Rafa Payan on SoundBetter

Hi! my name is Rafa Payan, I'm a Grammy nominee guitar player and multi-instrumentalist. I've been working in music for 25 years now!! I'm also a music producer for various latin artists.

Rafa Payan is a record producer, grammy nominee guitar player, and multi-instrumentalist who has worked with some of the best latin artist from DR (Juan Luis Guerra & 440, Pavel Nuñez, etc) for over 25 years now. Currently I'm doing session work remotely from my studio in Troy, NY, also producing songs for a wide variety of artists and styles (from bachata to pop rock) and touring the USA states with a Grammy winner band "Los Temerarios".

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Rafael Payan

Paulino Monroy
Paulino Monroy
Maite Perroni
Maite Perroni
Maite Perroni
Issa Gadala
Suzanna Lubrano
Suzanna Lubrano
Suzanna Lubrano
Suzanna Lubrano
La Posta
La Posta
El Consorcio
El Consorcio
Daniel Santacruz
Daniel Santacruz
Daniel Santacruz
Rene Lorente
Alejandra Tejada
Alejandra Tejada
Negros
Negros
Alvaro Torres
Alvaro Torres
Olga Tañón
Enrique Chia
Enrique Chia
Enrique Chia
Pavel Nuñez
Pavel Nuñez
Pavel Nuñez
Enrique Chia
Enrique Chia
Ciudad de Angeles
Ciudad de Angeles
Chichi Peralta
Opalo
Menudo
Daniel Santacruz
Frank Ceara
Frank Ceara
Jandy Feliz
Jandy Feliz
Ciudad Nueva
José Peña Suazo
Pavel
Pavel
Pavel
Pavel
Pavel
Pavel
Pavel
Olga Tañón
Olga Tañón
Miriam Y Las Chicas Cruz
Olga Tañón
Juan Luis Guerra y 440
Juan Luis Guerra y 440
Azucarado
Marco Hernández
Pochy Familia
Raulín Rodríguez
Allendi
Diveana
Dulce María
Frank Ceara
Plácido Domingo, Jr.

2 Reviews

Endorse Rafa Payan

by Lael L.
Verified
Rafa was quick to respond, delivered exactly what I wanted on guitar & very helpful when I ran into some technical difficulties.
by Rodolfo L.
Great musicians! Committed and honest! Thank you, Rafael.

Interview with Rafa Payan

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I'm gonna give a 200% of me... I'll go for the WAO every time I'm doing something... I promise a good and clean/ profesional job.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Analog and digital... because everything's just a tool... the real stuff comes from the heart!!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Everything!
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Q: Are you good? A: I don't know... you tell me!!
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: The fact that I'm a latin musician usually makes people believe that I can't play other styles... that's of course till they listen to my work...
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Basically tecnical stuff
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: To come well prepared and open for new ideas.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Guitar, harmonica, solar panel, iPhone and headphones
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started to learn to play guitar at the age of nine, I've started the gigs thing at 14, I started traveling to Europe at the age of 18. Currently I'm 41 so basically It's has been like 27 years now.... Oh my!
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Universal.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: If my 7 years old son doesn't sing it by the end of the session... then there's something wrong!!!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop music, latin music.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Musicality.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I try to bring textures for added depth, but depending on the style, I always try to emphasize the direction of the song towards certain mood or feeling.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I'm running Pro Tools 10 thru an Universal Audio-Apollo Twin Interface, a pair of Tannoy monitors, a Suhr Custom Classic guitar (Strat), a Les Paul guitar... a Suhr Corso Amp Head with a Quilter Vintage 1X12 Cabinet mic'ed with a Shure SM57 for the electric setup... a AKG 414 for a Taylor steel str guitar and a Lori Vintage bass.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Michael Landau, Michael Thompson, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Pat Metheny, etc.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Session guitarist, bassist, keyboards, music production, arrangements, Beat Detective/ quantize live drums & percussion tracks, vocal comp/ tuning, etc.