Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Buddy Friedman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Buddy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
Initially was self taught. Eventually found myself interning at a world renowned music studio here in Austin via a family friend. In terms of speeding up the learning process I wish I would have collaborated with other artists/engineers/song enthusiasts earlier, specifically when I first started. Collaboration is one of the quickest and most efficient ways to learn not only how to engineer, produce, and write, but also allows you to get comfortable working with others. Understanding how different artist like to work and how to communicate with others in a music setting is really important the further you get into the industry on a professional level, and it also is a great way to just get better overall. often times people don’t necessarily (or at least in my case) don’t want to collaborate because they are insecure about their abilities to do so, but ultimately throwing yourself into he fire, uncomfortable or not, is a great thing and will pay dividends down the road. In terms of skills, there isn’t necessarily one that is most important to focus on in the beginning, really it comes down to getting busy learning DAW’S, learning how to produce, sound design, sound selection, etc… and getting comfortable using all the tools that the professionals use. What stood in the way of learning more was myself in the sense that there is unlimited information out there at your fingertips that will make you better, its just a matter having the drive and taking the time to get better every day. It has to be a priority if you want to do it at a high level, and you have to work on it every single day.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I was always super interested in the production of music and considered myself a critic. I was very confident in what I liked and what I didn’t and felt as though these skills would make me a good engineer, producer, writer, etc. All I wanted to do, and still want to do, is make music that people care about and want to listen to. I didn’t get my hands dirty until my freshman year of college when I started messing around with sounds on garage band. I got my first DAW (digital audio workstation) sophomore year and the rest was history. Through a family friend I got a summer internship at ARLYN Studios here in Austin texas after my junior year and fell in love with the place. I was invited to come back and continue my internship after I graduated and fast forward almost three years I still work here and have worked my way up to being an engineer. I am currently for hire both at the ARLYN and at my home studio where I do all different types of sessions ranging from vocal session to full tracking (minus drums). I am a mix engineer for hire as well. In terms of problem solving for my clients, I would say i’m whatever they need me to be. If they need help writing lyrics, developing songs/sounds, producing or simply just engineering/recording, Im happy to do so. What sets me apart from others is my experience in a fully analog studio that has some of the best engineers and artists in the world constantly flowing in and out. I have a few mentors here who have taught me and continue to teach me everything they know about sound recording and mixing. I also am very easy to get along with and very easy going which allows my clients to get comfortable very quick and brings the most and best out of every session. Understanding the psychology of an artist is hugely important. Im most proud of my commitment to being great at what I do, and I strive to get better every single day. What I want my clients to know about my work is that I feel personally invested in anything and everything that I work on, and what I care most about is making sure my client is happy and also having a great time while working. I tell every client that music is supposed to be fun and not supposed to be stressful, I want everyone to leave working with me feeling like they can’t wait to get to the next session.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
One of the things that has been surprising to me is the amount of people who play an instrument or sing and write songs who have never taken the time to share it with the world or invest in their hobby/interest. I have worked with so many artist who have written songs or played guitar for years but never took the time to record it or share it with the world and in my experience I’ve noticed that they get more joy out of an hour or two session than they do almost anything. It’s almost always the highlight of their week. This brings me to my point which is that taking the time or spending the money to exercise your creative passions by recording the song you wrote or spending the money to purchase a DAW so you can learn how to make the songs you’ve always hear in your head pays dividends in the long run. Not even monetarily but it has a huge impact emotionally that is really an awesome thing to see.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
By far the most rewarding thing of being a creative is working with others to make their projects come to fruition. There is no greater feeling than having someone come record their song and they get to listen to themselves on playback and you can feel their excitement. It is hard to describe but you can see the joy, passion, and enthusiasm radiate in the room the second they get to hear/see their work come to life. It’s almost infectious and also addicting!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: buddy_friedman1
Image Credits
David Rabinowicz
Joseph Holguin
Lisa fletcher
James McManus
Majeston Haverda