, and makes the process really enjoyable. Manuel is always able to take the idea I have in my head and translate it to a great sound. Manuel is a pro in every sense - very well trained and knowledgeable, quality recording gear and instruments, technically proficient, quick turn-around, etc.

  16. Review by Mark T.
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    Manu is one of those people im proud to work with. Very hard working, dedicated and most of all, very creative and gets the vibe perfect EVERY TIME.

  17. Review by Chad M.
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    Manuel produced the exact feel I wanted for my songs. With just a few references and a quick conversation, Manuel produced a great sounding string quartet for a song intro idea. I know I can always expect clear communication, skillful playing, and a fast turnaround when I'm working with Manuel. And this guy is a genius- he can play any instrument proficiently.

  18. Review by Mark T.
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    Worked with Manu multiple times and he never disappoints. Very creative and great turnaround time too.

  19. Review by Mark T.
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    Immensely talented. My 2nd job with Manu and honestly the experience was even better. Very professional and cooperative as well. Highly recommended to work with if you get a chance!

  20. Review by Chad M.
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    Manuel is a brilliant multi-instrumentalist and is extremely easy to work with. Will definitely work with Manuel for future projects.

Interview with Manuel Villar Lifac

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

  2. A: Paper, pencil, piano, guitar... and a knife!

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

  4. A: Matías Menarguez is one of the best drummers I know, and love working with him. Also Norberto Villagra is the best Engineer I know out there. Trust him with your mix or mastering!

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

  6. A: "Do you think this is possible?" Of course!

  7. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  8. A: When do you need this for?

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

  10. A: Having clear material is very useful, it will give your provider more time to focus on the music instead of having to plough through incomplete indications. Nice tidy stems with a BPM on the title, maybe some sheet music or chords can save up a great amount of time! The ending result is better music!

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

  12. A: My path has been diverse. I have studied in the best conservatories in Buenos Aires, specializing in classical music, jazz and tango. Anyways the best formation I have is my experience working side by side with many of the best musicians of the city.

  13. Q: How would you describe your style?

  14. A: Eclectic

  15. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  16. A: I record with a Neumann TLM 102 Microphone mostly. Sometimes, depending on the sound required, I may use an AKG D 950, Shure SM58 or MXL 550 and 551

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

  18. A: I recorded Sitar for Patricio Villarejo's solo album "Identidad". I really liked that session because I got to play the Sitar in a very emblematic Charly García song called "Ojos de Videotape".

  19. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  20. A: Both, because integration is always the answer.

  21. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  22. A: Currently I am composing and producing the Music for the Feature Film "AXIOMAS", wich will be published in cinemas of Argentina during 2020. The particularity of this work is that it consists on the fusion of multiple ethnical styles of music, so that the listener cannot really catalogue the music in one certain place or time. I have also had a lot of fun recording the music since I myself have played more than 10 different instruments for the music, as well as arranging orchestral scores for it.

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

  24. A: My promise is that I will always be ethical about my answer to the previous question: I will always press myself to do better each time, because that is the Life in doing music. I will never limit myself to just do the job. I will be going through a personal commitment with myself of evolving in each step of my path.

  25. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  26. A: The best thing about working with Music is that growth is infinite.

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

  28. A: The false notion that specialization in only one instrument is fundamental to acquire good quality, and the false notion that multi-instrumentalism or multiple disciplines makes one less proficient. Renaissance proves those false notions completely!! Polyglots are also a great example of how being diversified enriches each one of your specialties.

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

  30. A: I would really like to work with Hans Zimmer because of mainly two reasons: 1) Film Music is the most versatile genre I know of, anything can happen in a Score... Integration of things that seemed impossible to integrate! 2) Hans Zimmer has proven to be a Master of versatility when it comes to Producing music, and is proficient at the fusion of Ethnical Music of all over the world with the traditional Orchestral Western style... and that is something I am particularly interested in.

  31. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  32. A: Always decide beforehand on what structure you will build up your music, because a tiny deviation at a structural level can derive in big problems later (sometimes unsolvable!)

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

  34. A: World Music, Film Soundtracks, Folk, Acoustic, Instrumental, Jazz, Classical... and Tango of course, since I am from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

  35. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  36. A: As funny as it may sound... my strongest skill is making voice impressions, impersonations! I am an excellent actor and I can imitate many voices and accents of all kinds of people. This I relate to a very minute and attentive hearing combined with a great capacity of expression, which translated to my instruments works really well!

  37. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  38. A: I would say expressiveness, and many times an unexpected twist.

  39. Q: What's your typical work process?

  40. A: The more material I am provided with, the better: Sheet music, lead sheets and reference tracks... Sheet music is clearly my favorite material when it comes to session recordings! I am really picky with the details so the more information the better, such as a precise BPM, fine tuning, etc. A nice reference track is also great because I really like to get into the song deeply and taste all the details. The process depends a lot on what kind of work I am doing. I am very creative as well as very disciplined when it comes to follow precise directions and procedures.

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

  42. A: I am very inspired by Hans Zimmer, Anoushka Shankar, Horacio Salgán, Astor Piazzolla and The Beatles, but really what inspired me tho most is the different folk musics of all over the world which cannot be comprised in only a couple of personalities.

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

  44. A: I usually record tracks in my studio as a sessionst, especially Double Bass, Cello, Sitar and Dilruba. I have also done many work in Editing since my obsessiveness proves handy in that line of work. Writing and Producing Instrumental Arrangements is also one of me specialties.

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"Saturn" by Ryan Cohen

I was the String Arranger, Cellist, Violinist, Bassist and Pianist in this production

Terms Of Service

I usually allow at least 3 revisions, depending on the track.
Typical turn-around time is a week, but it depends on you request, some works I get done in a day or two.

GenresSounds Like
  • Astor Piazzolla
  • Anoushka Shankar
  • Hans Zimmer
Gear Highlights
  • Neumann TLM 102 and AKG C3000B Condenser Microphones
  • AKG D950 and Shure SM58 Dynamic Microphones
  • Sitar
  • Dilruba
  • Double Bass
  • Cello
  • Guitar
  • Mandolin
  • Bouzouki
  • Electric Bass
  • Electric Guitar
  • Piano
  • Synths
  • Bansuri
  • Santoor
  • Focusrite Scarlett 2i4
More Photos
More Samples
SoundBetter Deal

If this is the first time you hire me, I offer you a 15% discount on the first Track