3bn Mixing&Mastering Engineer

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

A: The project I am most proud of having worked on in my life is definitely 7 Minutoz, which I still work on today. 7 Minutoz is nothing less than a Brazilian hip-hop group that, when I joined, were just boys making songs over internet instrumentals and recording in their rooms. Today, they have numbers comparable to any world-famous artists, even though their songs are consumed only in Portuguese. My role in 7 Minutoz goes far beyond mixing; it includes mastering, planning, and marketing strategy. I became a partner in the company, helping to run the business, making important decisions both inside and outside the music, and together with the boys, we have elevated this musical group to the highest level of professionalism, performing shows all over Brazil and starting to plan our international tour.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on making international connections and starting to take my work worldwide.

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

A: SoundBetter is a platform with many renowned professionals who could definitely do a good job with any of my clients. I believe that my mindset, dedication, and approach to working on each of my clients' songs are unique to me, but technical capabilities are abundant here, and that's precisely why I'm registering on this platform, because this is the place for the best.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both have their qualities and the right time to be used. For example, during recording, if you process the audio in an analog way, you are actually processing a real signal from a sound wave. When you do this processing after recording, you are processing bytes, and the response is different, yielding a result that cannot be replicated. So, I consider that, if possible, recording with analog processing can bring superior quality to your audio. However, in mixing, the freedom that digital gives you, in terms of processing, routing, recalls, techniques, and more, allows you to achieve a result that modernity demands, which you could never reach if bound by analog constraints. Time passes, music evolves, and so do techniques. So, instead of choosing one side and waging war against the other, I take the best of both worlds and use both to my advantage.

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

A: My promise is that my clients' music will have the highest possible quality in the market, and moreover, it will meet all their artistic desires.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: What I love most about my job is the feeling of genuinely and effectively contributing to a significant improvement in the project. I feel really good when I take a song that's already good and make it even better through the mixing process. It feels like I have superpowers, and in that moment, while I'm mixing, I can literally do anything.

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

A: My clients, before sending me the files for mixing, usually ask if I can make the vocals clear and the instrumental loud, and I respond that this is my specialty.

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

A: The biggest misconception about what I do is when people don't really understand the role of a mixing engineer and ask me for things that should have already been done. Of course, in everyday work, we always deal with less-than-ideal situations, and our greatest ally for making things work smoothly is good sense and good communication. With patience, we can align expectations and achieve the desired results.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I like to ask what the purpose of the music is. In other words, what is its intention, its target, its audience, its context, its story, its message. Additionally, I also like to ask about the artist's inspirations and references. If there's a particular sound in their mind, what they like, what they don't like, so we can be on the same page. And finally, I also like to ask about the deadline, so I can always deliver the music before it and pleasantly surprise them.

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

A: Seek someone who understands your artistic intentions and has the technical capability to turn them into reality. A good mixing engineer not only balances frequencies and adjusts levels but also captures the essence of the music and translates it to the listener. Furthermore, look for a professional willing to be collaboratively involved in the project, understanding the artist's vision and helping to polish and refine the work at every stage. In the end, the result should reflect both the artist's identity and the engineer's technical experience to achieve a unique and engaging sound.

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

A: Macbook Pro AD/DA Converter Pair of PMC Monitors Sennheiser HD650 Headphones Telefunken ELA251 Condenser Microphone

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

A: I come from a family of musicians and, as a child, I played instruments and did covers of songs from bands I liked. In 2010, I started recording my first songs, and for a better result, I discovered they needed to be mixed. So I began studying this and found it to be my true passion. I then started doing this for friends' and acquaintances' music, and later began to acquire my first clients. Over the years, I accumulated various degrees and specializations, studying in workshops, online courses, mentorships, in-person courses, and every form of knowledge, until reaching a professional level after a few years. Since then, I have continued studying and improving, as music is alive and changes every single day. To ensure my work is adapted to the market, I stay updated and at a high level.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I consider my style flexible, as I can adapt my mixing to each unique song I work on. If I'm mixing a very aggressive song and my client wants a positive true peak so it sounds louder than all others on Spotify, I can do that. Just as I can mix a song with a super extensive dynamic range, preserving the groove and musicality at all times. Additionally, the middle ground between both also exists. For each song I work on, I can assess which mixing style it needs to meet its proposal and stand out competitively among playlists on digital platforms.

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

A: I would like to collaborate with artists who love music as much as I do. Because in the end, the only thing that matters to me is making good music. Fortunately, I have survived solely on mixing for over 10 years. So the satisfaction in my work isn't just in working with big names or seeking big credits, but in making great music. I believe that great artists can make small songs, and small artists can make great songs.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: In music, the ultimate verdict is the result. No one knows the material you received, only what they hear. No one knows the techniques you used, only how the music sounds. No matter what you do, your music must sound good. And if it sounds good, what you did is correct.

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

A: I usually receive hip-hop songs to work on, as well as all its variations within the genre, be it modern, old school, R&B, acoustic, and so on.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is understanding the desires and intentions of the artist. This allows me to gain other skills, such as agility. When you truly connect with the project, you become much more assertive in all decisions. As a result, your work, both technically and artistically, becomes much better, achieving everything a hip-hop song needs: punch, weight, stereo width, a prominent vocal, heavy drums, melodies that fill in, and more.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring my client's artistic intentions to the music, translating all emotions through techniques for the best listening experience.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I get in touch with the artist and dive headfirst into each project. Understanding the purpose of the music, I know how it should sound and immediately begin mixing with that in mind. After learning this, my recalls decreased by 90%.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a mixing room designed by the largest acoustic engineering company in Brazil. My monitors are the same as Dave Pensado's, KRK V8S4. For mixing, I work in the box with Pro Tools, just like the biggest names in hip-hop. I used to have legendary analog hardware, worked that way for a few years, and today I can achieve results I never could before.

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

A: Two major inspirations for me in mixing engineering are Teezio and Jaycen Joshua.

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

A: I am a person with expertise in mixing. I have been mixing my clients' songs professionally for over 10 years. And from working extensively in this field, I also developed the skill of mastering, allowing me to not only mix songs but also master songs that have been mixed by others.