Insights In Sound 198 Chilitos Valenzuela, Engineer/Educator S20 E8

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I’m here with Chilitos Venezuela. You have such a long history, I don’t
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even know where to start. You are one of the OG Pro Tools guys. Let’s go back
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even further because uh we established yesterday that we both started out
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around um well we both started working around the time that the ADATS came out and even before that you go back to the
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analog days I would assume of course what’s your what where did you start? Jesus. Um, you know, first of all, when
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I was in Dana, I my high school actually I was 14 years old
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when I, you know, I was in a choir and um, as your spider and we went to
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record for the first time an EP and I saw the engineer, it was four tracks obviously. I had no idea. Of course, I
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was I know I know this story because it’s my story. You know, you walk in and the first thing you see is all the lights
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and the console and you go, “I want to.” Yes, exactly. When it goes placing the
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microphones, mom, I know exactly what I want to do when I grow old. Yep. And um so anyway, so by that time, my
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dad has taken us to see the Beatles in, you know, uh in San Diego while staying
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and I fell in love with the music then, of course, I had a a rock band there. Tijuana was at that time very cool city
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in town, you know, lot of surfers, you know, a lot of rock and roll, you know, the blues, all kind of great music.
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Yeah. So, I started saying, you know, I’m I’m going to go to LA. I want to make Actually, I wanted to go to London. Uh
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because I want to work with the Beatles, of course. You know, all my dreams. Didn’t we all there dreams, right? Yeah.
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So, I guess everybody goes through that. Yeah. And but I was um I said, “Dad, I’m
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going to go to LA.” Why? Because I want to go see talk to the
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Beatles and work with them. Are you crazy? Said, “No, you’re not going to do music. You’re going to do electronics.”
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Actually, good advice. I of course when you know, of course. Oh, yeah.
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And he would mean well great things for me, great plans, right? He said, “Yeah, because I want you to do you know a good
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um you know uh TV repair man.” I said, “Dad, I want to do that.” Sort of like,
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you know, in the me center tool, you know, my dad has that,
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you know, for me was that. So I said, “Dad, I want that.” Okay. I make you a deal. If I give you a certificate for diploma
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on electronics, they I do what I want. Yes. That’s
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that’s so funny because you know I did the same thing. Um I worked for uh I got a job for the telephone company and the
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only because I had worked for the phone company that’s why I got hired as a tech at Cherokee. Oh wow. Because they said
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oh you understand technical stuff and you know it’s so funny because so many people they want to they you know same
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thing like you and me. We wanted to be in the engineers chair, the producers chair. or we want to work with the
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artists and everything and then we discover that oh you know what the technical skills are actually really
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valuable. Yes. Absolutely. But that time then I I I I was then to study electronic high
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school. It was a technical school. So but in the evenings in the afternoons after school I used to go to this only
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studio that was recording to it was an a you know
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that’s big stuff man. Yeah. And it had quite a funny sound. Remember those things?
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Yeah. And then one time he they let me alone in the studio and I wanted to play
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LP of the Beatles. Uhhuh. I want to see if I could put Ringo George for and my surprise was because I
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had no idea. I didn’t know anything about that. And uh and I couldn’t but I said no
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stuff is going to happen, you know. So I want to go to LA. Came to LA. Uh I got broke down. It’s a
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very long story in that sense, you know. I I slid in my car for a whole week without finding a place to live. I only
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had $600 for the saving that I had my bank to and I said, “Well, you know, I’m going
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to go to school here.” But I started working, you know, in Yandel and and at the Harvard store making $2,2
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I still want to go to school. So I applied for the university and went to Cas Domingus he car the only program
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that had electronic music and recording. Yes. I remember they had electronic music. In fact they had one of the first
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synthesizers. Yes. And and that’s when I met Marcus Ry. He was teaching me a synagogue.
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Yes. Music. And uh I said what is this kid
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doing? He’s 19. I’m 21. What what does he know about university? Right. I was
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so shocked and so you know amazed. Marcus has always been a very precocious
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person. Yes. He always knows a lot being very wise for his years you know. Absolutely. He was a good kid you know
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but anyway so from there I said uh I remember I started working in the school you know
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work stud you know and I put 20 hours a week in the studio. So I learned how to
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you know solder uh design base. Y and I was the assistant for the
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maintenance engineer come with remember multi-pin connector.
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Oh yeah. Well all that I said okay and my and I
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remember also at that time my girlfriend there at that time uh said uh you know I
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need to pick a minor. He said you know not only my major but my minor because they require one. I said I want to take
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music because everybody’s taking music. I want music. Don’t miss stupid
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tech, you know, uh, computer science is the future and we talking about 1980.
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Yeah. Yeah. And I go, Jesus Christ, I don’t like that
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advice. We would know that everything I did study applied.
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Yeah. So then after the the very last day of school, you know, last exam, I remember was a portrait exam with, you
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know, computer science by I I got a I was taking my my, you know, lunch at the
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cafeteria. I might have had a baloney sandwich and it just bologoney and because I kind of
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poor at that time and um and my one of the professors that kind of missed me that he never taught
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me he was new, hey, what are you going to do now? Congratulations graduation.
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Well, thank you, but I’m going to find a job. Hey, you want a job? You know, they
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could, you know, the people over call me see if there’s somebody I want to say. I
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said, really? Uh, sure. But I only basic, you know, I’m nothing right now. So,
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it’s a portion for me. Exactly. So, yeah. So, that was that was really cool. Um, and I went, it was a Thursday,
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Friday, I had the interview. by Monday I was working and and now Tom Overheim was a really
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interesting person to work for I’m sure. Yes. Because he’s another one um you know I have I have spoken to Tom numerous times
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and he’s a also very very fascinating person the way his mind works you know
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because he’s it you know it’s interesting to me a lot of these people who uh especially the synthesizer
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inventors they were musical but also very technical. So it’s left brain and
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right brain, right? You know, it’s creative and it’s also very very organized and technical and
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and math and all of that. Yes. And that’s you know that it’s always struck me that what we do is very
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much a mix of left brain right brain you know because we have to know how on the
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one hand we have to know all of this left brain stuff to capture it but we also have to know all the right brain
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the psychology to work with the artist and get this magic out of them.
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Yes that is true that is true. So I stayed there for about you know couple
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and a year. But funny thing is that when you in the for you know workforce
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uh and you working with all these musicians because already a lot of musicians. Yeah. And uh a lot of great
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people came out of there. Um and then uh so what I was doing is that uh I got a I
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had applied for the Olympic to work in the 1984 for the south to do that. Yeah. Now a new technician
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for ABC and and I got I got and I had been working at for about
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maybe 6 months or 8 months and not and I said oh go to go to work. So I I asked
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my uh my my manager said uh can I go connected to
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inspeation and two weeks but you only be less than a year? Well
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if it’s a great opportunity and I would like to work with you and he says she says uh okay let me let
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us think um what if we don’t let you go. It’s very simple, you know. It’s a great
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opportunity. I will give you study now. Oh, okay.
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Let me go. They actually let me do the Olympic 4 weeks work. When I came back, I got applauded.
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I got congratulations. I got my crazy on TV for the first time, you know, my dreams and um it was really uh and I got
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race. How was this experience for you working the the Olympics? It was amazing.
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So that’s just a whole new thing to learn, isn’t it? It it it is you know we actually had to we were station at the
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volleyball um you know arena doing the volleyball games and the night remember the night
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before we had to wire deal with the BNC cable you know the entire arena to go
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from the with the uh commentary we’re going to be into the ABC truck and all
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that kind of stuff and that’s coax coax which is a whole other set of skills because you can’t you Yeah. Yeah.
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And and so but the funny thing is that well not funny at the time they use
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another tool to put the actual connectors the BNC connector into the cable. Oh so we push it like get 3:00 in the
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morning. First game was going to be at night. So we had to test all that in and we’d come back at 8:00 to send
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everything out for the first time for the first game. So it went okay the first game. During the second game,
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all the signal went out. Oh Oh god. Oh god. So what happened? Oh no. The cables gave off and we connected
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because he wasn’t crimp. Crimp. So in emergency we lost the second game. We didn’t trust anything
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cuz we couldn’t. Yeah. So they brought in emergency the tools and they very fast cable. So anyway, it
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was a quite an experience but it was fun. It was fun to have that kind of experience. But I I think also because
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you know it’s a big difference live versus anything in the studio, you know,
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and I’m always, you know, I mean, I have a lot of friends who work in both different fields. Yes. And I always um
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fascinated about it because uh I’ve done a few live shows here and there, you know, and I’ve been on tour as a
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musician as well, but it’s always fascinating to me the people who really really love to do live because they love
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the adrenaline rush and all of that. And then you have the people like myself probably like you like this
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because you have the time to think and you can try it again and you can edit
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and all of that and you know live it’s like one chance that’s it you know. Yeah,
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that’s it. And it was really cool to see and we met so many commentators for like
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German in front. Yeah. From Russia everywhere, you know. It was pretty cool but great experience.
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Then I came back to Orhan and I wor for a couple of years and then uh Marcus Ry
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he uh he said you know we’d like to start a new company. So he pulled me out of there. We started working with Michel
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fast forward. This was fast forward design. We started a company and uh we started working for you know Dino. I
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remember we did the ads the sampler. Yeah. Um and for
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and then then at least it was the next day we started with the you know 16 all
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the all the part the whole thing. Yeah. up to the a and then the last uh the you
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know piece of this the design on the work one was the uh the synthesizer.
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Yeah. And then then I left I left because I really want I said you know I was very unhappy. I didn’t have to like to be in
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you know it was my mentality was young. Uh I didn’t come here to deal with
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electronic part vendors or salary or designing or doing software that yeah I
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wanted to be in the studio. I want to be a rock star. Yes. Yeah, I want to be mixing records with everybody.
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And so after work then I went to the studio tour or something and then I started program synthesizer
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for a lot of artists and then a lot of sand for the tours you know the uh Houston a
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bunch of those artists that I did a lot programming. I was always fascinated by that, you know, the people who
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programmed the synths, you know, uh because of course, you know, in those days, I mean, I worked a lot with MIDI
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when it was first, you know, when they were first coming out with MIDI, the original MIDI stuff. And uh I always
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remember um you know when you would uh you would look at some of the like the Rolands you know Eric Pson always did
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these demos for the Roland says you know and it was always like you press a button and these demos were just so
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amazing with all the multi-imbral stuff going on you know and you think to yourself I’m not going to play that way
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you know right but it’s it’s so fascinating to me because the the the
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people who would do that like somebody like Eric you know uh or Marcus You know, they there’s this art form there
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really of seeing the big picture. Yeah. You know, of really being able to say, okay, this is a piece of technology, but
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it’s going to be used by creative people, you know, and that I think is always, you know, and that’s to your
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credit, that’s something that you all all obviously understand, you know, the idea that we have all these great tools,
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but who’s using them? What are they doing with them? Correct. And that’s the most important thing because you know you can you can
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design all sorts of great stuff. Yes. But if you cannot put it into the hands of the artist and have them go oh
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okay cool and do something great with it. That’s correct. Then it’s of no use. Yeah. And and the last time, you know,
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then when people wanted to learn more about the uh every time I I got a call because I have maybe 10 synthesizers at
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the time. Yeah. And I had the DX set and every single technology forward tables, you know, the great you
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know with the overhe and all those I used to bring to the session. But sometime I I call them and
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look what are you going to be using there? And if there’s a synthesizer that I didn’t have, they didn’t know much,
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then they would rent one, you know, and then I would go to I have a collection of cure magazine
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where I saw the reviews and where the buttons and that’s how I managed to do
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the programming for synthesiz. And you know what was fascinating about that to me also is that back then
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especially every synthesizer really was different. every manufacturer stuff, you
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know, it wasn’t like now where everybody does an imitation of somebody else. It was, you know, the the Yamaha stuff
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sounded different from the Roland stuff, sounded different from the Moog stuff. Everything was different and uh
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different voltages, you know, um you remember uh thing that Bob Margle did with with Cecil. Yes.
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Cell and Bob Margle. Yeah. Yeah. And they, you know, again, these are synths that are running on different voltage.
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Mhm. And different completely different timbers and sounds and everything and to make all that stuff work together. There
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was another guy who was really great um Don Lewis. Don Lewis. Yeah. And you know to be able to make
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all that stuff work together before meeting it just fascinates me you know
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Yeah. And just the idea of being able to really as you say you know to be able to
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teach yourself Yes. each of those instruments. Exactly. because the programming was totally different the signal flow the
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workflow very very different you know it’s sort of different especially you know um I remember I was in school with
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Marcus I was programing you need to do an assignment we actually had to program
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with software not not preset enough but in order to to make a maybe a 5second
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loop or whatever I have a stack paper because you know print to print out you
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know your programs and it’s like oh my god and then I used to have the our
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backups on on punch cars you know yeah one time one time my bro it’s like a
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backup and then it was the cafeteria in the coffee spill on I got to do my homework anyway and also at the same
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time uh we came out with the uh a promemer a burner
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oh yeah they were one of the first to do Yes. And we we um I got one of those. I
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purchased one of those and I still have it. Um where I used to come to the studios and I was what kind of sound you
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buy? So I used to sample the sounds and then the burns
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and use my DX where I put sockets so I can replace the sound. Oh, how cool.
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That’s what I used to do like okay this I bring all my tools. I bring my little baptis
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well like you know the piccolo as for example or well is there the b using
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well you know what uh so I used to come along without
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I used to do my homework you know and then yeah the sampling technology I mean even back then I mean what did we
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have we had the the S50 12 bit sampling you know and that was big stuff when it came out you know so to be able to do
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that must have been really I mean that’s cutting edge Yeah, I remember when I fast forward
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this an F1. I don’t know the processor, the Sony F1. It was a little thing square leverage
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tangle very heavy sample 414 I believe. Um and but
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you that was the analog digital converter, right? Mhm. But uh we store the information into a
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beta beta tape machine. Oh, of course. Yeah, that’s what we did. Yeah.
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And I think that was the idea for I don’t know I think maybe you know Kit Baris came out with the idea with Marcus
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uh about the because it was uh you know Roria uh um heads back.
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Well because you know and again because I came through the phone company that’s what the phone company would do. they
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would all they use realtore real tape but tape backup and that was all we had
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back then you know right and so then to go from that to figuring out I mean now
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and I’ve spoken to Marcus about this you know we talked about like why VHS versus beta you know and stuff like that and I
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mean I think back then you know I think what was really interesting to me was that back then it was almost like every
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week there was a new invention of some kind yeah that’s a wonderful thing about technology
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And I remember also when I was uh working with Jay Graen, you know,
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at one point uh the uh everything we did the mixes into a half
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health, you know, half inch tape to send it to the uh to the master voice.
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But in other occasions, we have to on another studio, they we took the three
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quarter tape and you know video tape. Yeah. to store the information there because they want it that way.
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I remember that for me was very strange. I didn’t know why. I mean,
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yeah. Imagine that. But it was all just data. It was Yeah. Yeah.
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That’s the way they wanted to do it in those days, you know. Mhm. Of course, everything has changed now.
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Well, I’m going to say all that, but I still bring my home 8, you know, sounds. I love and every
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sample like the except sound, you know, ProTools and all. But it’s is it’s just fascinating. It’s just fun.
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Well, you know, it was fascinating for me because, you know, and you and I both came up in the analog era.
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Yes. We started with analog tape, you know, and um you know, in my first sessions in
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Cherokee, you know, we had automation, but it was um you remember the old knee cam automation? Oh, yeah. And it was
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terrible. you know, it would crash constantly and stuff, but you know, um it was it was something that you just
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learn to work around. And in certain ways, having to do so much, it made you
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work hard. Yes. You know, like when you only have, you know, an analog synth, you know, um my
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first synth was a Juno 106. Oh, wow. you know, and so I’ve really had to learn
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how to program it and get the most out of it, you know, and now it’s like, you know, you get any sense at all is 500
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presets. So, I think it was, you know, I think that was inspiring
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to get more creative. Yes. Yes. in your song, you’ll know that well that’s you see on a music or either
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a song or a commercial whatever you did you know program report.
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Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. you know, and you really knew like, oh, that’s a DXF, you
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know. Yeah, that’s an OB, you know, I mean, you always knew the sound because it was so unique. Everything was so
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different than that. To me, one of the hardest one was the exam program because it was all operators, you know, six operators and
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you came up with the sounds and modulate the FM modulation, you know, and the menus, I mean, you know, six
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menus to go and do one thing. Yes, exactly. Yeah, but you know for somehow you know when
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you were that excited about something new and you just figure it
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how do I do this you know and that’s the thing too get an idea in your head and you just want to chase that idea and
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it doesn’t matter how far down the rabbit hole you go you just really want to chase that idea right
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definitely definitely and uh I remember one time I was working for the uh when with Dennis McCarthy he
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was a composer He’s a composer um for he was doing at the time Star Trek
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Generation the movie. No. And he said, you know, one time call me and you know how it goes like
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say my and then I used to write like you know short hand writing of the where the
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oscillator would go to the modulator and all that. I was doing that when he was described to me. That’s how good I was
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you know and I feel I am a go but that’s not the same thing anymore. But uh you know that’s why it was so cool to do
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that and that’s why I tell you know my students the young people and people you know even the uh
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I don’t know generation 90s generation look this is what we used to do and and
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you guys you guys have it so easy now but before it was more like let’s go before you had to uh align the machine
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the paint machine or you have to do you know the uh make sure that the programming and the whole
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thing was right all the media things were working. People say, “Oh, do you know me?” “Oh, yeah. I just blood.”
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Well, you know, that’s cool. We show you what it is. So, I asked them to connect
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all the scenes with all the meaning with the passion, the whole thing. So, they stay and they get excited.
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Oh, they do. They do. And then I worked for um early media company. It was
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called Hybrid Arts. Oh, yeah. and you know Atari software and you know then you would have of
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course uh you would have the MIDI uh the MIDI boxes where you would have then four or five channels of 16 channels
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each you know uh so and you would have to write out all this stuff and map it all out and everything you know and
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figure out how to make all this stuff work together and it was I mean as you say you know just such a the challenge
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itself was really part of the fun I into a studio, you know, that they just start
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hot riding and and you have to plan everything out and you know and and and and
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make sure that how come the D7 not responding. Oh my god. And the cable you
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have to pressure isn’t going to the right poor exactly.
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Yeah, exactly. And there was a lot of adrenaline. And one time he actually I did cry now cuz
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oh my god. Yeah. And but I said you know the only thing you I had to do there
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and pull me. Yeah. Sometimes that’s all it takes. You know that’s exactly what I’m saying. You know sometimes just turn it up because you
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spend so many times. How many sessions I’ve been there with proto why why no
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take the uh all the preferences all the things
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you know what let’s take a break and and we see when we come back see
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what happens to everything else works and sometimes
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that’s all you need it I train my machine my computer what do True computer every day or you know what
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because I’ve been working with machines for so many years that I turn like humans
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they are very rest all the you know and you know visual
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garbage in the cable and whatever the capacitors and all that anybody
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anybody else and especially once we started getting into hard disk recording because That stuff got really complicated. You know,
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when I was working for Hybrid Arts, we had uh we had something called the Adep Twotrack
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hard disk recorder. And you know, of course, it was enormous, you know, that it had a I think a 500 uh megabyte hard
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drive that was the size of a shoe box, you know, and uh then another rack box on top of that and another rack box and
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then an Atari computer and all of this stuff, you know, and but again, to be
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able to make that work, it took so much effort to just think about, okay, how am I going to work this and how am I going
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to, you know, and you had to be creative, you know? I mean, I think you could record maybe 2 or 3 minutes worth
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of stuff. And so I, you know, like for me, what I would do is I would record my background vocals cuz I had a I had a
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four track um TX the TX. Yeah. And so, you know, the the 3340 and
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I would record three tracks of background and then record them into the sampler and then back it with me. But
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again, you know, this is the kind of stuff where you just have to kind of think, okay, problem solving. How am I going to do this?
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Yes. And I think problem solving is big thing. Uh absolutely you know you
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nowadays I mean I in my the test that I do I train my my my students you the I
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have I mean you in the one space you know um all that I don’t want to know that
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okay what if and oh yeah I better know that you know because it’s really if you
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really have the passion of teaching someone and and for I don’t know for me
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has been now in the last few years you know my mission I guess in life right now is is that besides doing the fun
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that I do my projects and all is to fulfill dreams to kids of people that
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really always dream about like I did. I mean here I am I was seven years eight
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years old seeing my dogs into one with the guitar dreaming to be playing at that big high sky drive you know sky
29:44
strap in TJ you know for me it was the sky tre you know 10 floor
29:49
probably 10 floors and one day I used to pet my dogs one day I
29:54
play there guys one day I used to play my guitar which you know at that time was cap Steven
30:03
you kind of stuff for me. That was the coolest thing. And and uh so for sake is
30:09
to know that I mean 5 years later I was 17. I was playing in a place. So so my
30:16
dreams really did come true. I’m extremely happy in what I who I am and
30:21
what I do. And I think I wish we all had that opportunity. People need to
30:28
help out if I do whatever I can to help. Yeah. And that I think is, you know, I
30:34
think we both feel that way, you know, it’s like for me to be able to listen to their dreams and say, you know, what’s
30:40
what’s important to you, you know, and I mean, you know, same thing I I I think
30:46
um for me, one of the big moments was the first time I got to go to every room
30:52
and to walk down those steps in studio 2, it’s like this is the room where you
30:57
know. Yeah. It’s the magic happen. Yeah. You know, and again, it’s like to understand that magic, you know, uh, you
31:03
know, when you talk about going into the studio for the first time, when I went into the studio for the first time and
31:09
stood in front of an, you know, I remember that I slipped my
31:15
hands in my pockets and I could hear it and I said, I can hear the change in my
31:21
pocket, you know, I can hear the dates and the dimes in my, you know, and it was such a I think that’s when it
31:27
really, you know, you get bitten by that bug. Yes. You know, and you just want to do that and that’s all you want to do.
31:33
That’s all you want to do. Yeah. That’s all you care. And you know that the opportunity to
31:38
create like that and then to pass that wisdom on. Yeah. Such a wonderful thing, you know.
31:44
Yeah. There’s um you know it’s a shame that people some people I don’t know uh
31:51
they like to share or they won’t tell me secrets. People ask me when you tell me your secrets on your books or in your
31:56
you know talks because you know I’m not going to take him with me first of all right but I don’t secondly
32:04
it’s like you know it’s a way to give back you know you know I had a hard time
32:10
doing it but I decipher it for you so you can hear it easier. Yeah to fulfill your dreams and and do
32:16
what I really love to do. Yes. And it’s not really a secret anyway, you know, and it’s not a secret. Especially nowadays,
32:23
everything is out there. Exactly. Come on. You know, but you know, now the other thing I notic about you is um and again, I think
32:31
we have this in common. We always want to learn something new. Yes. you know, I mean, like, you know, when MIDI came
32:37
out, I really wanted to learn how to do all the MIDI stuff, you know, and then when digital audio came out, I was um I
32:44
was living in Germany at the time and uh I was right up the street from Steinberg. And so Steinberg, I met those
32:52
guys and they said, “Oh, you want to test uh we have this new thing um Cubase VST, you know, and so I became a beta
32:58
tester for them.” And then um these control surfaces. Uh I worked for task.
33:05
Well, I helped to design some of those you know and so and and you know everything that comes out we want to I
33:12
mean I see you have you know immersive here on your computers you know I feel like I never want to get stuck in that
33:19
rut where I know everything because we never know everything. I have people coming you know more
33:26
experience. What can I learn from you?
33:31
Okay, we’ll see. Yeah. And then they came out and when they you finished, man, I am so happy that I’m getting here
33:38
with you because you you’re you’re a sea of knowledge and experiences and I love
33:44
it and I learn so much. Just takes time to say that it’s
33:50
but I think that’s so important, you know, to keep learning. Yes. You know, and and you know, when you talk about teaching
33:55
Yeah. We learn by teaching. No. So, big time. Mhm. Big time. So, yeah. So, it’s a so it’s a
34:03
learning experience. There’s I mean I’m so excited about uh the things that
34:09
coming out. Sometimes I feel like okay, let me let me digest first what I
34:15
and enjoy and embrace the new thing that came out a year ago or something. But I
34:20
know I get more homework, you know, to learn to learn all these things. And I just I’m excited. Yeah. And I said,
34:26
“What are you going to do tomorrow?” I have no idea if Right. Right. that art that I said, “Man, I I I don’t want to
34:34
go to sleep.” I do have to I have to recharge. But, you know, it’s it’s it’s
34:40
interesting because uh I think you you feel this way, too. The more I I learn,
34:45
the more I realize how little I know and how much more I need to know. Yes. you know, because there’s always
34:51
there’s always more stuff and there’s always new technology and new ways to do something. And I mean, I’m always
34:59
craving, you know, the next big thing. I mean, I think that’s part of what makes us really who we are. It’s true. It’s
35:06
true. It’s very, very true. Always thinking, okay, every day is a little
35:11
different day for me. I I I don’t know. Yeah. when when we working for doing
35:17
something a big project obviously you know you work for couple of year the same day you’re sick and tired but it
35:23
was next that’s what what I felt when I’m doing a fast forward decide we’re designing something we need to learn I
35:28
need to learn a new a new u set of uh programming language in the machine
35:34
language for different processors you know the the z whatever all those
35:40
processors oh man I feel like I I felt like I was in college I learned a lot from passport design because um beside
35:47
what I learned in school, it’s not the same thing when you put it on on practice. No, it’s not. You know,
35:53
and and that again, you know, that’s what we were talking about earlier about the whole idea of you can create
35:58
technology, but then you have to put yourself in the position of the person using and say, okay, how is this going to be
36:05
used? Because then I think you will create something totally different. Correct. Correct. I always we always see
36:12
you know that I was I did hands in but I want hands on. Yes.
36:17
I want to have fun like everybody else. That’s exactly it. Hands in versus hands on. Correct.
36:22
And and that’s why I I love that about Marcus about Tom Overheim. Uh you know I
36:27
think the idea that these are people who are they’re looking at something and they’re not just saying okay how can I
36:34
make this thing? They say okay who’s going to use it? How are they going to use it? I had a wonderful conversation
36:40
with Marcus about um you know he’s a keyboard player. Yes. And when they started line six Yes.
36:46
very good. But when they started line six he said you know I had to think like a guitar player.
36:52
Guitar is a completely different instrument because it’s I mean it’s it’s very expressive.
36:58
Yeah. You know and in fact Marcus said something that I thought was really funny. He said you know every keyboard
37:03
player wishes they were a guitar player. Yeah. Because you know Yes. you only have six notes, but you have the ability
37:10
to to stretch the nodes and to do things that in certain ways you cannot really do as keyboard. And so I think, you
37:19
know, for a way, you know, if I I mean, I’m a bass player, right? If I sit down
37:24
with a bass or a guitar, I will play a certain way. But if then I sit down keyboard, I’m not a very good keyboard player, but
37:32
I will write. I will create completely differently than if I play guitar, of course. And
37:39
you know, it’s just it’s making you making it’s putting yourself in the position of the person who’s going to
37:45
use that. Right. Yeah. I It’s a you know, I never understood why then, you know, because I
37:51
left uh before life six started, you know, from fast forward to life six. um
37:57
which was great. I was happy for them as well. But I saw you know I want to do my taste as well maybe I want to travel the
38:02
world new things you know that’s when I started you know writing for mix magazine in Spanish for the first time
38:09
many many big artists like artists and and and you know musicians um
38:16
songwriters is a genius thank you for what I learn everything from you from that issues wow that’s cool and then uh
38:25
and I then when I did the uh one day I was uh because I was time was
38:30
programming synthesizing the 80s in late 90s late 80s actually early 90s uh I got
38:38
a phone call from Dominic Milano I know you know
38:43
medicine and she’s uh I would like to see you in
38:49
for you okay um will you come to San Francisco when tomorrow I have another
38:57
ticket now we appreciate the ticket for you with copy will say yes. So I flew into San Francisco and then we had a
39:04
meeting. I said what’s that? What’s going on? Oh well, would like to do a um
39:09
see if you can help us do it uh with do the guitar play magazine in Spanish.
39:17
Spanish. And what do you want me to do? Uh since you wrote Mix magazine, we think we are
39:25
the perfect guy to do it with that. Uh, but why guitars? I mean, why not
39:32
keyboards? That program is keyboards. Well, I’m not a guitar player. I play
39:38
guitar and I know a lot of guitar players in the sessions that we did all that. And we did look at there, you
39:45
know, I mean, tons of people that I did sessions for.
39:51
I said, you know what? Because we figured that there’s more guitars than heroes right now. and there not being
39:56
American music and I said well I guess financially
40:02
that’s probably best. So anyway so I did it for 6 years. Yeah. Uh we did everything and then uh
40:08
and then again by a lot of great a lot of great musicians that we met you guitar player. Okay. And then and then
40:14
all of a sudden, you know, the Grammys come in 1999. He said, “Uh, we like to
40:20
see you were here.” And I said, “Uh, okay.” So,
40:25
so the president gave us my target.
40:31
uh and all the executives were there said you know we’re taking a we’re launching a province
40:38
uh next year 2000 and I would like to uh see if you can
40:44
help us to come up with a magazine a magazine uh why I mean I I’m an engineer
40:54
uh well because you and we know that you done uh you player
41:01
magazine and you work for that and I think you’re the perfect guy. And I I said, “Okay, so when would you like to
41:08
have this?” Are you kidding me? Uh, you know what?
41:17
Then you think I could call it tomorrow, maybe a year ago. And then I thank God I had those
41:25
contacts with all over Latin America and Spain and uh soul writers and everybody.
41:30
So I uh I contact say you know we help you. So I I I I had a team of guys women
41:40
engineers whatever and and write so well. So they help me out to to do the magazine. So I joined the first Latin
41:47
magazine for them. And so they released in two gear to faster with the first
41:53
grand awards and then uh the second one I did as well and then I said you know what uh I do okay but you know the point
42:03
is that I’ve been doing I get involved with so many people don’t know that I’ve been involved with so much stuff they
42:09
say oh who’s that guy oh he’s the proto guy no
42:15
your name comes up on all sorts of different things but you know what’s interesting though is
42:20
that what you have is you have the gift of being able to communicate and if you
42:26
can communicate you know um I remember once hearing a great old saying it’s uh
42:33
it goes uh genius is the ability to transcend experience
42:40
and that I think is so valuable because what that means is that we don’t have to necessarily be an expert
42:48
if we can put ourselves elves in the shoes of the other person and say okay
42:54
what do you how do I communicate to you what you need to know and that is what I think your gift is you know
43:02
or one of your gifts I guess so you know I I guess I I never really stop thinking what am I what do I
43:08
do or I just do you know well and that’s that’s the best thing too you know we don’t have to think about what to do just do it you know and
43:15
if it works that’s what’s important right Yeah, it is important. I think the most important
43:21
thing is the result is to say you know what it was worth it. I mean for everything you do uh you put your mind
43:28
whatever is writing music creating software whatever it is you do it with
43:34
passion and and and that thing that surprises you. Yeah that’s nothing else matters you
43:41
know right and that’s what keeps us going I think. I think so. And that’s you know what I was talking about earlier about
43:46
always learning something because we have such a passion for the art and the technology. We always want to find
43:53
something new to learn something some new experience. I think that’s so important. I think that keeps you young.
43:59
Very very young. And when they asked me when are you going to retire? I said you know what I’ve been having so much fun
44:07
32 years on my own having fun. I don’t think you feel it works at all. I don’t
44:14
have that work but I just enjoy my life with people with great creative people talking with people and and
44:20
internationally. That’s why I decided to call the company autograph international. Why? Because when I I
44:26
when I was kid I was dreaming putting sound to graphics like a commercials whatever in movies
44:32
and and I want to do internationally. So that’s what the name came out. uh and
44:38
and I’m still doing internationally. It’s really wonderful to have people who been here from from Asia, from Europe,
44:45
from Canada, from South America. I mean, from all over the world and said everybody else, what’s happening? You
44:53
know, hey, what’s happening? So, it’s all good. I mean it’s really putting I
44:59
am friend of of the world you know because and and and I changed a lot of
45:05
people’s life maybe with but better uh but I’m still friend I mean first thing
45:11
you have my relationship my business relationship most of the time are friendship first I feel the same way
45:17
because it’s that’s what it is and that’s also because we love what we do yes and so because we love what we do
45:24
it’s not really work. Yeah. You know, it’s I mean, I cannot imagine doing anything else. I feel so fortunate
45:31
to be able to just do what I do. I know you the same way. I guess it’s just the idea that we don’t have to go to work
45:39
every day. We get to do these things. You know, we are we just the idea that
45:45
we get to work in this technology that we get to work with all these talented people. That’s just such a wonderful
45:51
thing. That is very good. wake up and coming upstairs and I wonder what a great day is going to be today.
45:57
Yeah, we get that mentality because you got to be positive. Yeah, it would be bad days, you know, we all have but most of the
46:04
time this is like my play playground here. I got everything here. Uh one point in the internet at home
46:13
radio something like that. Why? Because I have everything over here. Yeah. All my gear all my you know if I want to play drums, I want to play guitar since
46:20
everything here. Yeah. Oh, you have great setup here. Thank you so much. And you got so much crammed into such a
46:26
little space. Yeah, I know. Yeah, this used to be Muhammad Ali gym, you know. I put it walls. Yeah.
46:32
Oh, I love it. That and uh What a great history. Yeah. And uh and then the parking lot
46:38
was Ali’s gym, you know, uh on the floor. And then after that, I think it was uh Abuji
46:45
was here. Yes. And then me, I’ve been here since 1993. I love it. You know,
46:50
I love it. So it’s so a great history and you know and I’m a fish boy and I
46:57
used to go surfing when I was 17 18 16 whatever
47:02
it and here I have the ocean in two blocks from here which is amazing. Yeah. Which means you get to breathe the
47:07
air which is always it’s it’s really a good good vibe. You know, people enjoy it and I always like
47:14
to to put get people together. Yeah. In whatever, you know, the good situation to be instead of record sometime we call
47:22
we have a before pandemic, we had a thing called Thursday and night’s uh evening of six to whatever uh uh little
47:31
Fridays. She did us a little Fridays, you know. So me and Marina, my wife and
47:36
and P students here, you know, we we start going tea, coffee, beer, wine,
47:42
whatever they like. Then people start writing everything after that and and to network cuz they they had a hog where
47:49
they can come network and listen to music and it’s connect. It is connecting thing, you know. And
47:56
it’s and that’s what I like to do. Yeah, I I I understand. Absolutely. I
48:01
understand. So that is one of the most gratifying things you know to as you say
48:06
same thing you know everybody knows who you are and they say oh yeah I don’t you know and it’s it’s just it’s a wonderful
48:13
feeling to be able to do that with people very because this is all such a business of people and relationships
48:20
that’s the most wonderful part of it. Yeah, that and it’s it is a shame sometime to a studio I mean when you
48:26
work with or or project and you don’t get to people just like I said in my
48:31
house you mean yeah that’s what I miss about the multi-room studios you know I mean we
48:37
used to you used to run into people in the lounge you know and you have these odd meetings of people you know and we
48:43
don’t have it as much anymore no and the last session that I last I did was recording session it was so much
48:50
fun because you is the vibe and you and you know telling him what to pay you do this way shoot that way whatever it’s
48:58
fine you know that thing no there’s some I’m sure some people still do it but not
49:03
as much as I used to do yeah it’s true but it’s a I mean I think to me that’s really what the most
49:08
valuable thing about making music is making music together yes
49:14
and and then and the next thing to me for example I I um I want to do the next
49:20
And it’s different. Not that different. It’s the same kind of a technology thing
49:26
that we all do, but in a different way. I’m going to start teaching Dante here.
49:31
Ah, nice. Dante because uh it’s a thing that I I don’t I didn’t know too much about it,
49:38
but I know it’s been used everywhere now. Yeah. And uh and I said, you know what? I want to be able to
49:45
not be the master. No, maybe one day. But uh I want to see is it so amazing
49:53
all the arenas you know so fast for example all that all the technology
49:59
video you know everything is like but even cat 5k as
50:06
I want to start teaching people the handon part of you know alianist you
50:11
know they just uh um you know gave us a certification to be a
50:17
certified training center for every day and so nice. So we also do with that in
50:23
December. It’s cool playing January as well. And um so yeah, I’m excited. But again,
50:28
it’s a new thing. It’s a new thing. I remember I wor with John Wade and I remember this song he wrote. I must
50:35
remaster master. I think it was for something like that.
50:42
Um, and there was a very cool song kind of like it remind me like like you know
50:48
like the uh imagine but the piano you know start he this song this is this a
50:57
new thing. It’s a new thing. It’s like uh it was the coolest coolest song
51:04
right piano and like the measure of rever and just his voice here when we
51:10
said it was beautiful and I always remember that song you know the studio
51:15
title it’s a new thing and this is a new thing for me we are we are addicted to new things
51:23
and who knows what we going to happen in the next 10 years you know oh yeah it’s always but hopefully I’ll be there
51:29
you Then maybe I don’t know maybe be able to work in the Olympic again you know in LA and
51:35
or the World Cup next year but uh we’ll see you know I mean almost I I like to
51:41
participate in global uh events you know partner that’s why I want to work the
51:46
Olympics in 1984 you know that was my dream to be all around you know and meet great people
51:53
oh and there’s so much talent even you know especially outside the US you know yes I mean I I spent uh six years living
52:00
in Europe, you know, the same thing to learn how other people work, you know.
52:06
Yes. It’s a wonderful thing. Yeah. And you grab a lot of, you know, ideas and collaboration, all that really
52:13
good stuff that you can do. It’s really really fun. Yeah. again you know I said people like
52:19
I said you know probably they going to people they know me but they don’t know what I really done with my life and you
52:26
know they always think are you the protos guy you know I mean this protos in 1993
52:34
you know that people said why what’s going on yeah why pros why not logic why
52:40
not you know wave first of all that was first time I was able to go to Argentina
52:46
you know, and explain what an EQ was. Mhm. For the first time. Sorry. For the first
52:51
time, I had a an EQ that I was able to to show what an EQ was.
52:56
Yeah. Visually. Visually. And that’s the reason why I said, well, instead of getting good at it, I became an expert on it. And yeah,
53:04
I use Pro tools in a very creative way. Mhm. You have to start pathetically doing it, but I do a creative way that I I’ve
53:11
hidden everything books on that stuff. What’s that? left brain, right brain sent again. Yeah. Meaning the first mini book in
53:18
Spanish ever come out, you know, in 1989, I believe. Um I and again, why did
53:25
I write this book? Well, because those are my notes that I said I need to write
53:32
my notes out and why not share them. Yes. And that’s exactly what my books are. And my books are based in concepts,
53:39
not software versions like that. But uh and I think that people people learn and
53:45
you know I know people say well another pool this so what I mean it’s
53:50
information. Yeah you know it’s valuable information. Yeah. And I’ll probably I’m going to start doing my own videos uh the
53:57
structural videos for thing that people would not know or maybe they thought but
54:03
who cares we’ll be we’ll explain things differently. We’ll think differently. We
54:08
have different results. But then again, that’s what beautiful thing about competition that everybody’s doing a lot
54:14
of stuff and we all learn from everyone. Yeah. We all learn from each other. Yeah. I never say, “Hey man, I know
54:20
everything. I don’t need to listen to that.” Well, no.
54:25
So, let me let me wrap with the question that I usually wrap with because I think for you especially, it’s an interesting
54:32
one. What do you tell 15year-old you coming in to the industry now? different
54:40
world completely from what you grew up with, you know. Yes. What do you tell a young person coming
54:46
into the industry? Well, I I think the first thing they
54:51
really have to do is is it a passion? Is it really a passion? Uh if they be
54:56
truthful about what you really want. If you do want to get into this industry
55:03
whether it’s uh you know music or postp production or video game
55:08
learn study because I mean you might they might be very um talented geniuses
55:15
but you really have to study too you know and and get dirty in the uh
55:21
technical stuff. The more technical you you become, the more hireable you people
55:27
going to hire you better going to pay well more than just keep here there. Oh, I know how to do this loops here and
55:34
there. It’s not about that. It’s about, you know, creating your skills. So, I
55:39
suggest those you know 15 year old ones who get really into study uh go to
55:45
school. Yeah, I know that time you hate school. Yeah, you don’t want to go to school. But but school is not about it’s
55:53
about really learning how to talk, how to I have a a stu a student was 17 year
55:58
old and he didn’t want to go to high school um say look in and you rock yeah
56:05
but you don’t even know how to speak you know how to talk how you going to communicate when you get your gra
56:11
whatever you know and you need to study you need to communicate and write and
56:18
and the skills that you need to do for this business is technical. It’s so very
56:24
very uh amazing and exciting knowing all this new technical stuff especially now
56:31
video I mean videos and and digital it’s really good to know where all those
56:36
things came from you know that’s why you need to learn cable you need to learn how to uh you know program something not
56:43
just click kick click anybody can do that yeah so I I really want to encourage all you guys young people is
56:51
to really think if this is what you want to do,
56:57
dive in, spend time, and love it because it will pay off for everybody. So that’s
57:05
that’s what I great advice, man. Thank you. Thank you to Thank you so much for
57:12
being with me. You’re welcome. Thank you. Pleasure. Thank you for Bye-bye.
57:19
Hey, I’m Daniel Keller. Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button and join us each week for Insights and Sound