Mastering the Mix: A Conversation with Grammy Governor Daniela Rivera
What can we say about this astonishingly accomplished mixing engineer and music industry professional?
Introducing Daniela Rivera, the unstoppable talent behind some of your favorite tracks. Not only is she killing it in the studio, but she's also a Grammy Governor, representing the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) in Atlanta. Since our talk, she has also mixed a project, Karencici's “99% Angel” which won Best R&B Album and Best R&B Single at Taiwan’s 13th Annual GIMA! (Talk about boss moves) Daniela's passion for audio engineering shines through in every project she tackles, and she's dedicated to constantly pushing the boundaries of her craft. We deep dive into the mind of Daniela, speaking about intuitive mixing, Grammy initiatives, and a list of artists that you need to add to your playlist ASAP!
So, whether you're a music lover or just a fan of all-around badassery, you definitely want to keep an eye on this space.
M SOUND
How is your week going so far?
D.R
My week has gone pretty good. We're midway through and I'm like, "Ah, what have we done? What do we still have to do?" It's a busy week but I'm excited about the work I've got to do. Meetups with friends, it felt like that time when normally after the beginning of the year you try to meet up with people just because it's kind of what you do just to stay in touch but we had that big COVID bump at the beginning of the year, they kind of shut down and then it slowly got back on. I definitely have been missing my coworkers and friends. I've been doing a lot of social initiatives to relink with people. That always adds extra to your schedule.
M SOUND
Sounds like a very busy week, but also so much fun. Could you give me an introduction to you and your journey?
D.R
My name is Daniela Rivera. I am an audio engineer, I focus primarily on mixing. I used to be in production or that's what I thought I was going to go into. I was going to be a producer, that's what I originally stepped into the industry for but I fell in love with the engineering side of it, I started with recording and assisting there. I went to SAE to get my audio technical degree in audio technology. I got an Associates Degree from SAE in 2010 and I immediately started as an intern at one of the Fame studios of Atlanta that had a lot of history from the big boom of the late nineties 2000s, like R&B, the stuff that I grew up on, Toni Braxton's LaFace record days.
I happened to get an internship at that studio. You had to work your way up, you've got to do your six months, you're doing runs, errands and eventually, you might be asked to sit in the room and you've got to be quiet. It's that very strict traditional kind of internship but I knew I wanted to be underneath that type of studio and mentorship. Eventually, I was promoted to general assistant, I became an assistant engineer from there. I was there for almost two years and then I got a referral to my next gig, which was to be a mixing assistant under Phil Tan. Three-time Grammy-winning mixer, Phil Tan! He's been established in this industry for over 30 years now. I mean just an amazing engineer and you don't turn that down. I took that assistantship and I worked for him for about four and a half years. That’s where I got all of my credits, all of the stuff that you see here, the big names came from that experience and that mentorship under those four and a half years.
I actually then got an offer for a scholarship at Full Sail. It was a time when I could go back to school and my associate's degree would've transferred, so I went back to school at Full Sail and got my bachelor's in Business Entertainment. After that degree, 2017 is when I really established myself as a freelancer. I've been doing that for the last five years and definitely in the last two years or so, I've really seen some incredible movements and works in that lane. That's my story, where I'm at.
"Being a freelancer is running a business."
M SOUND
That's awesome. You mentioned you studied the music business, being a freelancer so much of that feels like a business, is there anything that you learned from that experience that you utilize at this stage of your life?
D.R
It took a long time to get there and you just nailed it on the head that being a freelancer is running a business. I was definitely more freelancer mindset for a long time, but this last year I really got into the entrepreneur mindset and business mindset. Those earlier theories and lessons and experiences that I learned at Full Sail are now coming back in a different way. They didn't do it back then because I started working in the field as an engineer but wasn't running a business in that sense. Now I'm starting to run a business along with my mixing.
M SOUND
As you said, you've worked with some amazing artists. Has there been a favorite project for you to work on and why? (I know that that is a very cheeky question but whatever you can tell me 😉)
D.R
My favorite credit that I'm credited on as far as a project, is definitely Michael Jackson's postmortem album "Escape". How does that even happen? I was just an assistant engineer but it's still so special because when I was in school for audio engineering, he passed away and I thought, well I'm never going to work with him, and literally years later, my name ends up in an album on the book liner notes. Again, that was a Phil Tan mix, (phenomenal engineer!) I'm so grateful for that opportunity to even get to be involved. It was a Stargate production, they're amazing producers. I'm also a big fan of theirs. That's definitely my favorite credit. That's the most special but my favorite as a mixer (again, everyone's so special. All projects are so special) but Spelman and Morehouse Christmas special. It was either their 94th or 96th annual Christmas special. That's a longstanding tradition, so to be part of something with that history and HBCU colleges have so much pride and love for their colleges. To be brought in and feel that energy was something completely different. Also, this was still during the height of the pandemic and so all of the individual students had to record isolated on their own.
M SOUND
Wow.
D.R
Yeah, exactly. It was challenging but it was super cool and different to be a part of. I mean we got close to 100 vocals because it was the male’s glee club and the female's glee club on certain songs, it was a lot of work for everybody. It was a beautiful ceremony and we ended up getting nominated for a daytime Emmy. That's definitely my favorite as a mixer.
"Collaborating with what the artist wants to hear, what the producer wants to hear versus what needs to be translated to the consumers."
M SOUND
For those that are starting at the beginning of their journey and mixing their first single or first piece of music, what advice would you give to them?
D.R
I don't know if I can answer in one. I think if it was a brand new person going into the project, it would probably be that mixing is a process in the same sense as songwriting or production. Obviously, as you get to further levels, the process becomes quicker and easier but in general, it's a process. It's a back-and-forth of balancing, collaborating with what the artist wants to hear, what the producer wants to hear versus what needs to be translated to the consumers. I think having that mindset will at least help with that process in regard to expectations and being patient or trusting their engineer through that process.
M SOUND
You mentioned earlier that you did your internship and you had to stay quiet and just observe the room. Have you found that anything, if anything, has changed from then until now in what you've experienced?
D.R
Oh yes. I mean, even when I was stepping into it in 2010, it was going through a big change of this analog digital and people were still holding on to analog. I mean, digital was definitely there to stay, but it was a lot more hybrid and collaborative. Digital was starting to take over a little bit more. People who had laptops were able to have pro tools on the go. Now, I mean it's a completely different game. This setup back in the day, wouldn't have been acceptable. Now, I will say the pandemic helped with that because so many people had to work from home, so it kind of changed the mindset of home studios and being able to get work done. What I'm seeing also is a further separation between consumer audio and pro audio, that gap is getting further and further apart because there are so many companies and brands that create consumer products so that we can do stuff like this at home.
"I got the answer, but I didn't get the reason behind the answer "
However, sometimes that education, theory, and understanding of why we do things is being missed out on because people aren't going through that mentorship or being under a studio with a veteran engineer that's been in it for 30, or 40 years. Instead, we have YouTube where I can quickly Google something and get the answer. I got the answer, but I didn't get the reason behind the answer however, I also know I wouldn't have the business that I have if it weren't for the internet and technology.
M SOUND
If you could time travel back to Daniela at the beginning of her music journey, what piece of advice would you give her?
D.R
I couldn't really think of an answer or I thought about certain things. Be more confident, be bold, and step into it when you can. I definitely went through some self-doubt like most people do when they're in a career. Can you really do this or not? But to be honest, with everything that's happened, I've had great team members and great mentorships. I knew it was going to take some time. I decided to take a slower route and really value the experience. I feel like if I change anything I wouldn't be where I'm at now.