Ariel Chobaz is a Grammy nominated mix engineer who worked with instantly recognizable artists such as Drake, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Justin Bieber. Ariel recorded and mixed Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday” which has broken the record for the most singles charted by a female rap album.
Ariels journey and career has been amazing. Here are 3 tips for Music industry success from our recent interview.
- Stay Hungry: When Ariel was in music school, one of his instructors informed the class, that only 1 in 10 students would actually go on to work in the music industry. Ariel says he decided that day that he was going to do whatever it takes to “be that one person.” He knew that his internal hunger and desire to succeed was the driving force that would help him reach his goals. He became the first in the class to receive an internship, starting 3 months before the rest of his classmates.
- Attitude is Everything: Ariel landed a gig running and assisting at Larrabee Sound Studios. Dave Pensado was working at the studio and his assistant went away on a 2 week vacation. Ariel says he had only been assisting for a short time, and there were people in the room that had more experience than him. Dave chose Ariel to assist because he had the “can do” attitude and was available to make things happen and keep sessions flowing smoothly.
- Check your Work: It’s easy to get in a rush and miss the small details. Ariel shares a personal story about a session where he plugged in a patch bay and got the numbering off by 1 insert. That mistake taught him the importance of being focused and knowing your gear. Instead of letting it negatively effect him, he used this lesson to push himself to learn and memorize the patch bay. This made him a better assistant and ultimately prepared him to be the successful engineer he is today.
For more tips, watch my interview with Ariel Chobaz in the video below.
We just released a brand new hip hop mixing course with Ariel Chobaz. Ariel takes you inside of his mix, completely in the box and shows you how to recreate sounds that he’s used on chart topping albums!
Get it today!
SEE ALSO:
How To Mix Vocals Like A Pro
Home Studio On A Budget
Have a marvellous time recording and mixing,
Warren Huart