If you have musical talent, let me tell you that you are a rare person. Most people do not have such a gift. A gift brings not only an ability but also a responsibility. I don't mean that you have to dedicate yourself professionally to music, but you should question what you want to do with the gift that life has given to you. For some, the answer to that questioning is somewhat individual, which is fine. But for others, the answer is more altruistic, which is the case for David Ariza. Today we want to share his story with you.
Background
David is an Argentine musician with more than 20 years of experience. He is the composer/singer at Arrebol and has his solo project too. His musical journey started with the drums when he was six years old. David added the guitar and singing ten years later.
After graduating from a musical institute in Medoza, he decided to put his talent and experience at the service of other artists. David knows very well the challenges and vicissitudes musicians face. Therefore, he founded his production music company: De lo alto Producciones, a year ago.
This project was meant to offer a service to the musicians who want to record their music and to launch it to the music industry... to help other artists avoiding making the same mistakes that I made.
The producer role
🤔 Many musicians are related to the term producer but do we understand what they do, their role, and why they are so important?
In a nutshell, a music producer is in charge of capturing the artist's vision into musical material as a single, an EP, or an album. In other words, you have an idea for a song, and the producer will help you record it in a way it reaches its potential and the sound you are looking for. A producer seeks to find and shape the artist's sound identity.
"The producer role is to know the artist vision, considering where they want to get in terms of sonority, in terms of composition, in terms of the message, and translate all that into the final music material in such a way that the song reaches the audience the musician wants to reach"
The ultimate tip for musicians who want to record
For David, no matter where you are planning to record, in a small home studio or a professional one, you must take the time to define what you want. The more clarity you have, the producer will be more assertive.
It is not enough to have a basic idea of your song (the tone, the sonority, the structure, etc.). You ought to think about what your musical goal is. To define it, you can be guided by these questions:
- What do I want the song to sound like?
- What is the message of the song?
- What musical references can you give to your producer?
- What do you want the experience of listening to your song to be like?
- What is your target audience?
- What would you like to achieve with that song?
🤷🏽♀️ If you don't know what you are looking for, you will hardly find it.
"If the artist knows what they want when they go to the studio, it will be much easier for the producer to understand their vision of what they want. That is fundamental for the musician in order to record efficiently and, more importantly, to be happy with the results."
David affirms this is vital to save time, and more importantly, money💰. He had to face the consequences of going to the studio without clarity on what he wanted.
"The Demos lacked some important aspects, I wasn't sure about the key, the structure, or the musical arrangements.Therefore, I spent a lot of money on renting the studio and the drums. The entire recording session was not productive, since I didn't know what I was looking for. This cost me a lot of money and I felt very frustrated"
Well, not all the experience was in vain. Thanks to this error, David decided to learn more about music production, which led him to my current profession.
So, if you are thinking of recording, please take his advice seriously‼️
The greatest reward for a producer: a satisfied musician
For David, the best experience he has ever had as a producer took place a couple of weeks ago when he returned an arrangement to a composer who sent him a Demo.
"When I sent the Demo, he replied almost crying very touched by what I did with his song. It was very gratifying to listen to his reaction and see the impact of my work"
😍 I can imagine how beautiful would be to be able to be a mean for another person to express themselves genuinely!
How the pandemic has affected the music industry, musicians, and listeners
It is undeniable that the pandemic has affected us at all levels of existence, particularly the artists. Mainly due to the cancellation of live concerts, which is not only a vital source of income for musicians but also one of the most important ways to connect with our audience.
Notwithstanding, every change brings new opportunities. We have begun to devise new ways of doing business. For example, live streaming concerts with different platforms such as Twitch gain more and more popularity. And this has not been all bad since it allows us to reach much more people since there is no geographical limit.
"I believe that all those changes will deeply affect the way we consume music and the way we musicians make music"
We are now waiting to see how the music industry will transform once this health crisis has ended 🙇♀ .
His experience in Flat
In January, he was on vacation and needed a practical app to write a score for a client who needed to register a song. He found Flat's mobile app and managed to write the score using his phone.
"It was so simple to write the score on the platform, and I could do it from wherever I was."
The reasons why he chose Flat and continue to be part of our community:
✅ It is intuitive and easy-to-use
✅ You can write your scores using any device, wherever you are
✅ It is collaborative
To finish, I want to say David is really friendly and approachable, therefore, if you want to contact him, you can do it via Instagram (@davidariza92).
I want to thank Flat for the opportunity to share my story with you.
Thank you, David, for your time and for being part of this community!
See you next time,