We were lucky to catch up with Felix Luo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Felix, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The project is a Multichannel Composition Immersive Showcase that I did as a final performance for an elective class back at Berklee College of Music.

I was not an EPD (Electronic Music Production and Sound Design) major when I was doing undergrad, but a professor was kind enough to give me waivers to take elective classes from the EPD department, and the multichannel composition class is the last class I took from her, and it’s a cumulation of what I have learned from her in the time producing electronic music. Just in honor of the opportunities and inspirations that I got from Prof. Gilboa, this final showcase will always mean everything to me forever.

The project expanded my vision of music way beyond stereo and my creative ideas above the traditional musical experiences. I composed and arranged a music piece that was solely designed for 10 speakers, and each element was intentionally curated to serve a meaningful purpose in this piece instead of a gimmick. I felt like I achieved something I thought was impossible at the end of the showcase, and the audiences’ reactions were priceless. And this project also ignited my passion for designing innovative live music experiences in the future and led me to the Live Music Production and Design graduate program in Berklee NYC.

This project definitely played a huge part in my own musical artistry and my perspective on my future career in the music industry.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Felix Luo. I am a music producer, audio engineer, visual designer, and professional guitarist. I
completed my degree in Music Production and Engineering major from Berklee College of Music, which has
provided me with a solid educational foundation to support my practical experience. Right now I am pursuing a master degree in the Live Music Production and Design program at Berklee NYC.

From the very beginning, I was an 8-year-old who was passionate about singing and constantly went to different singing competitions and showcases in schools and the community. At the age of 14, I picked up learning the acoustic guitar, and I began experimenting with songwriting and performing as a singer-songwriter in various locations. Guitar was always my first inspiration when it comes to songwriting, and the love for this instrument just turned into a professional level when I would just stop singing and practice guitar playing for hours. In 2019, I auditioned for Berklee College of Music with guitar as my primary instrument, and I got accepted, and this launched my journey as a professional guitarist and also ignited my passion for audio engineering.

For the last year and a half, I worked several times as a recording engineer and an assistant engineer at Record
Company Studio and Wellspring Sound Studio in Massachusetts. I also worked on countless sessions and
productions while I was studying at Berklee College of Music. In these roles, I developed a robust
understanding of advanced audio engineering techniques and handling industry-standard equipment.
My technical proficiency includes a wide range of software and hardware, such as Ableton Live, Logic Pro X,
ProTools, Final Cut Pro, Neve 88RS Console, API Legacy Console, SSL Duality Console, Studio Outboard
Gears, etc. Right now I am accumulating efficiency in 2D/3D design softwares like Adobe Suite, Blender, and TouchDesigner, etc. Spending time with my craft in the visual arts is just like how I acquired my musical instrument skills; it takes patience and effort, and I am willing to devote myself to mastering these skills for my creative outcomes.

Beyond my technical skills, I also have experience performing at live music events, working as a live event
photographer for local artists, handling live sound, studio management, team collaboration, and project
management. After learning from all these experiences, I genuinely believe that having a sense of responsibility
is more important than skills. Thus, I will always bring out my best working ethic and professionalism on any
task I am assigned to.

My professionally trained musical background and my ongoing studies in the graduate program provided me with solid foundations in designing and producing live music events in the future, where I can merge all the things that I have learned to create my ideal live music experiences that could inspire audiences in a fresh and profound way that they have never experienced.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I once heard someone say, “Art is a mirror of society,” and I always hold this idea close to me since I truly believe we artists are the closest to the truth within society.

Thus, society should be more inclusive and open to real artists, meaning the artists who put out meaningful content should be respected more and compensated more instead of praising mindless entertainment. If society is constantly chasing the ultimate entertaining art that is fast and flashy and nobody supports the artist who actually has something to say, these artists will gradually fade away due to the reality of survival. It’s a bad ecosystem for creativity if the general audiences are buying trash and getting fed trash by society.

It’s not saying mindless entertainment is pure evil, but society should show their support to the meaningful and creative ones so artist like that can be included into the conversation instead of being left outside to die.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

It might sound cliché or cheesy, but I do think delivering experiences that are considered refreshing and unprecendented is a mission that drives my creative journey.

I’ve been a music lover since a young age, and I went to countless live shows of different sizes and listened to countless records from most genres, and I have this library of music that constantly lives in my head to inspire me every day. And because of this amount of information, I will get tired of listening to songs that sound like a formula or attending a show that could put me to sleep even when it was super loud.

We all stand on the shoulders of giants across history, and nothing is original. But I do want to evoke the listeners and the audience’s feelings in a way like no one else has. I’ve experienced music that evokes a unique emotion within me, and I’ve witnessed performances that left me in awe within mere moments. It’s possible to deliver a bold and fresh creative project that could change the way you think and give you a new perspective in art or even life. You can argue they are not that innovative; someone has done this already. But the untangable feelings you get are special.

There are ways around this idea of creating something “new,” and it always drives me to think differently and be bold with decisions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://felixlhy527.wixsite.com/production—x
• Instagram: Personal: https://www.instagram.com/felix_lhyi/ Artist: https://www.instagram.com/felproduction/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@hongyiluo4477?si=oVfuCSaWVF026A0G

Image Credits

Dave Green Photo, Felix Luo