Today we’d like to introduce you to Fernando Reyes.
Hi Fernando, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
After graduating High School in 2009, I decided to pursue a music degree at a local university in my hometown of Lima – Peru. Between 2010 and 2012. At that point I decided what I really wanted to specialize in was Audio Engineering, and not music per-se. I made the difficult decision to leave behind my family, friends and culture a move abroad to pursue the education I desired. I came to the United States to study at Full Sail University in Orlando, FL. I attended their Recording Arts degree, and graduated early 2015. A month after graduation, I moved to NYC and landed an internship at the iconic Jimi Hendrix-founded Electric Lady Studios. There I started my career in the music industry. After my internship period I got hired as a General Assistant and eventually got promoted to Assistant Engineer. During that period, I met Michael Brauer, a world-renowned GRAMMY-winning mix engineer, well known for his work with Coldplay, John Mayer, etc. He took me under his wing and offered me a position working directly with him. That transformed in an incredible 7 year run, working as his right hand man, and collaborating on top caliber projects for artists such as Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Luke Combs, Idina Menzel and many more. In parallel, I started developing my own career as a Mixing Engineer. Eventually, I ventured out on my own and started working independently. After many years establishing my career in NYC, I decided to make the move down to Miami in February of 2024. I am currently based in South Florida, and have been lucky to meet and make relations with awesome peers from the latin industry.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not. The music industry is a tough business. You have to pay your dues and be humble enough to work your way up. I started literally cleaning toilets and going on coffee runs. Eventually once you get your foot in the door, you realize you end up working even more! Long hours, sleepless nights, and low wages. I face many moments of doubt, and considered quitting more than once. However, this is a passion career, and it is my passion. I love what I do, and I try to work with a smile on my face every day. I never gave up, and eventually with hard work, the right attitude and being smart about seizing opportunities, you can position yourself very comfortably.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an audio engineer who specializes in Mixing. The beginning stage of a song is the songwriting, actually creating the song – lyrics, melodies, chords. Then comes production and recording. Where the song transforms from an idea, or a demo, into an actual fully fledged out song, incorporating recorded elements like different instruments, vocals etc. and other production ideas such as programming parts, creating fx and more. At this point all the elements for the song exist, but they can feel disjointed from each other. A good analogy would be baking. You decide to make a chocolate cake, and have all the required ingredients, so you put them into the mixing bowl, but you stop there. It’s not quite a chocolate cake yet. So music or audio mixing, performs the same role. Via a diverse combination of technical and creative processes, I can make the song sound like a cohesive piece of art, almost radio or streaming ready. It’s a fascinating process because you get to wear the creative hat, and collaborate with the artist to help them bring the song to their intended vision and achieve its full potential, while also wearing a technical hat, taking care of all the minute details. When you are in the middle of mixing a song you almost get transported to a different plane. There’s no feeling like it and it’s intoxicating! The last step of the process, is sending the mix to mastering, where the mastering engineers put the final touches over the whole thing, or keeping our baking analogy, they dust the powdered sugar and add some sprinkles!
Besides mixing in the traditional stereo format, which is what we all listen on platforms like Spotify, Youtube or on Vinyl and CD’s, I also mix in Dolby Atmos which is an innovative immersive format, that allows the listener to experience music all around and above them, almost like a movie. You may know this as Apple Music’s Spatial Audio. I’m an early adopter of the format, and I believe in a few years it will become the standard in which we consume our music.
I have been fortunate to mix for amazing artists like The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, ARIZONA, Yuna, Balu Brigada, etc. and now in Miami and being part of the Latin space I have collaborated with names like Rmand, Fabio Capri, Chicocurlyhead, MOUGLI, Vetz, Libido, to name a few.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I think luck does play a small role, but its more important to be prepared to seize the opportunities when they arise. If you are unprepared, the opportunities may go pass you and they tend to not present themselves again. For example, I mentioned doing an internship at Electric Lady Studios. The internship period was of 3 months. During those 3 months, I took care of what was in my control, which was being the best intern in the studio so that the staff would set their sight on my work. However, after 3 months, I knew I was at the top my game and the staff was happy with my work and had developed great relationships with me, however, there was no open position they could offer me. I asked if I could extend my internship, while I explored other opportunities. They were happy to have me longer. After an extra month, due to an unforeseen circumstance, a position became available and I got hired. But even after getting my first job in the industry, it was up to me to be up to the task and perform the job successfully to maintain my position in such a demanding work environment. So you see, luck did play a part, but it was met with me being prepared to snag those opportunities.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fernandoreyesdlc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fernandoreyesdlc/
- Other: https://bio.site/fernandoreyes
