Conversations with Robert Dunne

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Dunne.

Hi Robert, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for music and passion for audio began as early as I can remember. I faced some difficult challenges in my childhood, and music was the first outlet I had that served as something therapeutic for me. It offered a healthy way of coping with what was happening around me. As my love and interest grew, my curiosity for sound and the process of creating what I was listening to started to blossom. I simultaneously explored the process of expressing myself as an artist and writing lyrics. Throughout middle school, I knew a few people who were trying to make instrumentals inside of FL Studio. By the time I got to high school, a friend of mine was pretty adept at the recording, mixing, and mastering process inside of a DAW (specifically, Pro Tools). I became familiar with how accessible it was starting to become with modern technology and how it was something I could actually learn to do with the right equipment. I started slowly and got my hands on whatever recording software I could, just to get acclimated with the process. The very first software I ever recorded anything and made an instrumental on was a mobile app. But after spending time on that app, I hit a point where what I wanted to do was capped. From there, I started exploring more professional software. I went from Audacity to GarageBand, from GarageBand to Logic, and then finally decided I needed to learn how to use Pro Tools. By 11th grade, I was making my own music from scratch (instrumentals, writing, recording, mixing, and mastering) and started to gain a little notoriety in my school and neighborhood. The more I did it, the more I fell in love with it.

After graduating high school, I went to community college for about two semesters before ultimately deciding that I wanted to pursue music production and audio engineering as a legitimate career field. I went to LACM in Pasadena and earned my AA in Music Production, where I learned all of the professional knowledge I needed that I was missing from being self-taught. A year after graduating, I was fortunate enough to land a job at Paramount Recording Studio in LA, thanks to a referral from my cousin. That’s where I really learned the details and insight for what happens inside this industry and how it operates. My experience there serves as something invaluable for what led me to where I am in my career today. Although I didn’t stay there, I took a big part of it with me. In 2016, I took some time away from engineering and music altogether. Things didn’t work out at Paramount, and I started working outside of my field. The job I was in was very demanding, which made it difficult to do anything else outside of it. I used that time away as a moment for growing, developing myself and my skills, and making/saving money. In April of 2021, I decided it was time for me to get back to where my heart wanted me to be. I started applying to studios and was very fortunate to have been hired by MIX Recording Studio in Korea Town. I’ve been there since and have now become the lead engineer and studio manager, along with countless opportunities, working with amazingly great and talented creatives on a plethora of different types of genres and media.

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 surely has not been a smooth road, but I feel like that comes with any career path. Some of the bigger struggles have been long nights with weird hours and little sleep, not having a lot of time to spend with friends and family, difficult or unreasonable expectations and criticism, learning to work with every and any kind of personality, learning to be flexiible, and performing well in high-pressure environments at any given moment.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Although I work primarily as an audio engineer, I am also a songwriter, artist, and producer. I’m most passionate about sound and being able to understand and manipulate it. But I also enjoy the process of creating music. When I initially began this journey, my primary focus was to create music, but I always had an innate desire to be able to execute the technical side of it. Over time, that interest grew to be the more dominant focus. What I’m known for would depend on who you’re asking, but in general, I would think of it as being someone who makes or assists in the creation of music. I specialize in the recording, mixing, and mastering process and am most proud of my ability to listen to music, or any audio in general, and identify what it needs in order to make it more impactful and professional. I love producing music as well, whether it be from the initial start of the song (concept, musicality, songwriting, arrangement, vibe, tone, etc.) or just contributing creative thought to what an existing song or album might need. I think what sets me apart from others is the amount of time I have in experience and the standard to which I hold myself and my work. I don’t feel good about what I do unless I give my 200% into it. That goes for my own work or anybody I work with.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I think first and foremost, credit would go to my grandparents and my aunt. They saved my life and were supportive of me and my vision from the beginning. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them for many reasons. My close friends are no exception. Another set of important people I’d like to mention would be my professors at school, especially Andre. The education I received was irreplaceable. It equipped me with a professional understanding and awareness along with a number of skills that I use every day in my work. I like to give credit to all of the amazing people I’ve worked with, and continue to work with, who believe in me and what I do. Lastly, I owe a lot of credit to MIX Recording Studio for the opportunities they’ve given me that have led me to where I am now.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bobbydunnit.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobby_dunnit