Check Out Ghislain Brind’Amour’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ghislain Brind’Amour.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My journey in music started at a young age. I was often forced to accompany my mom to church, and I found myself drawn to all the musical instruments. I would sneak over and play them whenever the opportunity was available (and sometimes when it wasn’t!). Eventually, the music director suggested putting me in organ lessons so I could actually learn how to play.

From there, I became fascinated with sound and how you could completely change the tonality of an instrument just by playing around with a few knobs. The more lessons I took, the more interested I became in creating. My parents bought me a synthesizer to practice on, and instead of practicing what my teacher gave me, I would spend hours creating things and figuring out what the synthesizer could do. The quote my parents probably heard most from my teacher was, “Ghislain would be amazing if only he practiced more.”

By my early teenage years, I had picked up the guitar and started forming bands. I ended up gigging at a relatively young age, mostly playing covers at different venues. Once those bands fizzled out, I became interested in music production and suddenly the computer became my instrument.

My obsession with sound continued, but I still loved creating. I teamed up with a good friend and former bandmate and we made an album. We were 16 years old and had absolutely no idea what we were doing, but somehow we ended up with an album. We had CDs printed, started doing shows and actually sold a bunch of them. At that point, it became pretty clear to me that music was going to be my path.

Eventually that group broke up and I moved to Montreal, where I attended Recording Arts Canada. That experience led to an internship at Planet Studios. I started at the bottom, cleaning the studio, making coffees and doing whatever needed to be done until I finally got invited into the room.
Once I got there, I never really left.
I worked my way up through the studio, working constantly and learning as much as I possibly could. Eventually, I went out on my own and began focusing my craft more specifically on mixing.

Over the last 20 years, music has taken me to places like Los Angeles and Atlanta for work, and I’ve had the privilege of working with artists including Rihanna, Lauryn Hill, Lil Yachty, Icona Pop, as well as many of Canada’s top artists. I’ve been fortunate to work on records that have won major awards, reached the top of the charts and taken me places I never could have imagined when I was that kid messing around with the instruments at church.
Today, I’m still doing essentially the same thing that fascinated me in the beginning: experimenting with sound, helping artists bring their ideas to life, and trying to make records that connect with people. The tools and opportunities have changed quite a bit, but that curiosity has never really gone away.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, and challenges still pop up to this day.

In the early days, a big part of the struggle was simply being taken seriously and earning your place. Money also rears its ugly head pretty quickly when you’re trying to go all in on your passion while still earning enough to live. There were times when I would take odd jobs overnight so I could keep my days available for the studio, and then occasionally lose those jobs because a session ran later than expected. Music always came first, sometimes whether that was the sensible decision or not.

As things started to become more established, the challenges changed. You get into a serious relationship, kids come into your life, and suddenly you’re trying to find a work/life balance that allows you to keep growing your business and jump on opportunities while still being present for the people who matter to you. That’s something I still work at to this day.

There’s also the challenge of staying relevant. Music and the technology around it are constantly changing, and I’ve watched the industry reinvent itself several times over the course of my career. You have to stay curious and be willing to evolve without losing sight of what made you good at what you do in the first place.
I don’t think the challenges ever really disappear. They just change as you move forward.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a mixing engineer. In simple terms, I’m one of the last people to work creatively on a song or album before it goes out into the world. I take everything that the artist and producer have created and bring all of those elements together into a finished record.

Although I work across a wide range of musical genres, I would say my real specialty is bringing the artist and producer’s vision to life. Every project is different, so my job isn’t to impose a particular sound or formula on a record. It’s to understand what the artist is trying to accomplish, figure out what the song needs, and help get it there.
I think that’s also what I’ve become known for. I never want to get in the way of an artist’s vision, but I’m there to make sure that vision comes out sounding as good and as impactful as it possibly can. It’s no small responsibility, and it’s something I still genuinely love doing every day.

One of the things I’m most proud of isn’t necessarily a particular award or record. It’s still being part of the journey with some of the artists I came up with and watching them go on to achieve amazing things. Some of those relationships have lasted many years and many records, and there’s something really special about growing together.

Ultimately, I think the end result is what sets me apart. There are a million different tools and techniques you can use to mix a record, but people don’t hire me because of which compressor or EQ I use. They come to me because of what I bring to their music, and I’m incredibly grateful that artists continue to trust me with something that’s so important to them.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love Montreal for its creative energy. This city is such a melting pot of cultures and incredible talent, and getting to watch the music and creative community grow and evolve over the last 20 years has been amazing. There’s always something happening here, and I think that energy has played a big part in my own career as well.

What do I like least? I can’t do the construction anymore! If you live in Montreal, you know exactly what I mean.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.MixedByGee.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mixedbygee/?hl=en