Meet Brandon Miranda

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Miranda.

Hi Brandon, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started playing guitar in middle school after; the guitar was a gift to my mother but she never had the chance to learn it, so I’d sneak into the closet, pull out the guitar and strum around pretending to be a rockstar. I started doing this so regularly that my parents offered to book me into lessons (…the noise I was making must have been too much!). But in all seriousness, they clearly noticed a deep passion for music within me.

As I grew, I started playing guitar for every opportunity I could get – jazz bands, church and multiple garage bands. The more I played the more I became exposed to music production and recording. The studio was such a cool environment to me and I was intrigued by the mixture of technical and creative skillsets. Moreover, the engineer’s special role as a leader a creative leader fascinated me. It was their job to manifest an artist’s vision into reality.

I graduated from Chapman University with degrees in classical guitar and economics but was determined to land a job in the studio. I got my foot in the door interning for Kaskade’s manager and was then introduced to my now mentor Lovy Longomba. An experienced songwriter and producer, Lovy is grammy-nominated and has credits for Gwen Stefani, Iggy Azalea and more…he taught me nearly everything I know about making pop music…he especially pushed me as a mixer and vocal engineer, in my opinion, the two most vital roles in commercial music. Under Lovy, I had the chance to assist and record artists including Akon and Tinie Tempah; working with that level of talent grew me fast and I quickly started to find work in other studios including Paramount and APG.

It’s a small industry, so once you’re in the system as an engineer, then you start running into the same faces. That eventually lead to my gigs with Diddy and Love Records.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s definitely a BUMPY ride, especially in the beginning. There have been many moments when I wasn’t sure if I could make ends meet; those financial pressures of being a creative entrepreneur can be incredibly heavy. That’s why my faith is SO vital to me. Believing in God has been my anchor of faith in all times, but it has been especially crucial during tough times. When times were difficult, I could always lean on two truths: 1) God has brought me this far, so we know for a fact that this isn’t the end of the story 2) Anytime there is a period of retraction, it almost always means the He is preparing to slingshot me into the next level. Those two facts have never let me down.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an audio mixing engineer! It’s my role to take an artist’s or filmmaker’s audio and further capture the emotion they are trying to express through their work; all the while finalizing the record to sound professional and commercially competitive. I use a lot a mixture of hardware and software to get the job done, analyzing, editing, and enhancing audio – so the job is equal parts artistic and technical. Some notable clients I have worked with include P. Diddy, NoCap, Akon, Netflix, META, and Paramount+.

Recently I finished leading the engineering team for Diddy’s Love Records. We spent two weeks with 12 rooms in which Puff and the whole team invited hundreds of writers, artists, and producers to help create a debut album for his new label. It was HARD work and lots of sleepless nights (I think I started at 4pm and drove home at 8am almost every day), but my team and I pulled through and facilitated an incredible body of work. Once I was done with that, I jetted off to the Dominican Republic to teach a music production workshop…

Teaching is a huge component of my career. It’s one of my ways of giving back as well as keeping me sharp as a professional. I recently was invited by a mentee to help teach one of her workshops in the Dominican Republic. The after-school program (named InspireDR) had 9 eager boys between the ages of 14 – 20 that I was able to introduce to basic production techniques. I showed them how to sample, make beats, and record vocals. This trip was incredibly fulfilling; Inspire and I are currently in talks about a second trip to teach another workshop!

Being a musician and music-maker sets me apart from most engineers. A lot of people these days just hit record and capture the sound, but knowing how to produce, write and perform music gives me a special edge that’s difficult to find in the industry. While it’s important to make things sound clean, my priority is making the best feeling record possible…sometimes that means breaking the sonic rules and leaning into the vision of the artist. The technically “correct” decision isn’t always the “best” decision.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Give more than you receive. I see too many people these days that are hyperfocused on enhancing what they have built. There’s nothing wrong with this, we are meant to live life with full cups, but what’s the point if we are not giving back during the process? There is always someone that wants what we have. Whether it’s money, mentorship, service or time, there’s always something we can offer to others. Even in tough times when things may feel slim, the power of giving can completely shift your mindset and heart.

Pricing:

• Vocal Engineering – $60 per hour
• Mixing Package 1: ($350 – $600 per song; depends on your project!)
• Mixing for Synch/TV: $75 and 15% of the song (percentages are negotiable)
• Lessons – $125 per session ($400 for a package of 4)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://soundbetter.com/profiles/68428-brandon-miranda?just_published=true
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_brandonmiranda/
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5c4hGtLOMG7AFGdcSx0z96?si=b109a895009b48ee

Image Credits
Studio Photos – Alexis Guatier teaching photos – Angel Bracho