Here it is #Weebangers the interview from Mixing and Mastering engineer #Luca #Pretolesi! Intro to Luca: Luca Pretolesi is a Grammy nominated Mixing and Mastering Engineer who currently heads the Studio DMI concept (study of digital music innovation) based in Las Vegas. He has played an integral role in the electronic music scene for over 25 years from DJing all over the world to producing several top ten hits and mixing and mastering Grammy nominated songs. Luca has worked with some of the most well known names in the industry including Steve Aoki, Diplo, Lil Jon and Gareth Emery MakJ, Morgan Page and Snoop Lion (A.K.A. Snoop dog) to name a few. Luca is truly dedicated to electronic music and its evolution. That is why he reaches out to teach the future of electronic music as an instructor at the renowned Dub Spot campus in Hollywood California. Q&A: 1. What do you listen for when you hear a track for the first time? A- The first thing is the ratio between the different elements in the mix. So I listen for the relationship between the drums, bass, synths, vocals, and FX. I want to hear the balance of the different essential groups of harmonics in the mix. 2. When an artist is producing a track, should they also mix it at the same time? A- When you are producing, don’t try to over mix your track during the production process. Focus all your energy on ideas, sound designing, and arrangement. Also make sure to leave headroom for the engineer to do the mix and master. 3. Is there anything people do too much of when approaching a mix or master that hinders the final product? A- People tend to over do a lot things; over compressing, over EQing, over processing in general. They kill too much headroom on the track and then start to lose a lot of depth and separation. 4. How does the way you approach a mix differ from other engineers? A- I choose to mix and master one specific style, which is electronic music. The approach is definitely different that other styles. For example, I do things on purpose that would be a mistake in another type of music. For a mixer of Rock, Pop, or Country music, using distortion and clipping could be a mistake but for me it adds color to the mix and is a part of my sound. 5. In this competitive market how important is it to have a track professionally mixed and mastered. A- I think you can do your own temporary mastering in order to test your track and see if it has the potential to go somewhere. If you want to be on the same level as other tracks DJs are playing, you will need to have your song professionally mixed and mastered. If you are approaching a label and there is a problem with the mix or master, some people will not understand what the issue is and just say it is not good enough. 6. How did you get to the point where you are working with some of the biggest names in the industry? A- Honestly they find me. It’s like a snowball effect where I mixed a song a long time ago and some other producer used it as a reference track. Someone said, “Let me find out who mixed this, I’m using it as my reference.” It grew to the point that I was asked to mix for Steve Aoki, Diplo and others more and more. 7. What advice would you give someone who is new to mixing and mastering? A- You should work using a reference track. Not to copy another track but to understand what other people are doing. Think as a DJ. Think about where you are going to play this track in a mix. Does it sound like it fits in when transitioning from song to song in the circle of tracks that you play? Ciao from Luca Pretolesi.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 21:47:04 +0000
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