Nov 18, 2008 6:19 PM, By Matt Gallagher

Rebeca Mauleón (www.rebecamauleon.com) has dedicated much of her life and 30-year music career to the study of Afro-Caribbean music, and now is arguably one of the United States’ leading authorities on the subject. In that pursuit, she developed a truly multifaceted career in which she shares her knowledge in numerous ways—as a pianist, vocalist, bandleader, musical director, composer, arranger, producer, clinician, teacher, lecturer, author, journalist and consultant. Mauleón is based in San Francisco but her work frequently takes her on the road in the U.S. and abroad.

The story “Project Studio: Forest Hill Studios” in Mix’s December 2008 issue profiles Mauleón’s home studio, in which she works on music for film, videogames, music software, album projects and more. In this interview, Mauleón expands on her studio work, sharing her particular experiences, insights and approaches to creating and capturing Afro-Caribbean music for a variety of projects.

How do you divide your time between all of the different types of work that you do?
Good question! My trademark as a wearer of many hats seems more and more relevant these days, but honestly, you just make it work. I somehow have found a way to balance the professional life of a musician with motherhood, teaching and everything else. And yet I still manage to get my eight hours of sleep! I also try not to schedule a lot away from home. When I gig out of state—which is more often these days—I try to combine it with some other aspect, such as doing a clinic, even a family vacation.

How did you get started with music technology?
I began in the ’80s when I was an undergrad at Mills College and bought my first Mac along with the first version of [MOTU’s] Performer—before it went digital—and [MOTU’s] Professional Composer. I’ve used Finale [notation software] since it came out.

The learning process was daunting at first, primarily because I detest using manuals! Since I wasn’t too tech savvy early on, the troubleshooting was a bit challenging—how can you troubleshoot something if you don’t know what it’s called? Fortunately I had several tech “gurus” at my beck and call who didn’t seem to mind my frantic phone calls at all hours of the night when I’d hit a wall. Over the years I’ve continued my do-it-yourself approach and relied on colleagues, but I’ve also benefited from the Internet age as far as access to information. I can’t imagine life without Google!

Has your home studio been in the same space all along, or did it begin somewhere else?
I’ve had a project studio in my home for about 20 years or so, beginning in my previous home. It certainly has been re-configured over the years, mainly as gear or software became obsolete or as I found a more streamlined solution to my needs.

I understand that your studio space is a shared multipurpose room, despite its small size.
My husband does video and photo editing there, and my sons play piano and drums. My oldest son plays drums, so most of the time the kit is set up in there as well. I keep a lot of gear in the garage—mic stands, amps, etc.

I also manage several Websites from this computer, so the studio doubles as a home office. Above all else, the studio is also my little sanctuary—I come down here to read, practice, surf the Web, cool off when it gets hot those two or three days a year in San Francisco!

And you’re set up to record other musicians there.
Live tracking usually occurs as a result of a particular commission or pre-production—for example, when I work on mock-ups of the arrangements for a recording, or when I create music for software [companies] such as Electronic Arts and PG Music. I’ve had musicians in here to do vocal overdubs, bass, percussion and horns; in those cases I end up using the nice Avalon preamps.

How do you interface with other studios in terms of file exchanges, and so on?
As far as my collaborative work, one of my partners and I essentially work entirely by file exchanges. When he comes over, it’s usually just for lunch! The work-for-hire pieces are more and more done this way, as well. One of my clients represents a 17-piece salsa band from Korea, and we have evolved into a totally digital work environment. I must say, I don’t miss the days of having to spend hours burning DVDs or snail-mailing hard-drives or scores! Between Apple’s iDisk utility, Fetch, YouSendIt and other file-sharing services, sending and receiving work is a breeze.

Could you tell me about your recent projects?
I recently finished up a batch of music for the Electronic Arts Sims 3 game. The music for Electronic Arts is always a joy to work on. I pretty much get total creative freedom once the stylistic parameters are set. They know my expertise in a variety of “ethnic” music styles, and wanted me to create original music within these genres. The fun part happens when I get to make up nonsensical lyrics to the tunes!

Fortunately for me, I have up to now been able to write music that is not necessarily “wallpaper”; that is to say, it is intended to be listened to! In the Sims, the player will purchase a boom-box or home stereo system as part of their virtual world scenario and actively dial in a “station” where the music will play, so it really is being broadcast to active listeners.

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