We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alejandro Suarez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alejandro, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When you take a risk, it most likely doesn’t affect just you. It affects those around you, those that are with you, and those that want the best for you. In all aspects of life, it’s always the same type of decision-making that’ll help us accomplish our passions or destroy our desires.

I grew up in a world that revolves around music. In my Colombian-American household, I remember waking up to Joe Arroyo every Saturday morning. The stark sound of the Salsa cowbell resonated in my bedroom. My family, and our culture, used music as a way of connection. A similarity that is shared between most cultures worldwide. But, that wasn’t all we listened to. You see, we’d start with Latino, then dive into Hip-Hop, then go through pop, country, rock, and somehow someway we always ended our day blasting EDM.

But it was EDM that really stuck with me. It was Alesso, Avicii, Axwell, Tiesto, Guetta, and so many more pioneers of Electro House, Progressive House, and more that I would constantly listen to. See this is important in our risk-taking adventure because this set the foundation for my quest.

Skip forward a few years to 8th grade in middle school, and I was all about music production. But just about as professional as a 13-year-old can be. I had my HP laptop with FL Studio 12 downloaded, all the best plugins, and a crap ton of very terrible-sounding productions. I mean I swore that I thought this was good but man I don’t think I understood just how underdeveloped I really was. I went through all of High School characterizing myself as a bedroom producer but honestly, I was more enamored with how things could work together. How I could grab a saw synth and a guitar and merge them frequently. What did I need to do to make sure that these two elements were placed well in the song? What frequency did I need to cut? What gain level was I at? Where does this guitar sit better? Left? Right? Can I Re-Amp? These were questions I would continually ask myself in this process.

And then the big word came along – College. And suddenly I couldn’t think anymore. Because this meant I couldn’t be who I wanted to be anymore. It meant I had to grow up, commit to a career I didn’t want, and live my life battling myself on whether I should dedicate more time to my passions or my fake career. And truthfully this was my mindset. My family and friends would say that there is “no money in music” and honestly after hearing some of my early productions, I appreciate them telling me that on the spot because I really needed that. But then there was one day that I decided I didn’t want a double life, I want a life filled with what I love. My parents pulled me aside. I explained to them what I wanted, and why. I wanted to become an audio engineer because it was the one thing I was always fascinated about, and the process that I enjoyed best in my productions. And, as uncharacteristic as it can be for Latino-American families, they told me “Do what you want to do, be happy, but promise us you’ll make this work”. Those words gave me life and an amount of excitement I haven’t felt since I bought my first music-making program.

The truth is that sometimes “taking a risk” is really “making an investment”. The only difference between the two is a matter of mindset and capability. And whether you want to believe you screwed up or achieved something is up to you and how you see it.

Nowadays I walk into my sessions with full confidence. I am a trained audio engineer with excellent experience in recording, mixing, and mastering. I work day in and day out with my clients and peers to make sure their productions and recordings are at a level of excellence unlike any other, and best of all, I bring their visions to life. Something I couldn’t have done at such a young age and moment in my life. Sure, I’m still considered fresh meat, but I’m trusted by some incredible people daily that are living proof that sometimes risk really is a personal investment.

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.

Hey there! For those of you that haven’t heard of me, I’m Alejandro Suarez. I’m a Freelance Recording & Mixing Engineer from Miami, FL. I currently work at Pitbull’s Mr. 305, Inc Studios as a Recording & Mixing Engineer and at the brand-new Mindful Music Lab, an immersive creative safe space in the heart of Little River, Miami.

I feel that I got into audio in a weird way. When I was 12 years old, my dad started DJing. My dad’s introduction to DJing didn’t initially captivate me, but after a year me asking about it, I decided to give it a try. And I loved it. He became my mentor, teaching me beat-matching, song curation, and track blending. As my passion for DJing grew, I thought I could take over as a young DJ. But, before I could think about world domination, something new came up. Ableton Live 8. Now, I knew a little about music, at this point, I was a 4-year trumpet player and had a music theory background. But wow, I was frustrated. Creating, was so much more difficult than playing. Yet I was still able to master music structure, genre arrangements, and so much more. After a few years, it was fun, but then it became so difficult. I realized that creating music was constantly draining my creative ambition and ability. This was when I discovered that the manipulation of audio was so much more interesting and enjoyable than creating it. In fact, I started recording and mixing right there on the spot. I would work directly with my High School Band and with our Marching band. Then, I would experiment with my own personal projects. However, Senior year came all too quickly and after some uncertainties about music as a career, I defied the odds, enrolling at Full Sail University for a Recording Arts degree.

Trust me; audio school isn’t for the faint-hearted; it’s more like a boot camp. Countless sleepless nights and conversations with professors taught me one vital lesson – the key to success lies in delivering exactly what your client wants and always putting in the work for an excellent-sounding production. Never settle for less, and just be a good, humble person. Be real. Providing excellent quality and top-notch service with every session is the recipe for an incredible experience. This is what’s gotten me through doors. And now, not only do I work at some incredible studios with some incredibly talented artists, I help artists develop their sonic character and production into a fully-fledged professional sound.

So, who am I? I’m an audio engineer, a dedicated visionary who thrives on bringing your musical aspirations to life. My mission is to take you from an amateur to a professional, track by track.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Working in the music industry is incredibly humbling. I only say that because there are only a few chances to prove yourself, and half the time that you get there, you’re fighting your ego to make sure you’re doing what your client needs, not what you want. Therefore, for me, It’s not always about the rewards; it’s about striving to do better and growing personally as a professional. Every day, I’m grateful for the chance to work in multiple studios, participate in songwriting and production camps, and collaborate with incredible talent. It’s rewarding to build my career step-by-step, collecting placements and credits along the way. What honestly makes my job even more rewarding is the opportunity to turn each recording or mixing session into a new learning experience, making my clients and myself happy through constant experimentation and growth. As I grow connections and gain trust, I evolve into a more versatile and well-known engineer—a massive skill set in our ever-changing industry. This journey is a passionate and genuine pursuit that fuels my soul, and I want nothing else but to create an impact in everyone’s lives.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Before I give you my answer, it’s important to let you know what being a “non-creative” means to me. I believe it’s not about sorting personalities, but rather about recognizing a spectrum of creative abilities. On one end, we have the logical creatives, those immersed in the sciences, while on the other, we find the regular creatives – beginners, amateurs, and near-professionals. True Creatives are those who immerse themselves in their art professionally, navigating a challenging industry with relevance and power. To tell you the truth about this question, I think non-creatives struggle to ultimately understand the level of sacrifice we will go through to experience true passion. Our love for what we do drives us; it’s not just about wearing our hearts on our sleeves. We tirelessly devote ourselves to our craft, aiming to progress, learn, and make meaningful contributions as engineers, producers, and more. Non-creatives may find it challenging to fully comprehend the depth of our commitment to this unique industry.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @asaudioprod
• Linkedin: @asaudio
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@asaudio/featured
• Other: Head on over to my Instagram to listen to my portfolio an discover more of what I can do for you!

Image Credits
People: Jean Franco, Leah Dibut, Muzik Junkies, Alvin Anthony, Syncet.