SAE Magazine 12-2

What kind of dynamic processing do you usually use in your productions? I personally love parallel compression because in my opinion it is the most unnoticeable when used properly. Very often I use the compressor as if it were an effect, keeping the original track and cre- ating a send to the compressor so that you can mix it later. Every case, every instrument is different. I sometimes use an insert or even both at the same time. For example, I sometimes insert a Neve com- pressor to achieve a good texture and I then send that signal to another compressor and finally mix both signals, achieving more texture, more body and more presence without changing the volume. What you are left with is a unique sound experi- ence and you can really bring the track forward in the mix. When mastering, I sometimes use tape to compress. I put the signal through a ½ inch analogue Ampex and use it as a compressor. What plugins do you like? I like Chris Lord-Alges by Waves, the EchoBoy de- lays and the Abbey Road pack, but I use whatever other plugins become necessary. On the (analogue) console I normally have a Pro Tools return with the plugins ready to go. For ex- ample, on AUX 1 I have a Lexicon, on AUX 2 I have another Lexicon, on 3, a TC, and on 4, another one. Then in Buses 1 and 2 I put Pro Tools delays and Buses 3 and 4 return other Pro Tools plugins and so on. I always have plugins to hand in case I need them and I always do. In the end you see that not everything is analogue.The console and the core of the studio are analogue, but digital tools are also very important. What equipment makes up your playback system? The best playback is one that you know well and are very used to. That’s all. Here we work with these Genelec 1031A and a few Yamaha NS10 but we have a lot more monitors and sometimes clients bring their own and we set them up. For example, for mastering I use Dunlavy Studio Labs’ SC VIs, driven by a pair of Gryphon Antileon Signature Se- ries amplifiers. What genres do you most enjoy working with? All acoustic music: jazz, flamenco… anything nat- ural sounding. I like synthesised music but love acoustic music. If I have a band that can record all together (points at the recording room), with drums, abass,apiano,somebrass,somethingkindoffunky, I am the happiest man on earth. I love testing and choosing amplifiers, pickups, guitars, preamps and microphones… and creating sound alongside the musicians. Otherwise it’s just a case of mixing: you receive a “ready-made” project that you only need to put it in the “oven” (points at the SSL). For me, the mixing and the sound start at recording. I enjoy recording music, recording in- struments. A compulsory question: How did It feel to find out that you had won a Latin Grammy? Talk us through those first five minutes. Icouldnotbelieveit.InthebeginningIwasshocked. I never thought I was going to win a Grammy and all of a sudden, I did. Did you at any point think that this album could be special? It was a very special project from the beginning for many reasons. First of all, the presence of Chucho Valdés who in my opinion is the best of the best in the world of Latin jazz. It’s truly amazing to have Chucho Valdés’s piano tracks on the mixing desk. The album was recorded in Cuba with all the musi- cians playing at the same time. They were all very good, the arrangements were spectacular and when I brought up the faders I was faced with an excel- lent base to work from. ➤ And this is the Hammond B3 organ owned by PKO, it is also in excellent condition. 44 People & Business // Caco Refojo Index

SAE Magazine 12-2

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