MIXING ENGINEER

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I get involved in each project to the fullest, I don't take shortcuts, all projects are equally important and I need them to reach their full potential. I fight every inch. All the elements of my mixes are perfectly defined, I am a lover of expensive sound, regardless of the musical style I want it to sound like radio hits. Perfect vocals,, amazing drums, all the instruments and parts sounding superb but I also love to be invisible as an engineer and make that the audience just listen to the song and stays freaked out

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I first speak with the artist and producer, to know their references, what the song is about, what is the message, and to also make sure that I receive all the tracks correctly, and that i have a rough mix to listen to their approach. It depends on the schedule but I typically prepare the session at the end of the day before to mix: the routing, the configuration, session organization of the session that I consider optimal for the song while i check that everything is ok ( I also download the references). Then i am ready and fresh to start mixing it the next morning. When its done, i send it to the client, and wait for their feedback. If theres time, i like to listen to the mix the next day, to see if its definetly done or i want fo make any tiny fine tuning. If the client need any revisión i don't mind to do it on line, streaming the mix if possible to make sure they like the changes.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a 50m2 tuned mixing room, I mix in Pro Tools with an Antelope Goliath interface with a two calibrated set of main stereo monitors which are very classic, and revealing speakers : Adam P33A with sub, and Yamaha Ns10s, and i have a third reference which is my Audeze LCD-X pair of headpones. I also love and own other monitors like genelecs, and I have mixed comfortably in other studios with other brands like Barefoot, Neumann, Psi, Dynaudio , Genelecs... But this is my main and favorite reference since many years that i don' want to change, cause every body loves the results and I love how sincere they are and how well they translate to the point that the mastering engineers do only super subtle touches to my mixes. I could make a list of eqs , compressors, preamps and the tons of plugins that i have, but to me the really important thing is to trust in what i hear to take decisions, then i have many great tools to do it which can differ in each song.

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

A: When it comes to mixing engineers, I've been very inspired by the master Bob Clearmountain, among many others like Brendan O'Brien, Chris Lord-Alge, Mick Guzauski, Andy Wallace, Tom Lord-Alge, Al Schmitt…and nowadays I also love the sound of Serban Genhea, Manny Marroquin and Jaycen Joshua just to name a few. I have had the opportunity to learn directly from some of them.

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

A: I work full time as a mixer for producers, artists and labels. I also produce some records . I teach in some specific workshops and seminars about mixing, recording, music production and pro tools certifications.

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

A: I got a job to mix in an album, the producers sent one song to a handfull of mixers, I was honored to be chosen and recommended by a person from the team. Some of the other mixers where grammy awarded USA based and renowned mixers, also the most famous mixer of my country, and i knew it, I accepted the challenge, there was very limited amount of time to deliver the mix, and my mix was the one choosen in a blind test by the production team and the artist and I got the gig. I have mixed in records where there are different mixers and my mixes where the favorites of many people and the ones that the artist liked his voice the most . I am very proud of these experiences.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I have just finished a balad for an artist from Israel, tomorrow I’m mixing rock and i have a busy schedule of mixes to do everyday. In the meantime I am producing the 19th album (since 1985) of a historical rock band of my county that I used to listen in my adolescence (very moving)

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

A: Yes Txose Ruiz

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Ears, and good tools, Its the pilot not the car, is the ear not the gear. I dont think that nowadays we have to choose between the two, we can use both or the best for the purpose. I don't give credit to technology they are just my tools ( but i have a ton of tools )

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

A: Implication

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: to be proud of the result. and to listen to the song when its released.

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

A: They can ask whatever they want, I like good communication

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

A: I dont know , maybe someone could think that because i have been working in such a different music styles I am not very into their style. but i am a music huge lover, i have a very wide visión of music, i know that the audience like and what i works and I think it is a strength and not a weakness.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Rough mix approved, references, tell me about the songs and questions about the way to send me the tracks, and what do they want.

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

A: If you like to push yourself to make a difference in the result, then I am your guy.

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

A: A dessert island without electricity??? An acoustic guitar and as many strings sets as i could, But if we are talking about producing music, 5 pieces of gear that i love are: 1- Neumann U67 microphone, 2- Teletronix la2a compressor 3- 1176 compressor (blue stripe even more) 4- SSL channel strip 5- Guitars

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

A: I was guitarrist in rock bands, I worked for 7 years as a manager of a musical instrument shop, then I decided to leave all and to go to the University to study a production degree, after that I started to work in the studio of the historical producer Oscar Gómez ( 5 Grammy awards, and more than 20 millions of records sold among Spain and America), he has produced and written songs to all the historial Spanish and Latin American stars, but also with other international figures like Albert Hammond or Celia Cruz. I still work for him. But in the meantime I worked in a very famous studio for Indie music in Madrid called "Estudios Reno" and I've been mixing commertial music ( pop, urban, rock) for young trend producers. And I have also produced underground bands and artists with which I have been nominated for some awards in Spain. I also have mixed music for the national Tv, like the christmas music show for 8 year until now.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Commercial music, detailed, dear .

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

A: I have some guilty pleasures!, and of course that I would love to work with some of my idols, but I really love to work with any demanding artists that let me work with freedom and that we have mutual trust and artistic connection and to see how they grow after our teamwork.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Yes! Emotion is the objetive, emotion is the goal, emotion is the most important thing, all technique is at the service of emotion, don't forget it, and it doesn't matter how much time or effort it took you to do something, if it doesn't say anything, if it doesn't cause emotions, redo it.

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

A: I work in different styles at professional and mainstream levels, I work with latin jazz and traditional music producers, I work with urban producers, I work for mainstream pop producers, and I work for rock bands, and indie artists.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I work for the song, I respect artist and producer visión and perspective. I take the song as far as possible, with the coherence of the aforementioned. I also need the song to move, and i like that it sounds expensive, competitive, and want that it sounds better than the previous artist works, and to sit perfectly in a playlist with the artist references.