We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Miguel Coral a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Miguel, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I learned about music production from watching tons of youtube videos at home after going to my first recording studio in 2018. I started by recording covers of my favorite songs and then began playing around with original tunes – mainly riffs on the guitar. Once I got into Berklee, I started developing more skills and techniques and having a more professional workflow regarding organization and session management. One of the best things I learned was how to use the stock tools that came with my recording software first rather than buying a bunch of 3rd party plugins that I didn’t know how to use but were recommended by industry professionals etc. I think one thing I could have done to make myself a better music producer when I was first learning was to create sound-alikes in many different genres. I always stayed in the singer-songwriter/alternative rock atmosphere which is great because I love that style, but in order to be a good producer, you need to be diverse in taste.
Miguel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Miguel, I’m a producer, songwriter, sound engineer, and artist based in Boston, and primarily from Houston, TX. I’m a student at Berklee College of Music working on my Bachelor’s in Music Production and Engineering. I’m currently working with various artists in the Boston area and my own music. I make music under the name MACZ on all streaming platforms and I’m always open to collaborating! I do remote mixing and production work and if you’re in the area, I also record artists either from home or in professional studios.
Feel free to reach out to my email for any inquiries:
Instagram: @maczmusic
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
For any songwriters out there, John Mayer did a clinic at Berklee in 2008 that was a game changer in how I approached writing songs. It’s cut up into many parts on youtube and he goes into the business side of music as well as how to turn the information you know about music into an inspiring idea and develop it.
All You Need To Know About The Music Business is a really great music industry book because it really helps artists, songwriters, producers, etc. understand how to navigate deals with labels, collaborate with other artists, and where all your money goes.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I recently went to LA for a summer for some internships in which I learned a lot of hard life lessons as well as how the music industry works. I realized that there aren’t really any breaks with music, unlike a normal job where you can come home and relax because you’re off the clock. With music, there is always something to work on, and in my case, it’s writing new songs, producing, mixing, cataloging/registering songs with PROs, etc. I was able to see how professionals worked day in and day out which really had an impact on me regarding my workflow and mindset. I’ve had to really pivot in the way I disciplined myself to work not only when I felt creative but every day because the people who are the most efficient and output the most content, are the ones who become successful.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maczmusic/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/miguelcoral
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/macz_music
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbDy40qMdOeQfDgH-eA8AcQ
Image Credits
Azzurra Demarie