Today we’d like to introduce you to Fernando Pedreira.
Fernando, before we jump into specific questions about your company, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and music has always been a passion of mine. I started out playing drums in a cover band in high school with my best friends. I taught myself to play piano and guitar and started making my music on GarageBand at home where I learned the basics of what would become my future career. I fell in love with music and wanted to pursue it full time, but my family didn’t fully agree and thought that becoming a doctor was a better career choice for me. Regretfully, I agreed and went on to attend the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, where I majored in Science Pre-Professional studies. While I was there, I noticed how passionate other students were about their majors and I just didn’t feel the same way about mine. Halfway through my time there, I talked to my parents about abandoning my med school career but agreed to finish my four years at Notre Dame and graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor’s in Science. After graduating, I moved to Orlando, FL and enrolled at Full Sail University in their Recording Arts program. Here, I fell in love with audio engineering. School taught me the basics, and I networked with some artists in the area and started engineering and producing on my own. I graduated in August of 2018 and traveled to Miami in search of a recording studio I could call home. I applied to several studios, but the one that I was most interested in was Bay Eight Studios. The owner and chief engineer, Matthew DeFreitas, welcomed me as an intern in October of 2018 and opened the doors for me to pursue my career. After one month interning, I started to pick up sessions and I became an official engineer in January of 2019. Since then I’ve worked with big artists signed to major record labels and a wide spectrum of local talent. I’m excited about the future of our studio and what’s to come in 2020.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The industry I work in is notorious for not having a smooth path to success. It isn’t easy to a breakthrough in the music industry. Late nights, long hours, having to be available at any time, an unpredictable schedule, are all struggles that audio engineers face. Additionally, one of the earliest challenges for me was getting my family to understand and accept that I wanted to create a career for myself in music and that I was, and still am, determined to be successful in my field. There is a negative stigma when it comes to careers in music that, for some reason, there’s no money to be made, and that you have to be incredibly lucky to reach the top; but that’s not true. It was hard for me to convince my family of my vision, but eventually, they came around and have supported me ever since.
Please tell us about your company.
Bay Eight Studios is a premiere recording studio in the heart of Studio City in North Miami. We specialize in recording, mixing, and mastering music for artists of any genre and skill level. One of the things we are known for is our amazingly talented staff and the vibe we create for artists that come to be inspired by the studio. We have three recording suites in our facility that range in prices and equipment from your professional home-studio setup to a state-of-the-art recording suite equipped with everything you need to make a commercial record in today’s music environment. I am proud of our company because we try to be as inclusive as we can and we like to be able to provide anyone with the opportunity to record in a professional environment and give people the chance to unlock their full potential. I love the fact that one day I can work with an artist who has never stepped foot in a studio or has never recorded a song before and the same day I can be working with a high profile record label client within the same facility. Additionally, I think our service is what sets us apart from others. We work hard to provide our clients with a premium experience and ensure that we respect their art while pushing them to achieve the sound they want from us.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I feel that my passion for music and the art of audio engineering is what has taken me to my current level of success. I knew since I was young that this was my destiny, regardless of the paths I would take later in life that would get me here, I always knew that I would be doing something related to music. That passion has given me the determination and patience necessary to pursue my dream and keep working through the obstacles and speed bumps along the way.
Contact Info:
- Address: 15421 West Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach, FL, 33162
- Website: www.bayeight.com
- Phone: 305-705-2405
- Email: info@bayeight.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bayeight/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bayeight/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bayeightmia
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bay-eight-recording-studios-miami-2?osq=bay+eight+studios
Image Credit:
Pablo Anzueto
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