Glen Muñoz Talks Music and Audio Production

This week I got to chat with musician and audio producer Glen Muñoz.

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Glen Munoz Interview

An Interview With Glen Muñoz

Thank you for taking the time to chat with me this week. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself and the work you do.

Glen Muñoz: Thank YOU, Aaron. Thanks for the chance to share. My career path has been an intentionally winding one. Following college, I worked for Fortune 100 companies in advertising and digital publishing. I then broke out on my own to partner on a technology start-up.

Following that, I launched my own audio production business. In addition to running a handful of businesses, I provide advice to others regarding business strategy and operations. The through-line to my professional life is three-fold: an insatiable curiosity, a love for creative problem-solving, and a passion for collaboration.

What drove you to get into music and production?

Glen Muñoz: It’s tough for me to say how I got into music because I don’t recall a time “before music”. As long as I can remember, music has been a part of my day – much like the food I eat and the air I breathe. I was singing as soon as I could talk – and along the way, I picked up the trumpet, french horn, guitar, harmonica, drums, and percussion. Regarding production specifically – it’s a natural role for me. At a very early age, I wondered “How did they get “Sgt’ Pepper’s” to sound like that?” and “How does this magnetic tape generate sound?” and “Why does Dad’s hi-fi have dedicated inputs for the turntable?”.

The list of questions goes on and on (thanks to that insatiable curiosity). By middle school, I took the engineering/mixing reigns for the various bands I was in. When I moved to NYC and started recording in studios here, I found myself elbow to elbow with some of the best. While my bandmates would record their parts and then go play ping-pong, I sat at the board – fascinated by what the engineer could accomplish in the studio. I simply kept observing, asking questions, and learning. Soon I was engineering, mixing and producing my own projects – and those of my friends.

What are the biggest obstacles when it comes to your work? What strategies do you use to overcome them?

Glen Muñoz: As with just about everything, digital technology has dramatically changed music production and people’s roles in that process. In some ways that’s good, in some ways not-so-good and in some ways it’s to-be-seen. When I started producing in the ’90s’, the producer was the artist’s collaborative, creative partner – which drew me to the role. It’s different with each artist – some need assistance with arrangements, or a bridge, or hiring musicians for the sessions . . . others need a therapist, or cheerleader, or someone to help them overcome “red light fever” . . . yet other artists might work best when the producer keeps things running smoothly but otherwise fades into the background.

More than anything, I am there to first earn the artist’s trust and then to be an independent, reliable set of ears to lovingly steward them through the process. That might be as simple as saying “That take didn’t quite get it – let’s do it again” or – conversely – getting them unstuck by saying “That’s great. Don’t overthink it – let’s move forward”. When folks hear the word “producer” today, they think of a fairly narrow role . . . namely, someone that simply makes beats. Since my expertise lies in collaboration – stewarding the project from beginning to end – it falls on me to educate younger artists and explain the benefits of partnering with the right producer (whether I am the right fit for them – or someone else is).

Due South Studios

Burnout happens to the best of us. What do you do to stay motivated?

Glen Muñoz: I’m lucky in that I do what I love – and that I get to feed my curiosity, creatively problem-solve and collaborate with talented people every day. Still – in order to stay sharp and keep my edge, I focus on maintaining balance and keeping reasonable hours. In the music world, that can be difficult – the client load can be feast or famine at times . . . and many musicians prefer to work evenings.

To address that, I focus on clients looking to work on long-term projects that can also work during regular business hours. These tend to be the truly professional musicians that understand that recording is a process – one that is best accomplished by adhering to a regular and reliable schedule. If there is an artist that we want to partner with but they can only do evenings or weekends, I bring in an up and coming engineer to handle sessions. This allows me to spend time with family and friends, hit the gym, eat right, and maintain a healthy sleep schedule.

Running a company takes a lot of time and energy. What do you do to stay productive?

Glen Muñoz: Indeed – we all only have 24 hours in the day, and a good deal of running a company has nothing to do with the actual “work” of the company. There are countless tasks that could chew up a great deal of time and energy – but one that is a pet peeve of mine is “Accounts Receivable”.

When I first started out, I would bill clients after the job was complete. Surely every music producer has nightmare stories about the hours upon hours they’ve spent chasing down clients that owed them . . . as well as simply getting flat-out burned and never paid. I eventually got wise and implemented a “50% upfront / 50% at completion” policy – where the final files are delivered to the client once I have received the final 50%. The occasional prospective client will balk at this – but I have long ago learned that those are also the sort of clients that I no longer want to or need to work with. For my recurring clients that have established themselves to be reliable, I am willing to be more flexible – but even most of them have said “No – that’s ok. That’s how you work. We’re comfortable with that.” That approach has given me a great deal of time back.

Music seems to be shifting focus from full-length albums to shorter EPs and singles. Where do you see music production going in the future?

Glen Muñoz: With digital technology, someone can release a 30 second single or a song that has a run-time of three and half weeks. Digital technology is also throwing open the doors to just about any sound or texture and the manipulation of that sound. For the first 80 to 90 years, the whole point of a musical recording was to – as best as possible – replicate the experience of a listener sitting in the room with the artist.

Now – though – the sky’s the limit. Music production no longer has to consist of traditional music. Not a single physical instrument is needed. In fact, not a single track or texture on a recording needs to emulate a physical instrument. More than ever, music production is only limited by the artist’s creativity and willingness to explore.

Outside of Concordia Sound, what do you do for fun?

Glen Muñoz: As I mentioned, time with family and friends is important. We like to cook and host dinner parties at our home – which are often followed by jam sessions. I also like to spend time working on my own musical projects, exercise (swim, bike, run, hike), volunteer (Habitat for Humanity) and mentor younger professionals.

Do you have any advice for people who want to make and produce their own music?

Glen Muñoz: If you’re just starting out 1) start with simple projects, 2) finish them and 3) get feedback. “Start”: just start producing music – however you can. If you can get some hours in a professional studio – great. If you can do it in your basement, that’s ok too. If you can get your hands on some mics and nice gear – cool. But if you have to build everything in your laptop – that’s not a problem. If you have a song of your own – great. If not – simply record a “cover” of someone else’s song. If you’ve got access to musicians that want to record – nice. But if you don’t, play everything yourself.

The point is – don’t get hung up on the tools you have access to . . . don’t wait for the perfect set of circumstances to get started . . . just get started and see what you can do with the tools you have. “Finish”: many folks are tempted to keep tweaking and adjusting a mix. The truth is 1) you’re probably the only one that hears the difference and 2) you’re not markedly improving the song or learning anything new by spending endless hours on a small tweak. Finish it and move on. There’s far more to learn on the next project. “Feedback”: share your project with folks that have ears that you trust and respect (I’m always happy to give a listen and give feedback). Ask for their honest assessment and how you could improve. Then repeat the process. Put in the time, put in the hours, build your chops, build your ears. There are no shortcuts.

Do you have any upcoming releases or events you would like to discuss?

Glen Muñoz: Like most everyone else, Covid has caused me to pivot my business. For example – rather than hosting recording sessions in my studio, I am more focused on mixing/producing client projects remotely. I have also launched a podcast production and distribution service (Pod Pro Audio) where I – again – host recording sessions remotely.

Finally, I have recently partnered on a live-streaming solution that we call “Gig In A Box”. The box includes a VR camera, an HD camera, a 16 channel mixer, laptop computer and lighting. The artist simply sets it up, plugs in and turns it on. We handle ticketing (yes, the artists get paid!), we provide a professional, “front of house” engineer to mix the show remotely and we handle the livestream.

Thank you for talking to me this week! Where can the readers find you and your work?

Glen Muñoz: My LinkedIn is https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenmunoz/
My recording studio is at https://www.duesouthstudios.com/
My music production services are at https://www.concordiasound.com/
The podcast production/distribution services are at https://podproaudio.com/
For more info on the “Gig In a Box” livestream solution, contact me at glen@glenmunoz.com

Glen Muñoz Music

Check Out Glen Muñoz!

A huge thank you to Glen Muñoz for chatting with me this week! Make sure to check out Glen’s work at the following locations:

Due South Studios

Concordia Sound

Pod Pro Audio

Glen Muñoz on LinkedIn

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