We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Neil O’Reilly. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Neil below.

Neil, 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?

The process of learning how to become a professional in the music industry for me was a slow and frustrating one to say the least. I started off just trying to making beats and music that I thought sounded good or what I wanted to make myself. It quickly became much more complicated the more I tried to learn and figure out on my own. Its not just about learning music theory or how to arrange a record, but also learning how plugins function and then applying them correctly to a record to really bring it to life. Knowing what I know now I wish I would of been a little more patience with myself starting out. All the mistakes and trial and errors I was doing was essentially is the process of getting better. Its the education you don’t think about when you are starting out. Everybody in the industry from producers to artist struggle with finding the sounds they are hearing in their minds. There is now way around it or short cuts to not go through that process. Thats the number one thing I tell everyone I’ve worked with, is to stop being so hard on themselves and enjoy the moment of discovering your own sound. Because without realizing it in those very moments, you are actually getting better and better everyday. The most essential attribute to have when working as an engineer is to just keep the sessions fun and set a good vibe. When everyone is having fun and feeling relaxed, you get better performances and ultimately better mixes as well. People will hear the fun in the record if you keep the vibes right and enjoy the moments.

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

Growing up in Houston TX I always just had an instant connection with music. Even as a young child, I was always soothed by the sounds of blues and jazz that my mother would always play for me. I felt like I was just in the music and felt like I was a part of it and it was only speaking to only me in that moment. That was basically the drive behind my pursuit to be in the industry. With how diverse Houston is as a city, I was exposed to so many different kinds of music growing up. It took me a really long time to focus on making it a full time career because in my young adult years I was making beats but never really saw it more than just a hobby. After years of talking myself out of really trying to get into the industry, I decided that if i really wanted a career in music, I needed to go all in on myself and make it happen. I started reading as many books i could get my hands on about producing and mixing tracks. Watched countless tutorial videos on how to improve my mixes and how I could get my music out there for people to give feedback on. I got my first internship back in 2018 at Studio 713 in Houston. From there i was able to learn and converse with so many people that had made it as engineers and the path they all went through to get to the position they are in now. I got to learn not only how to improve my skills but also what it takes to be a professional. Those were some of my most eye opening experiences. Today I now work as a audio engineer for Barron Studios and have worked with hundreds of artists on thousands of tracks. Working and collaborating with people is absolutely the best part about working in music. So many different backgrounds and approaches you discover working together with other creatives elevates you so much faster than just trying to do it yourself. I’m most proud of the all the artists, producers, engineers, and studios I’ve worked with over the years that has got me to the position i’m in now

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think society for the most part does an ok job at supporting local artists and creatives. It really comes down i think to your inner circle. Its very hard to let people know that your are pursing this dream in something as competitive as the music industry. Its no easy feat and it will takes years of rejections and setbacks to even get slightly ahead in it. So many people believe that if you”re not on the level of say someone like Drake or Jay-Z in the first couple of years than its pointless and just give up. I want people to know that to get to that level you have to go through everything they went through for years before achieving that status. Be supportive of the process and not just the end result because the idea that you are going to blow up overnight is such a long shot, but it doesn’t mean you should stop if that doesn’t happen right away.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My number one goal really is just to make as much music as possible. Wether it be for myself or helping an artist on their journey. I honestly can’t get enough of the feeling of taking and idea in your head and watching it become a record at the end of it. The feeling is immensely satisfying. To sit back and listen to song that was nothing more than an idea and after countless hours of work you finally get to hear how it came all together. Their is no better feeling in my opinion. I never want those moments or that feeling to stop.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thebarronstudios.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knowh3r3_nois3/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-o-reilly-b0737a126/

Image Credits
They are my photos