Author Interview: Migueljl

This week in our series of interviews of AudioJungle authors, we meet…

Migueljl (Miguel Jiménez López)

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from, what do you do for a living?

I was born in Zaragoza (Spain) in 1978, and my father started to teach me guitar at the age of seven. Now that I have finished my study of Audio Engineering in the SAE Institute (Madrid), I work in Madrid as a musician on different projects (jazz, flamenco, funk and bossa nova). I also work as an audio engineer in live concerts, and in one studio recording bands. Sometimes like to freelance.

2. How long have you been composing music and what got you started producing?

I have been composing for about ten years for bands I perform in, and also for few publicity companies.

3. Do you play any instruments? Do you have any formal music training?

I play classical and electric guitar, bass, piano, drums, didgeridoo, bongo, flamenco cajon, traverse flute, tamtam, and pandeiro (a Brazilian percussion instrument).

4. Could you describe to us your home studio and the equipment and software you typically use to produce audio?

In my home studio i work with a Mac. The software I use is Logic 9, Reason, and Live. My audio interface is a Motu 828mkII and my keyboard is an M-Audio Oxygen 61. I work with these mics: AKG 414 and AKG C-451, AKG D-112.

5. Could you tell us a bit about how you typically compose and then produce your audio? Describe your creative process.

Usually when I compose I start with the harmony, and think about adding a nice melody, because for me compose a beautiful melody is the most difficult part. So when i have got the chords and melody, I try to give breath to the song with silences and arrangements.

6. What genre of music do you enjoy producing for and why?

I enjoy producing all kinds of music, as long as it has quality, and you can feel something when listening to it. All music is good if you feel something with it – the problem is when you can’t feel anything. But my favorite genres are jazz, bossa nova, flamenco, salsa, and funk.

7. What kind of things inspire you to create music? Do you have any musical influences?

I need nature and beautiful women for inspiration. My influences change each day, but I love:

• Tomatito
• Caetano Veloso
• Paco de Lucia
• Led Zeppelin
• Hendrix
• Pat Metheny
• Django Reinhardt.

8. What genres of music do you listen to in your spare time? Do you have any favorite bands or artists?

I listen a lot of jazz and flamenco, but my favorite band is The Baltic Salsa Orchestra – the band where I played percussion in Lithuania and where I learnt many things from local musicians.

9. What are your three favorite tracks in your AudioJungle portfolio and why do you like them?

My favorite tracks of my AudioJungle portfolio are:

Always at Night

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Short Blues-Jazzy

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Thoughts

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10. Apart from yourself, who is your favorite AudioJungle author and why do you like them?

Because I really like their melodies and audio quality, my favorite AudioJungle author are:

• Soundroll
• Scottwills

11. Could you tell us about some of your audio projects outside of AudioJungle? What have been some of your biggest audio successes so far?

For five years I traveled and played with different bands in Lithuania, Estonia, Letonia, and Dubai(Arabian Emirates), and worked as a musician in the Sheraton Hotel, Kaliningrad.

13. When you aren’t busy creating music, what do you like to do in your spare time?

In my spare time I try to go out of the cities to nature, and if I can, I travel to countries where I have never been.

View / listen to Migueljl’s AudioJungle portfolio.