We were lucky to catch up with Chris Simental recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chris, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I’ve been learning audio recording, mixing, and mastering through hands-on experience since I was about 8 years old. In my adult years, I did an internship at a place called Clear Lake Studios in North Hollywood. That was a great experience because I got to work with some very profressional and vintage gear. I typically work “in the box”, meaning everything is mostly recorded and edited using software plugins rather than hardware. So, interning at Clear Lake was an invaluable opportunity to work “outside the box” and use some of the renowned gear that software tries to emulate.

All that to say that it has been a life-long journey of trying things, adjusting, and working to improve every step of the way.

I think if I had done the internship sooner and longer, it could really have sped up the learning process. I didn’t get to spend as much time there due to my work schedule, so if I could have done that earlier in life I probably would have been able to get even more out of it.

Learning the key types of audio processing — gain, equalization, compression, saturation, and limiting — has been the most essential. With knowledge of how these things work and at least one of each of these (hardware or software), it’s almost irrelevant what brand of gear you have access to. Great mixes can be made with very little processing, I think.

When I was starting out, I didn’t have access to these tools. I had a tape recorder, a microphone, and some MIDI gear. I remember wondering why I could never get my mixes to sound “commercial.” Now I absolutely know why, but it would have been great to have that information earlier in life. :)

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve been interested in audio production from the moment I started enjoying music. I was instantly curious about how the sounds I was hearing were created and, more importantly, how they made it out into the world — on radio airwaves, vinyl records, cassette tapes, etc.

I started learning more about audio recording and quickly became obsessed with the equipment and process, which is a fascination that has never stopped. Ha. Sometimes I joke that the only reason I ever tried singing or playing instruments is so I’d have something to record. There may be a lot of truth in that. I really do love nearly everything about music production. It’s something I can get fully immersed in for hours.

The way I got into audio production is by sheer determination and persistence. There have been times in my life when I’ve been very busy with my “real job” and haven’t had time for music. But eventually I make my way back to it, and usually even more intensely than before. Right now, for example, I’m the busiest I’ve ever been with music, and it feels great to have that creative outlet. I’m an avid tinkerer, so having musical things to work on (lyrics, instrumentation, recording, mixing, etc) is really invigorating for me.

The audio production work I do — recording, mixing, mastering — has largely been reserved for the bands I’m in (Hat Pin Panic, Pinch Dogs, and The This & The That). But I’m very open to working with other artists.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I first started mixing songs, I’d have an idea of how I wanted each instrument or vocal to sound, so I’d spend time on each individually — equalizing, gating, compressing, etc — and then move on to the next instrument or vocal and do the same. What I’ve learned along the way is to start with a basic mix of everything and THEN fine tune with processing as needed. This approach has helped me not over-process mixes and also helps me consider what the mix actually needs, based on what was recorded, rather than a preconceived idea of how it should sound.

I used to think I could have a template with all the effects I want for each instrument — bass, drums, guitar — and just re-use that for every mix. It has never really worked out that way, though. In addition to constantly improving the process by learning and trying new techniques, this approach doesn’t take into consideration the fact that every recording is a little bit different, and needs to be handled as such. I mean, I suppose if several songs were recorded in the same session, with all the same equipment and microphone placements, a templatized approach might be possible, but I haven’t really been involved in a situation like that. For the most part, songs I’ve worked on have been recorded over a few different sessions and different dates, and even different places, so they really warrant approaching each on its own.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being involved in audio production is the end product. It feels great to revisit old songs and continue to appreciate them, even in new and different ways.

There have been times when I had to work to a deadline and the mix had to be finished by a certain date no matter what. In these moments, there’s always the feeling that if I just had a little more time I could do this or that. But the reality is that anything can be worked on for eternity. It’s good to have deadlines so that work gets actually finished.

What I’ve learned, though, in those cases is that after some time passes, when I revisit the work, I’m always pleasantly surprised that it sounds good, and complete, and that all those things I thought I might have added if I’d had more time weren’t needed at all.

I’m a big proponent of getting things finished, but it can be challenging to do when projects are prolonged over several weeks. New ideas are always swirling around, and there’s a temptation to incorporate those into the current project. But it’s important to stay focused on the original idea and get it finished. The new ideas could then be incorporated into the NEXT project.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nachoroom.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nachoroom/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissimental
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisSimental
• Other: chrissimental.com