Bogotá, Colombia's Meridian Brothers are one of my favorite active bands these days. While I've been fortunate to see their touring lineup in New York a few times in the last year, I first discovered the band through recordings of 11 unique and amazing albums. The combination of classic salsa and cumbia with psychedelic, indie, and African guitar influences resembles nothing else, and they continue to evolve in creative and surprising directions. All of the music on Meridian Brothers' recordings is created by Eblis Álvarez, who also mixes and masters other bands, writes chamber compositions, and contributes electronics, guitar, and cello to other artists' albums. I enjoyed talking to Eblis on a Zoom call when he got a break from the group's incessant tour schedule, where I got to learn about his influences, mindset, and approach.
Bogotá, Colombia's Meridian Brothers are one of my favorite active bands these days. While I've been fortunate to see their touring lineup in New York a few times in the last year, I first discovered the band through recordings of 11 unique and amazing albums. The combination of classic salsa and cumbia with psychedelic, indie, and African guitar influences resembles nothing else, and they continue to evolve in creative and surprising directions. All of the music on Meridian Brothers' recordings is created by Eblis Álvarez, who also mixes and masters other bands, writes chamber compositions, and contributes electronics, guitar, and cello to other artists' albums. I enjoyed talking to Eblis on a Zoom call when he got a break from the group's incessant tour schedule, where I got to learn about his influences, mindset, and approach.
What was your first instrument?
Percussion. I began playing drums, but then I changed to guitar and kept playing the drums.
I learned recently that you also play cello.
I do play cello. Everything is amateur. I'm not someone who bought a cello and began to play. I have 25 years playing the cello, but still, I'm not a professional. I need to practice more.
Have you been recording yourself or did you use studios?
I have always recorded in my home studio. I've been working with DAW technology all this time, just changing pieces, new equipment, and new processes. Right now, it's a hybrid: DAW, analog, and different options I find on the way.
Do you now have a console, or do you still mix inside the computer?
I have a hybrid set of gear. I have a summator, and a console for masters. I add distortion and parallel effects in a console, but I have to say it's very weird. It's not standard.
Did you teach yourself and figure it out?
No. My main studies are in composition and classical guitar, but then I had a post-graduate course in production and electro-acoustic music. I took several courses in signal processing, computer music, and the basics.
Did you study in Denmark or in Bogotá?
I did that in Denmark. I learned with a good teacher at a conservatory in the city of Aarhus in Denmark. He was patient. He was a teacher who knew a lot of interesting theory.
When you first started mixing, you probably did not have the console or what you call the summator?
No, it was totally in the box. The summator was added six or seven years ago. I found it practical, because when I work for other people it's good to have the session as I had it inside the computer. I was about to buy a console, but then I [decided not] to because the summator is much better. It has fixed levels in all channels. Even to my own mixes; when I want to make changes, it's easier because it's in the computer.
Do you do the EQ and compression in the computer?
Per channel, yeah. But on the master, no. The master bus is analog processes, after the summator. I have a Rupert Neve Designs Portico as a bus compressor. I use an Elektron distortion unit – I forgot the name – that's parallel to the master bus. Then I use several effects in parallel. Main effects, such as small distortions and small delays, go parallel to the master bus. This is not very standard, but it works for me.
It gives your mixes a recognizable quality. They sound great!
Oh, thank you. At first, I thought my mixes sounded bad, but with time I began to like them.
Is your studio setup in your home?
It's at my place, in a wooden attic. It happened to sound perfect. It's okay in size for one person. I'm not a person who is on the professional standards. I don't know why – maybe it's because I'm lazy.
I doubt it.
I just buy gear and try it; and the final result for me, the sound, is the key. But I just learned – maybe five or six years ago – that phase is the most important thing to make your music sound good on every equipment. That was a problem until 2014 or 2015. I loved the mixes in my studio, but then when I'd go to other places, like bars, I found that they didn't sound that good. It was the key mystery – for years and years, I was experimenting. Then, when I found out that the phase is an important thing, now I consider that the mixes are at the standard level of production.
Did you treat your room or get new monitors?
