In today’s digital revolution, music travels around the world through the web at speeds unknown making it much easier for artists and producers to collaborate and get their songs to the public much quicker than coordinating studio time, travel, and then standing on line at FYE. But, sometimes quicker means less attention to detail. Well, one engineer who is not sold on losing the integrity of a song’s quality to today’s inevitable technology surge is Jeff Villanueva, current engineer for Multi Platinum Production duo The Runners. Whether it’s a platinum or indie artist, and no matter what speakers you listen to your music on, Jeff explains why some mixes are better than others, and why spending 26 hours on a mix is like fine wine. Drink up people!

Interview by J Hatch of iStandard, Inc.

Hey Jeff, thanks for taking time out of your hectic schedule to provide us with your story, let the readers know who you are and what you have been working on.

I definitely have to say that my rise in the engineering world is a testament of my strong work ethic, raw ability and my consistent high energy levels. In my brief musical career I have contributed my work to many multi-platinum albums with some of the biggest artist from Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, T.I., Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, J- Lo., Ray J, Bobby Valentino, to Super Producers such as The Runners, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, and Timbaland, bringing my total album sales to over 25 million worldwide. That’s quite an impressive resume there Jeff, how did you get started in the business of music? I got started in the business shortly after graduating High School in 1997. I had already been in music for the past 8 years performing in my school Jazz and marching bands and at home I was being a closet DJ.

So now your an engineer to the stars, and you have contributed to the sonic successes of many major label artists. In your own words what is the difference between a tracking and mixing engineer?

Very good question. There are many different roles a good engineer both tracking and mixing that one has to carry out through their task. On the tracking side you have to play more of a role of a technical adviser. Planning out what types of mics and gear would help capture the feel that the artist and producer envisioned for the record. Second, you want to make the artist feel as comfortable as possible. When they feel great, they’re gonna perform great for you, which means less work for you at the end of the night when everyone has left and you’re still working. Third and most important is your hearing. You have to have to listen to the takes as their being recorded even when there are 15 people in the control room talking over the music. There have been so many times where an artist might get into the groove and for a split second they move away from the mic, and you lose that presence they had on the previous takes. Or they might reach a high point in the record and they begin to over drive the preamp a little. It’s your responsibility to notice these things with your ears and not your eyes. Cause your ears don’t blink. So many times I’ve notice with new cats is they depend on the visual aspect of pro tools. Yes I agree it’s great seeing it go down, but your eyes can’t hear the imperfections. I’m not saying it’s easy…It’s hard, even at the stage where I’m at in the game. It took me a long time of making mistakes and losing money in the beginning of my career to be able to train myself to hear these mistakes. Whenever in doubt just always ask or go back and listen. Trust me, the artist and producer won’t mind at all. On the mixing end, I believe it’s about enhancing. What I mean about that is taking what’s already given to you and just making it punch harder or cleaning up the clarity of the record. Every time I approach a mix, 85 percent of the time my client will give me a ruff mix they did and they’ll say keep all the levels the same just make that shit hit harder and give it depth. It’s important to preserve the vision of the record.

Since you are so involved in the mix and final outcome of each record, do you feel a certain amount of pressure to work at a specific level of expectation an artist or label may have for that project?

Ironically, while working with big artists I have never felt a huge deal of expectation. I think a lot of the time they feel you would not be there unless you are qualified. Also a lot of the times these days I’m being hired from the producer and not the artist. So the artist trusts the producer to hand them that big hit. Personality and Professionalism is always expected though. You can’t be star struck. You need to perform. The artist is depending on you to help their career.

So I’m guessing that you’re a perfectionist, that’s got to be a reason these guys come to you too. Talk about your most time-consuming mix and why it took so long.

My most time consuming mix just recently happened. It was the Beanie Sigal (featuring R. Kelly) “All the Above” record. It was time consuming for me because I didn’t have all the elements to the record when I started. While I was mixing the record R. Kelly was still cutting his vocal parts, but in the end it always works out. It actually gave me more time to tweak the music and try new stuff with the gear I had in the room. That mix took me about 26 hours once I finished printing the stems. I don’t believe there’s a formula or time limit to a mix or production. You do what you gotta do until the end. At the end of the day you’re only as good as the last project you worked on.

What’s crazy is that my business partner Don Di Napoli and I were with Lenny S. in Chicago when that phone call came in about R. Kelly agreeing to do the record with Beans!! Let’s talk about your current situations and your working relationship with one of today’s most exciting production teams The Runners, how did that all go down?

I guess it’s like that old saying. I was “at the right place at the right time”. We actually met through a mutual friend who is also a producer by the name of Infinity. I had worked with Infinity on a few projects under Rodney Jerkins and he was living with Dru from The Runners at the time, and he had kept on mentioning that they were on the come up and we had to link up. Before meeting the guys I was actually a fan not even knowing that they had created “Hustlin” for Rick Ross. When we actually hooked up I was in transition of starting up my company Until The End Music Group, and going into more of a freelance engineer. So we met in the studio (of course), and were immediately from the first moment as we say “Running”. One of the projects we’re most currently working on and I’m most excited about is their artist Bali. Look out for him and The Runners doing big things in ‘08. Bali has been with the guys now for about 5 years perfecting his craft and patiently waiting. He’s ready and his flows are just as refreshing as hearing The Runners signature “Breath Sound” on the tracks.

Digital is the best thing and worst thing. I love the efficiency and being able to even have access to it in a house, but now everyone thinks they can mix because they have Pro-Tools. Trust me it’s like fine wine; you get better over time. Unfortunately the consumers don’t know the process and time it takes to make a record sound like a hit and everyday our work is being compressed down into an mp3 or ring tone so the general public ears are being trained to think and hear, that the quality of an mp3 is just as good as a full bandwidth file. So a lot of crappy mixes are hitting the radio now.

Yeah, seems like some artists aren’t concerned with their mixes, but we won’t call them out! Well, not yet anyway! So when it comes to those who intend to cut corners, how would you steer them different and convince them that the mix is still very crucial to a records success?

The Mix can definitely make or break a record. I’ve talked to major producers and we’ve have had conversations about a record they did and they felt that record did not break the top 10 because of a mix. Or an independent artist could not get the radio station to play a joint because the record was to bass heavy and it sounded distorted. When you pay for a mixer, you’re not only paying for his ears and creativity, your also paying for the room or environment it is mixed in so no matter what speakers you play your record on it always gonna sound the same. You always want to make sure you have your best foot forward. You only get one chance to make a good impression. I’m not gonna lie though if you get that feeling after the 2 track mix is done and everyone is feeling it, sometimes you can roll with it. You’re gonna know though. It’s that Producer instinct.

Very informative interview Jeff, we at iStandard appreciate your time. For those with serious intentions to book you for a tracking or mixing gig, who should they contact to hire you for your services?

For anyone looking for engineering or mixing I can be easily reached thru my management. Image 3 Management Rick Adams 321-544-0651 EMAIL HERE Also if you’re looking to trade tips or look for advice my e-mail is HERE Please e-mail me so I can keep you posted on the launch of my new website