{"id":5146,"date":"2017-09-06T07:58:05","date_gmt":"2017-09-06T14:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pro.harman.com\/insights\/?p=5146"},"modified":"2017-09-05T17:47:09","modified_gmt":"2017-09-06T00:47:09","slug":"capturing-the-vibe-with-wil-chilly-willy-madera-front-of-house-and-studio-engineer-for-pitbull","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pro.harman.com\/insights\/entertainment\/touring\/capturing-the-vibe-with-wil-chilly-willy-madera-front-of-house-and-studio-engineer-for-pitbull\/","title":{"rendered":"Capturing the Vibe with Wil \u201cChilly Willy\u201d Madera, Front of House and Studio Engineer for Pitbull"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the heart of master-showman Pitbull\u2019s concert is an exhilarating multilayered mix driven by award-winning front of house and recording engineer, Wil Madera. In the 10 years since Wil began working with \u201cMr. Worldwide,\u201d the tours and rapid succession of hit songs have resulted in a massive cross-cultural following. For Wil, every nuance is crucial as he fine-tunes the mix to support the nonstop party atmosphere of the shows.<\/p>\n

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Wil was born and raised in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. He discovered his passion for music while studying classical music and opera in a high school. However, more than mastering traditional compositions, Wil became intrigued by sound quality and signal flows. He soon realized that his calling was to create sound and music. After graduation, Wil attended the Institute of Audio Research [IAR] in New York, where he studied studio mixing and production. He spent the next few years serving as a front of house engineer at theaters while honing his recording skills working in studios.<\/p>\n

In 2006, Wil mixed monitors and front of house at a small New York club for Omar Tavarez, Pitbull\u2019s first drummer. Omar liked Wil\u2019s work and introduced him to Pitbull, who invited him to join his team. Wil\u2019s first Pitbull show was at the high-profile Calle Ocho Festival in Miami, and they have worked together ever since.<\/p>\n

Between tour dates, I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Wil about life on the road and in the studio with Pitbull.<\/p>\n

[MM] How would you describe the atmosphere at a Pitbull concert?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] Most of Pit\u2019s songs are party songs. It\u2019s a high-energy show from start to finish. Almost all of our songs are more than 100 BPM [beats per minute].<\/p>\n

What really makes his shows unique, though, is his personality and how he approaches the audience. He gets really into it, and it\u2019s like wow! Sometimes I feel people aren\u2019t expecting a full show with a live band and dancers. They think it\u2019s just going to be some rapper out there, but the music, lights, videos and the way he talks to the crowd all interact to give them a great experience.<\/p>\n

The other thing is that Pit\u2019s shows always have a strong motivational element and positive vibe. He tells the people in the audience to follow their dreams and never quit. The music is super happy, and he gets everyone to forget about their problems and just party.<\/p>\n

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Wil Madera (one from left) with his team and Eric Friedlander and Scott Anderson from HARMAN<\/p><\/div>\n

[MM] Does his positive message also impact the touring group?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] Absolutely! Pitbull keeps us positive, so we continually try to improve everything we do. Every day, we strive to be better and do better. He says that getting too comfortable sets people up for failure. Every year, every department\u2014lighting, video and sound\u2014improves. That includes Pitbull. This tour is our best so far. Trying to improve our work keeps us awake and engaged. We\u2019ve definitely seen it on this tour.<\/p>\n

[MM] How does the front of house mix help immerse the audience in a party\u00a0environment?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] I try not to lose any of the energy that Pitbull puts out. Even though we\u2019re in arenas and stadiums, I like to keep a club vibe going. Part of that is making sure everybody is happy with the low-end. I don\u2019t want to hurt people with overwhelming bass frequencies. I like a nice low-end, like in a club, with a nice attack on the drums. I also focus on the clarity of each individual instrument on stage with the DJ. That helps me transmit Pitbull\u2019s energy to the crowd.<\/p>\n

I try to find that sweet spot in every venue we go into. Our JBL VTX 25<\/a>-II line array helps a lot. I know the system so well now that it makes my mixing go smoothly and helps me maintain consistency. The low-end can change a lot song-to-song, so I make sure to blend it with the rest of the sound to keep the rhythms balanced. The V25-II allows me to convey exactly what I want.<\/p>\n

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[MM] How many musicians are on stage with Pitbull?<\/strong>
\n[Wil] We have live drums, bass, keyboards and percussion\u2014four musicians plus a DJ. The tricky part, and what makes us unique, is having a live band and a DJ. Working with Pitbull all these years, I\u2019ve figured out how to blend the band with the recorded tracks and the DJ. I go for the vibe of making sure everything is heard, but with the live rhythm of punchy drums and live bass that keeps my low-end consistent. You can hear everything very clearly, including Pit\u2019s vocals and the live band.<\/p>\n

[MM] Are there any technical challenges on the tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] There are always challenges. I would say that the biggest one is going into different venues every day and trying to keep the sound the same. Once you have your mix dialed in, it should sound the same everywhere. It becomes a matter of tuning the PA, so the mix sounds right every single night. That\u2019s how I maintain consistency in the live shows. Fortunately, we have the help of Jesus Canton, who travels with me and is my right-hand man when it comes to live sound.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

[MM] You\u2019ve been recognized with several awards for your work. Can you tell me about them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] In 2016, I received the Pensado Award<\/a> in the Live\/FOH category for my work on Pitbull\u2019s \u201cBad Man\u201d tour. We also won a Latin GRAMMY\u00ae<\/sup><\/strong> Award for \u201cBest Urban Performance\u201d for \u201cEcha Pa\u2019lla (Manos Pa\u2019rriba).\u201d I co-wrote the song with Papayo, our percussionist, and mixed the vocals. I was also part of an album by Gente de Zona that won a Latin GRAMMY.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s very humbling and exciting to receive these honors. I\u2019m not going to lie, doing work that the industry recognizes really feels good. More than anything, though, it makes me want to work harder.<\/p>\n

[MM] Do you have a specific role when you work in the recording studio with Pitbull?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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[Wil] It\u2019s different with different projects. Sometimes I\u2019m the recording engineer, and other times, I produce and mix. I co-produced \u201cWe Are Strong,\u201d the first song on Pitbull\u2019s latest album, \u201cClimate Change.\u201d I also mix other artists.<\/p>\n

[MM] Where is the studio where you work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] When I started working with Pitbull, I moved from New York to Miami, and we built a studio there. That\u2019s where we work most of the time. We go in and record with different players, but most of the time, I work with the same team. Papayo and I work together in the studio a lot of the time.<\/p>\n

When we\u2019re on the road, we actually travel with a mobile studio. We set it up in a hotel room and are always producing and recording. We try to always keep ourselves busy. We even work on the plane!<\/p>\n

[MM] What kind of gear do you have in your traveling studio? <\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] We have a Mac Pro Tower with Pro Tools, Logic Pro, FL Studio and a rack of gear. Our reference monitors are JBL LSR305s<\/a>. We like to travel with the 305s, because they\u2019re very compact and sound amazing. We\u2019ve mixed a lot of music through those little monitors. Besides, we love that they\u2019re called 305s, because it really relates to us [305 is the area code in Miami].<\/p>\n

[MM] Do you also have a studio at home?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] I do, but to be honest, I don\u2019t play any actual instruments. I just use my mouse to make notes when I\u2019m producing. I don\u2019t physically work with artists or musicians in my home studio. I only mix and produce. If I need help with live instruments or anything else, I send the tracks out to musicians, and they send them back to me. I have a pair of the great new JBL 705P<\/a> studio monitors there.<\/p>\n

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[MM] Do you have a preference for studio or live work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] I have a passion for both. I like the studio because it\u2019s calmer, but I also love the rush of live sound. There\u2019s always something happening in live production. You have to figure things out quickly when there\u2019s an issue, and I kind of like that. Then, in the studio, it\u2019s fun because it\u2019s all about creating sounds and mixing. There are challenges with both of them. They\u2019re different, but each is compelling in its own way.<\/p>\n

[MM] Does knowing Pitbull\u2019s music so well from recording it help you create live mixes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] Yes. Plugin wise, EQ wise and with reverb, I try everything in the studio first before bringing it into a live show. Let\u2019s say I find a nice sound for the kick drum in the studio and have a chain of EQs, compressors and all that. I\u2019ll copy the settings and try to recreate it for our live sound. Now, more than ever, it\u2019s possible to translate sound from one environment to another.<\/p>\n

[MM] Do you have an underlying approach to your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] Definitely. I try to create a unique sound for everything I work on. That\u2019s the most important thing to me. Even with my live kick sound, I like it to be my own. I don\u2019t imitate anyone. I always go for what I feel in my heart; that\u2019s what I want to create.<\/p>\n

[MM] Do you have a dream project you\u2019d like to develop?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] Yes, I\u2019ve been thinking about producing a whole album on my own. I\u2019m hoping to do it by New Year\u2019s and have different artists perform on it. That\u2019s my goal. Thankfully, I\u2019m connected to many Latin artists through working with Pitbull. He always introduces us and encourages us to network. One day, I had the idea to make an album with everyone on it and see what happens. It\u2019s one of my dreams to be recognized as a producer, and I\u2019m going to try my hardest to make it happen.<\/p>\n

[MM] Does music like Pitbull\u2019s help bridge cultural differences between Latin and mainstream American music?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Wil] It does a lot; it unites everybody. Now you have rhythms from Latin music in American music. There are country songs with Latin rhythm parts and Reggaeton blending Latin rhythms and hip-hop. I feel like right now everything in music is about fusion, which is really cool, especially for young kids. It opens their minds to other cultures and makes them feel like they can do so much more. Music really does bring people together.<\/p>\n

Many thanks to Wil for sharing his insights on working with Pitbull. Check out this video in which Wil discusses mixing Pitbull’s live sound on VTX.<\/p>\n