Rising Stars: Meet Dylan Waterhouse

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Waterhouse.

Hi Dylan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a small town nestled in the mountains of Western Massachusetts. The arts weren’t as prevalent then as they are now, but I had some great educators in public school who inspired me to pursue a life in music. I hadn’t fully committed to it until a couple of stints in community college, working a full-time job, joining a band in Connecticut, and a failed audition to Berklee College of Music.

Thats when I learned to persevere, work even harder, and was accepted on my second try. There I developed a passion for recording and mixing. I found I really excelled at that and just enjoyed every aspect of the process, not to mention the people around me were incredibly inspiring. Upon graduating, I was a little nervous to follow my peers and make the jump to Los Angeles, but after a couple of years of freelancing in Boston and a huge itch to be where the action was, I finally moved here. Relatively quickly, I was privileged to land a gig as a runner (and occasionally assistant) at Henson Recording in Hollywood, where I really got a taste of commercial recording. After about a year there, a friend of mine offered me a couple of days as a second engineer at Woodshed Recording in Malibu and I jumped at the opportunity. How could I say no? The space is beautiful and surrounded by lush green gardens curated by the owners. Though I would miss the staff and friends at Henson, I made yet another leap of faith and joined the team more frequently at Woodshed. I now split my time between working sessions there and freelancing around Los Angeles.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think everyone experiences a little bit of hardship when trying to find their path. Between personal struggles, relationships, and just straight up failure to launch, I’ve had my family and friends to support me and guide me through. That’s a big reason why I’m still trying!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I fancy myself a musician. I love to sing, write, record and mix, but specialize in the latter. That’s where I really am most confident and passionate. While I definitely take a microscope to the technical side of music, the song matters most at the end of the day. I put all of myself into the song and only leave it with what serves it best. I find pride in not just my own ability but the ability of my peers who have continuously lifted me up and helped me grow by learning from them.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
You never know when luck (good or bad) is going to strike! Especially in the music industry. I think there are a lot of situations that could go either way. For example, say you’re an assistant engineer and happen to be in the right place and time to take over for the vocal engineer because they’re late or don’t show. If you’re prepared to do that job in that time and place, then I’d say that’s good luck! I know it’s super cheesy and vague, but being prepared can alleviate a lot of anxiety when luck strikes.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@dylan-waterhouse.com
• Website: http://dylan-waterhouse.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/ddwaterhouse
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3BBl6nI7LC3s7E9SIoKvoi?si=h-f4o2KMSUmt-XunHcxCnQ

Image Credits
Kieran Barber