Los Angeles, CA — February 2017… If you grew up in the ‘80s, his guitar licks are still ringing in your ears. His charismatic riffs are an integral part of classic cuts by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, Kenny Loggins, Kitaro, and many others.
These days, John DeFaria’s music is still ubiquitous, the soundtrack to TV and movies like American Dad, Lifetime, and Oprah Winfrey’s channel. As with most TV composers, DeFaria’s world is fast-paced and demanding, with deadline driven mixes that have to sound good no matter who’s listening and on what system.
“Most of the guys I send my mixes to are listening to my music on their iPhone or their laptop,” DeFaria laments. “So I’m trying to create a mix that’s balanced, that translates well across multiple systems. It has a lot to do with my room, and a lot to do with my speakers. I need to know that the speakers I’m listening to can translate what I’m hearing to what they’re hearing.”
DeFaria recently added a pair of Mackie XR624 studio monitors to his setup. “I have to say, I’m really impressed,” he asserts. “The XR624s have a lot of punchiness, but a lot of accuracy. Everything I’ve mixed on them translates really well to a wide range of playback devices.”
As a guitarist, DeFaria is keenly attuned to the nuance of stringed instruments. “I play a lot of acoustic and classical guitar, and I’m very, very in touch with the way a microphone picks up a guitar,” he offers. “I’ve found that the XR824s really capture what I’m putting down. I can hear the subtleties—every thought I put into each note, every performance, every articulation. They’re very punchy, very tight, and really fun to listen to. They sound like a more expensive speaker.”
