Meet Arthur Damásio | Audio Engineer

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

Hi Arthur, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
It is what really drives me, what make me wake up every day and be happy and grateful to do what i do. I can really work long hours several days straight and keep feel fresh like when i was starting out. For me, that feeling that you always have something to lear is essential to keep on track. Besides that, every time i accomplish a milestone like working with some artist or musician i grew up listening to is like a dream coming true, just keep me inspired.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Make a living in music is not easy. It`s really hard to have the bills paid if you just do the average job. I started with the dream to become a great musician and to compose and do my own records like artist. But then, i realized life was taking me other way, and it was a really crucial moment, cause at first it may look i was giving up my dream but actually i was discovering a whole new world. Back in 2011, my mom heard in the radio that there was a submission to a new course in Bituca (school of music named like the nickname of Brazilian famous musician and composer Milton Nascimento): audio engineering and musical production. At first i thought it was a great opportunity to lear how to do my own stuff, like recording and mixing, but in the end it turned out the profession i would fall in love. At the end of the second of 3 years course, my teacher and first great mentor César Santos invite me to become the recording engineer of his studio (Verde) in Belo Horizonte, capital of the state i was living and studying and the birth of musical groups like Clube da Esquina and Sepultura. So in 2013 i moved and started tracking the best musicians out there, such as guitar legend Toninho Horta among many others and artists like Lô Borges, Beto Guedes, Seu Jorge etc. After 5 plus years in studio Verde, i became the main audio engineer for Sonasterio, i really outstanding studio where i worked with many Brazilian stars and famous band like Milton Nascimento, Gal Gosta, Skank, Angra, Pato Fu to name a few. Both in studio Verde and Sonasterio time and worked really hard, sleeping in the studio, like from monday to thursday making morning, afternoon and night sessions, working in the weekends and holidays, tracking, editing and mixing. I really was doing my best while trying to keep everything else in life going on, like friends and later with wife and kid. In the beginning of 2023, for a family issue, my wife and I wanted to get closer to our hometown again, and few months later because the work i`ve been doing and also for a great friend and colleague, i was invited to join Rocinante studios in the state of Rio de Janeiro, 1 hour from my hometown. For my luck, it is one of the best studios in Brazil, with a amazing crew and amazing audio equipments. So, 11 years after starting out professionally, it has been possible to take the next step studying and working a lot, been kind and friendly to anyone in the business and respecting people as professionals and human beings. It`s 90% hard work and 10% luck to talk to the right people in the right time, but always be prepared.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, it`s been a year since i moved to Petrópolis, but with the moving i also had a new baby, so i really don`t know the city well to take a friend around! I need a friend to take me out! But i know there`s a historic center where the royal family lived in the XIX century and also i am an hour and a half away from Rio de Janeiro, probably the most famous city in Brazil with a lot of beaches, restaurants and all the fun you can get. So I would take my friend there for sure.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am fortunate enough to say that there are quite people that fed my soul to pursue the dream of living on music. It starts with my family, my dad and great grandpa to always fill the house with music; my mother to encourage me since always to keep going towards my dreams; my brother to share with me great experiences; the Universidade Popular de Barbacena Bituca and my master Cesar Santos, my classmates and later Robertinho Brant to teach me the basis i need to start the best way possible like a professional should if i my say; later on, great pal Bruno Barros for entrusting me great duties; many friends like Sagaz and Batata and others mentors in the way. People that deserves credit and recognition are getting into my life all the time, they just make everything possible, they keeping pushing me!

Instagram: @damasio.tutz

Linkedin: Arthur Damásio

Image Credits
Diego Ruahn
André Greco