why hiring an audio engineer instead of doing it yourself?

1. Experience: developing audio editing or mixing skills, techniques & an ear for achieving a good sound takes years of dedication.

2. Gear: whilst crafting the skills, an audio engineer has also gathered & learned a set of essential tools that are crucial for the job.

3. Quality: achieving a good sound is the only concern of an audio engineer. A producer/artist/content creator will also be thinking about the arrangement, the release, the marketing & many other issues that might make him/her take shortcuts during the mixing process.

4. Saving time: whilst the audio engineer is editing or mixing, the producer/artist/content creator has the chance to keep working on new projects.

5. Fresh ears: this should never be underestimated. A new active listen might find new elements in the work that not even the creator might had considered.

my approach: less is more

I approach audio engineering from the best of both digital and analogue worlds. I work hybrid (digital & analogue tools), which allows me to achieve quick and consistent results, but always keeping an analogue mindset, which is why I work on UAD's Luna & use controllers in order to give my work a more organic feel. The same thing applies to the tools I rely on. I often use analogue emulations & hardware in order to give my mixes that warmth character that sounds so pleasing to our ears, but at the same time I can be quite surgical when needed, relying then on more precise editing tools. I also believe that subtle changes lead to great results, and that is why I build my mixes whilst working through busses.

When it comes to my approach towards the artist, I have my own solo project under the alias ruio. and therefore, whilst engineering, my main goal is to pursue the artist's sonic vision. When it comes to styles, I've worked with many different music genres, such as urban, pop, americana, alternative, rock & electronica.

mix prep

Make sure you follow the next 5 steps to-do-list so that the session goes as smooth and quick as possible.

1. Export your tracks as wav files, put them in a folder and compress them in a zip file. When exporting, make sure all the tracks have the same starting and ending point, check edits and crossfades before bouncing the files (avoid pops). Bypass any processing you are not sure about: eq, compression, reverbs, delays, etc… (see point 3 to read exceptions). Make sure that all tracks have been named accordingly, example: sub bass, mid bass, lead vocal, bgv 1, eg 57, etc.

2. Double check before uploading the files to the designated link.Make sure all tracks are inside the folder and that all files have been exported properly. Tip: open a new session in your daw and drag all files to check everything is alright.

3. Leave processing on if you have used a unique and crucial effect on the sound.

4. Include a copy of the rough mix you have, and lyrics if the song has them. My job is to enhance your artistic idea, and in order to achieve that i need to approach the work as it was conceived, that is why i would also like to get a short paragraph with some thoughts &/or wishes you might have regarding your record.

5. Include a text document with the name of the song/songs, the key, the bpm, and sample rate & bit depth in which your song has been recorded and produced. Include also a couple of song references that you enjoy listening to, they could be in the same genre or a different one.