Meet Juan Ferron | Audio Engineer, Musician and Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Juan Ferron and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Juan, why did you pursue a creative career?
To be completely honest, I couldn’t see myself working a 9 to 5 corporate job somewhere. Spending my days in an office replying to emails and attending meetings. Wearing a suit and tie, dressing shoes, and holding a briefcase of some sort. Even though I finished and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Accounting, I did it as a plan B and as a way to get my music career the support that I needed from my father and family. Ever since I step on a stage and played with a band for people, my passion has always been music. I love listening to music. I love playing music and I even love recording other people’s music.
I know I’m in the right career because I can spend 10, 12, 14, 16 hours working on music and feel like it has been only a few hours since I started. I could have never done that for a corporate job like my father or my sister does. But obviously, they do it because they love what they do.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a music lover. I can appreciate all kinds of music and find something interesting in each piece of music that I listen to. I do prefer some genres to others but still, I have a musical ear. I have a certain musical taste that people seem to like and that it comes out when I work with them.

Right now my main job is as Audio Engineer. I record, mix, and master music for a living. I work at a very successful studio in Los Angeles, CA, called THE ROOM STUDIOS. I’ve been working here for almost 5 years now. I’ve helped them grow and develop from 1 studio in the valley to 4 locations and 7 studios in total. Which I’m very proud of.
I’ve had 3 engineers and 2 interns on my team and helped manage the studios and the clients.
But it hasn’t been easy, I’ve spent a lot of hours in the studio perfecting my craft and dealing with all sorts of clients and types of music. I’ve slept very little and worked really hard to get to where I am today.
Nonetheless, I don’t think I could have been able to become the engineer I am today without the mentorship and support of my boss, and owner of the studios, Mauricio Garza (11 times Grammy nominee engineer and producer).

On the other hand, I believe that what made me stay relevant and on-demand is that particular ear that I have. I hear things in my head in a certain way and I try to bring a unique sound for every client I work with. I try to help them achieve their fullest potential and I push them to be better singers, rappers, and performers. I want my clients to love the final product that comes out of our studio. I want them to come back, obviously! but I want them to be proud of what we have accomplished as a team.

Sometimes we, audio engineers, don’t get the recognition we probably deserve, as we are more in the shadow of the artist or the performer, but most of the time, that artist that you like so much, that song that you like so much, that sound that you listen to in the album that you love, 8 out of 10 times, was thanks to the audio engineer, not the artist. So, audio engineers are responsible for a big part of the sound that the artist is going for and that may establish a successful career or create a new genre of music.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Living in L.A. since 2015 I gotta say that there is a lot to do and see. This city has a something to do for every kind of person.

If it was up to me, I would take them for breakfast at the beach on Malibu’s Pier. Lunch at Meat On Ocean at Santa Monica and dinner at Din Tai Fung in Culver City.
Another day I would definitely spend it at Universal Studios. I’ve been there a bunch of times but I still like it.
If they are more of an artistic vibe I would take them to THE BROAD Museum, in the morning, eat at Vespaio Restaurant or Nick + Stef’s Steakhouse. Then continue to the Museum of Contemporary Art and finish the day with a concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
On another day we could go back to the beach and spend the morning at Zuma Beach and Point Dume and in the afternoon go catch something to eat at the Rainbow Bar and Grill for some Rock n’ Roll history. At night we could catch a concert at either the world famous Whisky A Go Go, The Viper Room or The Roxy.
Lastly I would have late breakfast at Crossroads in Calabasas, followed by a visit to The Observatory at Griffith Park, eat at an In n Out somewhere (it’s just a must), go to Ameaba Records for some quick shopping and finish the day with either a Baseball game at Dodger’s Stadium, a basketball game at Crypto.com Arena, or a hockey game. depending what are the options or the time of the year.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I think I should recognize and thanks first and foremost, my wife. She’s been there through thick and thin and she’s been the biggest supporter in my life since I met her. She believes in me and accepts me for who I am. I wouldn’t be the man I have become without her. Second, my family. My father, mother, and sister, have supported me in one way or another through this crazy adventure that sometimes they still can’t quite understand, and still they have my back.
Third, I would like to thank all the amazing musicians and artists that came before me that inspired me to become one myself. All that amazing music that I listened to while growing up ignited a fire inside and made me connect with music in such an inexplicable way. And to that extent, to Mike who first introduced me to Pink Floyd and blew my mind about what music can do, and to my cousin Mario who first introduced me to punk rock and changed the way I approached life and bass after that.

Website: www.ferronsmusic.com

Instagram: @ferronsmusic

Image Credits
Laura Cuadros