Hosa Music Artist Testimonials | Dave Otero
Keeping the Inspiration and Creative Flow
This month, we were fortunate enough to talk with Dave Otero, producer, audio engineer, and mixing and mastering expert at Flatline Audio. Dave started as a musician and quickly turned himself into one of metal’s biggest names producing modern bands with modern sounds. He also teaches techniques and his approach through instructional URM courses.
As a recording engineer for countless music artists, Dave knows all about making sure the audio is as reliable, noiseless, and transparent as possible. Anything that gets in the way of recording and the creative process isn’t good enough. When your job is to produce the best sounding record possible, there’s no room for compromise in audio quality.
Dave Otero, Flatline Audio, Interview
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
I’m Dave Otero, a music producer working with rock bands and metal bands here at my studio, Flatline Audio, in Denver, Colorado.
Bands come here with their songs as they’ve written them in the rehearsal room. We put those final polish elements to them, patch them up, record them to tape, do any kind of editing and post-production that’s needed, I mix and master those records, and it’s off to release.
I’ve been doing this for 20 years and kind of slowly putting it together, and building the pieces and workflow that fits me and fits my clients the best. It’s been a long, slow process of collecting gear and trading gear. I feel like I have a lot to offer. I can bring a lot to the table working with bands and with clients and feel pretty strong in my convictions musically, and I do a pretty good job at making bands and labels happy with the product they leave here with.
I super love it, for pretty obvious reasons, too. Who wouldn’t like to just create albums day in and day out and work with really awesome people in creative capacities? It’s definitely gratifying, especially when you get to the end of a long project. You know, if I had a band here for six weeks and everyone’s tired and a bit beat down and exhausted creatively, but then we have a chance to listen back to everything right before they head out of town and that sense of accomplishment is there and the band is really excited, I can tell they’re going to be proud to release it. Everyone has high hopes for how the album’s going to do, that sort of stuff. It’s one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever witnessed.
Hosa has slowly kind of become the cables that I have that I’ve learned to rely on the most. When I first started playing around with those, I’d use them in situations where I can kind of keep track of them. It’s a new cable and I want to make sure that it’s going to be reliable, and if it’s not, I know right where it is to flip it out and go back with something I’ve used in the past.
Over time, they’ve gone from that position, like “the new kid on the block”, to the one I reach for first for the most critical applications. The reliability is there, the quality is there, but the variety that they have is so good, and the innovation. Especially as of late, I know if Hosa releases something, that will one, fit a need, and two, be of a reliable and sturdy quality to last for years and not be something you have to think about and worry about all the time.
Hosa Cables That Dave Otero Uses
- Hosa Edge Guitar Cable
Hosa Edge Guitar Cables are designed to provide a lifetime of outstanding performance. Genuine Neutrik® plugs combine with world-class manufacturing techniques to deliver the most neutral, dynamic tone in their class. - Hosa Edge Microphone Cable
Hosa Edge Microphone Cables are designed to provide a lifetime of outstanding performance. Genuine Neutrik® connectors combine with world-class manufacturing techniques to deliver a noise-free signal transmission ideal for any stage or studio. - Hosa Edge Speaker Cable
Hosa Edge Speaker Cables are designed to provide a lifetime of outstanding performance. Genuine Neutrik® plugs combine with world-class manufacturing techniques to deliver exceptional quality. - Hosa Pro Interconnect Cables
Hosa Pro interconnect cables are designed to interconnect pro audio gear with balanced or unbalanced inputs. It is ideal for use in touring, studio, and other live-sound applications. Hosa Pro relies on nickel-plated REAN® plugs for efficient signal transfer and superior durability.
